Desktop environment

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In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE, sometimes desktop manager) offers a graphical user interface (GUI) to the computer. The name is derived from the desktop metaphor used by most of these interfaces, as opposed to the earlier, textual command line interfaces (CLI). A DE typically provides icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers, and abilities like drag and drop. As a whole, the particularities of design and function of a desktop environment endow it with a distinctive look and feel.

Contents 1 Proprietary systems 2 X Window System 3 Examples of desktop environments 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Proprietary systems

The desktop environments for the popular proprietary operating systems Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X are, in their intended use, relatively unalterable. This imposes a consistent user experience. However, there are alternative themes and third-party software that can completely change both the appearance of common interface elements (such as windows, buttons and icons) and the interface model itself. In Windows, this is accomplished by replacing the default Explorer shell.

Apple had the first desktop environment on a personal computer, featured on the lisa. The first desktop environment was by Xerox with their Xerox PARC.

[edit] X Window System

On systems running the X Window System (typically Unix-like systems), the desktop environment is much more flexible. In this context, a DE typically consists of a window manager (such as Metacity or KWin), a file manager (such as Nautilus or Konqueror), a set of themes, and programs and libraries for managing the desktop. All of these individual modules can be exchanged and individually configured to achieve a unique combination, but most desktop environments provide a default configuration that requires minimal user input.

Not all of the program code that is part of a DE has effects which are directly visible to the user. Some of it may be low-level code. KDE, for example, provides so-called KIOslaves which give the user access to a wide range of virtual devices. These I/O slaves are not available outside the KDE environment.

An X Window System desktop environment combines a window manager with a suite of standard applications that adhere to human interface guidelines and runs under the X Window System. They are often used with operating systems such as Linux. Whereas a window manager is analogous to the Aqua user interface for OS X, a Linux desktop environment is analogous to Aqua as well as all of the default OS X graphical applications and configuration utilities. Initially, CDE was available as a proprietary solution, but was never popular on Linux systems due to cost and licensing restrictions.^{[citation needed]} In 1996 the KDE was announced, followed in 1997 by the announcement of GNOME. Xfce is a smaller project that was also founded in 1997, and focuses on speed and modularity. A comparison of X Window System desktop environments demonstrates the differences between environments. Today, GNOME and KDE are the dominant solutions, and often installed by default on Linux systems. Each of them offers:

• To programmers, a set of standard APIs, a programming environment, and human interface guidelines.
• To translators, a collaboration infrastructure. KDE and GNOME are available in many languages.^[1][2]
• To artists, a workspace to share their talents.^[3][4]
• To ergonomics specialists, the chance to help simplify the working environment.^[5][6][7]
• To developers of third-party applications, a reference environment for integration. OpenOffice.org is one such application.^[8][9]
• To users, a complete desktop environment and a suite of essential applications. These include a file manager, web browser, multimedia player, email client, address book, PDF reader, photo manager, and system preferences application.

In the early 2000s these two environments reached maturity.^{[10][citation needed]} Still active, the Appeal^[11] and ToPaZ^[12] projects focus on bringing new advances to the next major releases of both KDE and GNOME respectively. Although striving for broadly similar goals, GNOME and KDE do differ in their approach to user ergonomics. KDE encourages applications to integrate and interoperate, is highly customizable, and contains many complex features, all whilst trying to establish sensible defaults. GNOME on the other hand is more prescriptive, and focuses on the finer details of essential tasks and overall simplification. Accordingly, each one attracts a different user and developer community. Technically, there are numerous technologies common to all Linux desktop environments, most obviously the X Window System. Accordingly, the freedesktop.org project was established as an informal collaboration zone with the goal being to reduce duplication of effort.

[edit] Examples of desktop environments

EDE	Enlightenment	GNOME	KDE
Aqua (Mac OS X)	Xfce	Aero (Windows Vista)	Mezzo (Symphony OS)
GCOE X

The most common desktop environment on personal computers is the one provided by Microsoft Windows; another common environment is the one provided by Apple Mac OS X.

Other mainstream desktop environments for Unix-like operating systems using the X Window System include KDE, GNOME, Xfce and CDE.

A number of other desktop environments also exist, including (but not limited to): Aston, EDE, GEM, IRIX Interactive Desktop, Mezzo, Project Looking Glass, ROX Desktop, UDE, Xito.

X window managers that are meant to be usable stand-alone — without another desktop environment — also include elements reminiscent of those found in typical desktop environments, most prominently Enlightenment. Other examples include Window Maker and AfterStep, which both feature the NEXTSTEP GUI look and feel.

The Amiga approach to desktop environment was noteworthy; the original Workbench desktop environment in AmigaOS evolved through time to originate an entire family of descendants. Some of those descendants are the AmigaOS 4.0 Workbench based on the ReAction object oriented GUI engine, the Ambient desktop of MorphOS based on the MUI (Magical User Interface) object-oriented GUI engine, the ScalOS third-party desktop environment for Amiga, the Zune graphical environment of the AROS open source OS, and the Feelin third party programming environment which has its internal GUI engine built on the XML markup language.

There is the Workplace Shell that runs on IBM OS/2 or eComStation.

The BumpTop project is an experimental desktop environment. Its main objective is to replace the 2D paradigm with a "real world" 3D implementation, where documents can be freely manipulated across a virtual table.

StarBlue is the actual tab-based desktop environmement for Virtual OS and many other Web desktops.

[edit] See also

• Shell (computing)
• History of the graphical user interface
• X window manager
• Comparison of X Window System desktop environments

[edit] References