Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) offers a complete graphical user interface (GUI) solution to operate a computer. The name is derived from the desktop metaphor used by most of these interfaces.
A DE provides icons, toolbars, applications, applets, 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.
The desktop environments for the popular operating systems Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X are, in their intended use, relatively static. There are alternative themes and third-party software, but most of these changes do not alter the desktop environment on a fundamental level. This assures a consistent user experience.
On systems running the X Window System (typically Unix systems), the desktop environment is much more flexible. In this context, a DE typically consists of a window manager, 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 io slaves which give the user access to a wide range of virtual devices. These io slaves are not available outside the KDE environment.
Well-known desktop environments examples include GNOME, KDE, CDE and XFce; however, a number of other desktop environments also exist, including (but not limited to): EDE, UDE, ROX Desktop, GEM, PerlTop, XPde, Xito and arm0nia.
Some window managers also include elements reminiscent of those found in desktop environments, most prominently Enlightenment.
