A computer desktop environment (DE) is a graphical representation of the software running on top of an operating system, and part of the desktop graphical user interface (GUI).
Usually, it creates the look and feel of the desktop, including the style of the icons, files, folders, and cursor, or mouse pointer. The desktop environment dictates the file manager that can be used, the default text editor, image viewer, desktop wallpaper, and the interface used to log in and out of the system.
Most of us don't have a lot to say about the desktop environment we use because it is part of the operating system itself. Changes to the DE are introduced with updates to the OS and, while most systems allow numerous options when it comes to personalization features, the DE itself is part of the operating system.
However, on some systems, such as Linux, the DE is more likely to be a modular component that can be changed and reconfigured more easily and more fully.
On systems running the X Window System, which includes the different variations of Linux, the BSDs, and formal UNIX distributions, the DE is more dynamic and user-customizable. With most of these systems, the DE consists of several separate components, including a window manager, a file manager, a set of graphical themes, and various toolkits and libraries for managing the desktop. These individual modules can be exchanged and independently configured to meet the needs of the user, although most desktop environments provide a default configuration that requires minimal user setup.
Some parts of the program code that is part of the DE have effects that are not visible to the user, such as low-level code that give the user access to a range of virtual devices.
Thus, Windows and Mac users rarely concern themselves with computer desktop environments but, while Linux users are free to accept the default configuration, the DE might be a matter of interest to them.
The most common desktop environments are GNOME and KDE, largely because these are more often to be installed by default on Linux systems. However, while GNOME and KDE focus o high-performance computers running Linux, users of less powerful or older machines often prefer a DE that has been created specifically for low-performance systems. Examples include LXDE and Xfce, both of which use GTK), which is the same underlying toolkit used by GNOME.
When the developers of GNOME decided to abandon the traditional desktop experience with GNOME 3 in 2011, several forks were created, one of the most popular of which was Cinnamon, which retains the taskbar-like panel and other basic features of a conventional desktop that was lacking in GNOME 3. Cinnamon is the default DE in Linux Mint.
As Linux commands a low percentage of the computer market, the most common desktop environment is whichever one is in use by Microsoft Windows. Currently, Windows 10 uses a DE known as Fluent, but past Windows DEs have been Luna, Aero, and Metro. Another common DE is the one used in Apple's macOS, and known as Aqua.
Several other desktop environments exist, particularly for Unix/Linux-like operating systems using the X Window System, most of which can be selected by users and are not bound exclusively to the operating system in use. Other desktop environments are made for lesser-known computer systems.
The first desktop environment was created by Xerox for the Xerox Alto in the 1970s, which was considered to be a personal office computer. Due largely to its high price, it failed in the marketplace. In its more affordable Lisa computer, Apple introduced the second DE, but it also failed in the marketplace.
Apple was the first to refer to the GUI interface as a desktop, as a metaphor for the actual top of a desk, on which an array of physical utilities might be expected to sit. This metaphor was continued by Microsoft in its Windows operating system, and the most popular desktop environments are descendants of these earlier DEs.
The focus of this category is on computer desktop environments.
Recommended Resources
Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows, which serves as an alternative graphical user interface for the Microsoft Windows operating system that preserves the desktop area for wallpaper and applications, and allows the user to organize windows the same way they organize their programs list. The features pertaining to the taskbar, programs menu, dynamic desktop, and folder stacks are highlighted, and DE is available for download through GitHub.
https://cairodesktop.com/
Cinnamon is a free and open-source (GPLv2) desktop environment for the X Window System. Derived from the GNOME Shell, its desktop layout is more similar to GNOME 2, offering an alternative to GNOME 3. The DE includes Firefox, Hexchat, Pidgin, and Transmission, as well as GNOME Terminal, Cinnamon Settings, LibreOffice, Thunderbird, Parole, Shotwell, and Xfburn, as well as other features. Developed by the Linux Mint team, it is shipped with the Mint OS and available free for downloading.
