Product positioning
Odoo multi-platform client for Linux for store / office desktops: embed Odoo in a local WebKitGTK shell, with bridges for print, customer display, scale, and other local capabilities—no need to keep a separate browser window open. Feature set aligns with the same-day Windows desktop build; the engine and packaging follow Linux desktop conventions.
Capabilities in this release
- Embedded Odoo: WebKitGTK 4.1 (this repo’s flet-webview-linux) renders backend and PoS pages; session cookie injection keeps login state inside the shell.
- Local service bridge: Pages can call host capabilities through the client bridge (e.g. printFile, customer display, scale reads) for cashier and front-desk workflows. On HTTPS sites, the bridge script is injected in chunks so WebKit does not block in-page cleartext HTTP requests.
- PDF / receipt printing: Uses system CUPS (cups-client is a dependency; installing the cups service is recommended). Device discovery can enumerate local print queues. Unlike the Windows package, this build does not ship SumatraPDF / Ghostscript.
- Accounts and local config: Multi-account management; account DB and runtime logs live in the user data directory and are not shipped in the .deb; uninstall does not delete user data by default.
- System tray: Closing the window can minimize to the tray (requires AppIndicator / StatusNotifier). If the GIR is missing or there is no StatusNotifierWatcher, close falls back to minimize.
- Devices / local services: Configure and manage local devices and services in the client (e.g. serial scales, depending on site hardware).
- In-app info: More in the address bar shows WebView engine / kernel version; WebView DevTools are available on desktop.
- Update check: Can use the company release channel to detect new versions (depends on on-site Odoo / release service).
Runtime requirements
|
| OS | Debian / Ubuntu-family desktops (verified on Pop!_OS 24.04 and similar); x86_64 recommended |
| Required | libwebkit2gtk-4.1, libsoup-3.0, GTK3, and related libs (pulled by .deb Depends); printing needs the CUPS client; a full CUPS service is recommended for end-to-end print |
| Tray | gir1.2-ayatanaappindicator3-0.1 recommended (listed in Depends); the panel should support StatusNotifier / AppIndicator |
| Odoo side | One of: ① Enterprise + custom modules; ② Community custom modules |
| Install location | Default /opt/cn.com.eist.odoo-client; Freedesktop .desktop entry plus AppStream metadata |
Install and notes
Install the .deb (if home-directory permissions are too strict for apt, copy to /tmp first, then use apt / dpkg):
sudo dpkg -i Odoo-Client-*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f
# or:
cp Odoo-Client-*.deb /tmp/
sudo apt install /tmp/Odoo-Client-*.deb
On first use, configure the Odoo server URL in the client and sign in.
Under Wayland, the client runs via XWayland (GDK_BACKEND=x11) so window size and the device toolbar work; COSMIC / GNOME docks resolve the icon by APPLICATION_ID (cn.com.eist.odoo-client).
This package is desktop-only; handheld scan broadcast, Gecko WebView, and related capabilities are covered in the same-day Android release notes. Desktop print and customer display are also described in the same-day Windows notes (Windows print backend: SumatraPDF / Ghostscript).
Known limitations
- Package size is larger than a “browser bookmark only” approach because of the desktop shell and WebKitGTK runtime dependencies; printing relies on system CUPS and does not embed the Windows portable PDF stack.
- Customer display and some peripherals depend on local hardware and drivers; without them, normal browser-style access to Odoo still works.
- On some virtual GPUs the launcher disables WebKit DMA-BUF (to avoid white blocks); physical machines keep hardware compositing.
- Info-style dialogs can occasionally be covered by the WebView overlay; if that happens, switch accounts or refresh, then open About / Info again.