Hi, I just installed osmc RC on my pi2, and I was wondering if it has a desktop environment. Somewhere I read that a feature will be implemented: if I choose “exit” in kodi, I’ll get a desktop where I can use a browser, file managers, consoles, basically anything. Well, this is not happening, but it would be awesome. Any tips on this? Thanks
No, if you choose exit and press esc you can get a terminal environment. OSMC writes display to framebuffer preventing the use of an Xorg style window manager which is required for such an environment. It may eventually be possible with Vero in the future (that remains to be seen) but this will likely never be possible on Rpi.
If you must have a desktop environment, dual booting with NOOBS and having a distro with xorg is your best bet.
If you really need a desktop I would install Kodi on top of Raspbian:
http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=99866
Hi
We are planning to ship a desktop environment in the second half of the year with OSMC. We will make our web browser available without the DE as well.
Sam
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Yea, I tried that too, but my wifi adapter doesnt work on raspbian, and I spent hours to install its driver without success. Maybe if I could install osmc’s kernel on raspbian? O.o hm. I dont know how to do that,either.
That sounds great! Til then, do you think its possible to use your kernel with rasbian? If so,how?
Hi almost a year later … is there any progress / timeline and or indication a Desktop Environment is going to be available?
I completed it some time ago for testing, but needs some work. It is in Git I believe
@sam_nazarko - Can we get Web Browser for Amazon Prime Video/ Audio content at least? Especially, on the ATV 1 as we are no longer able to play Prime Video
It’s quite a task though and no one has stepped up yet, so I need to find some time to get the ball rolling, which I don’t quite have at the moment
Sam
Thanks for replying Sam 
Appreciate it. I know you’re super busy and there’s not enough time or hands.
Can we put it up as a Task i.e. Broadcast and see if some people step up?
PS: I am sure there’s plenty of OpenElec people as well who would love to have a Browser for Amazon Video
I am wondering if the Web Browser instance was working on CB2?
Correct me if I am wrong - Did I not read comparatives where CB2 was a OS release that had more than OpenELEC {locked down Kodi only}.
Did CB2 have a browser / desktop thing? Could be added more easily into release?
Wasnt OSMC supposed to be more than OpenElec in some way?
Apologies but I am just trying to recall from memory, that whole point was to have a browser to open pages for general reading & Play streams that would not work through Kodi/ XBMC - Theres many like that.
Hey 
Ive looked in git … could not find it … do you have a link? Or am I just blind
I am wondering too… how/ where do people go who wish to help?
oops wrong thread…
There is not much yet about the osmc-desktop-app…
I am working on some stuff Sam put available via Dropbox.
What are your specialties?
Please what about the desktop support
At this moment it is not possible to give a definite timeline of when a possible Osmc-Desktop release will become available.
Also no indication can be made about in what shape form or for which platforms it will become available. This has to do with the amount of challenges that will have to addressed before a stable release can be made available.
Lots of platform independent programming/testing will have to be done.
The Osmc-Desktop-app is however something that is currently being researched. If more information will become available, it will be made available on this forum by one of of the senior staff members.
On a personal note I am very interested in what kind features one would like to see to
be made available in such a future Osmc-Desktop release.
Hein
Hein thanks for the reply, i think the main reason for the desktop is just only to be able to use a browser, file manager and gedit. So i think just mate and chromium could be the much anticipated desktop app.
This is possible, follow this posting https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=23051, and upon exiting xbmc hit esc to get to the terminal, login, and startx will lead you to a desktop environment. Note that I am using OSMC and not Xbian; have verified this works.
Thank you @MechE for the link. I have installed lxde and managed to switch there … may I ask you please to name any web browser that works there? I tried to follow the instructions regarding Chromium browser in the link you provided but no luck ( I think the host “http://distribution-eu.hexxeh.net/chromium-rpi/chromium-rpi-r22.tar.gz” is down )
Why not try my installer, for lxde and chromium?
[Testing] X11(simple desktop) + Chromium(web browser) in a simple installer