X Window System desktop environment

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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] References

  1. ^ KDE Localization
  2. ^ GNOME Internationalization
  3. ^ KDE-Artists: Where life imitates art
  4. ^ GNOME Art: Artwork and Themes
  5. ^ OpenUsability
  6. ^ GNOME Human Interface Guidelines
  7. ^ KDE User Interface Guidelines
  8. ^ KDE OpenOffice.org
  9. ^ GNOME OpenOffice.org
  10. ^ Linux Usability Report v1.01
  11. ^ The official Appeal site
  12. ^ The official ToPaZ site
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