https://spins.fedoraproject.org/cinnamon/
Originating in 1995, CDE is a project of the Open Group, and an integrated graphical user interface for open systems desktop computing, designed to make open systems desktop computers as easy to use as PCs, but with the added power of local and network resources. Available as open-source software, CDE is integrated with OSF/Motif, each with its own licensing document. License terms and conditions, a CDE price list, and a licensing kit may be downloaded in PDF format.
http://www.opengroup.org/cde/
Started as a window manager for X11 in 1996, Enlightenment still produces the window manager, but it also covers mobile, wearable, and TV UP requirements for projects like Tizen, as well as the traditional desktop UI, and is currently transitioning from X11 to Wayland. Supporting most of the GNU/Linux distributions, work is underway for support for Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS An introduction to the project and product are given, along with documentation.
https://www.enlightenment.org/
Originating as a fork of Blackbox, the stacking window manager for the X Window system is compatible with Unix-like operating systems. Designed to be lightweight, its user interface has only a taskbar, a pop-up menu, and minimal support for graphical icons, while basic configurations are controlled through text files, including menu construction and the mapping of key-bindings. Its features are listed on the site, including screenshots, a manual, wiki, and a discussion group.
http://www.fluxbox.org/
Created by the GNU Project and currently developed by the GNOME Project, GNOME is a free and open-source (GPLv2+) desktop environment for Unix-like platforms, and the default DE for several Linux distributions. An introduction to the GNOME Project is given, along with the GNOME Foundation, which furthers the goals of the project. A developer section includes a guide for those who are new, as well as introductions to various teams and projects needing help with.
https://www.gnome.org/
Created for operating systems based on the X Window System and GTK+2.x, GUIShell is a lightweight desktop environment that maintains low hardware requirements and low user experience requirements, while catering to advanced users. Available under the terms of the GNU General Public License, an introduction is put forth, along with its goals, requirements, development notes, and screenshots. Manual pages are put forth, and a link to its project page is included.
http://www.nongnu.org/antiright/
Written for the GNU/Linux and BSD operating systems, 13 is free and open-source software, available under the terms of the BSD License, made for advanced users and developers. The tiling windows manager supports tiling, stacking, and tabbing layouts. Available as a free download, full documentation is included, along with screencasts, video, and screenshots illustrating some of its features. Bug reports and a FAQ are available on GitHub, with links provided.
https://i3wm.org/
Lumina is a plugin-based desktop environment for Unix and Unix-like operating systems, and particularly as a lightweight system interface for TrueOS and those derived from BSD, in general, although it has been ported to other Linux distributions. Its features are listed and discussed, including Project Trident, a desktop distribution of TrueOS that is created and maintained by the authors of the Lumina Desktop. Other resources include a repository of themes and an FAQ.
https://lumina-desktop.org/
Licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License and the Lesser General Public License, LXDE is a free desktop environment for Unix-like operating systems that are designed to have comparatively low resource requirements, and of particular use with older and resource-limited personal computers. Available free, including the source code, anyone interested in assisting in the community project is invited to do so. Also included are a discussion forum, a wiki, and a blog.
https://lxde.org/
Originating in 2013, LXQt was formed from the merger of the LXDE and Razor-qt projects and is a free and open-source (GPL, LGPL) desktop environment for Unix/Linux-type operating systems. Designed to be lightweight and not as resource-demanding as many other DEs, LXQt is included in most Linux and BSD distributions and may be freely downloaded from the site, along with its source code. Development notes, a release history, and a user support forum are available.
https://lxqt.org/
The free and open-source (GPLv2, LGPLv2) desktop environment was created as a fork of GNOME 2, in response to the negative reception toward GNOME 3 among many Linux users. Maintaining and continuing the latest GNOME 2 code base, frameworks, and core applications, MATE operates on most Linux and BSD operating systems, a list of which is provided here, along with installation instructions, screenshots, development notes, wiki, and a user support forum.
https://mate-desktop.org/
Released in 2005, OneFinger is the successor to Logical Desktop, a file manager and a general-purpose graphical user interface for the Linux operating system. Offering a dynamic panel that can contain files from multiple directories, a feature that collects statistics of the user’s work, and an always-visible search box, as well as other features, which are highlighted here, OneFinger is available for free, under the terms of the GNU General Public License, which includes the source.
http://onefinger.sourceforge.net/
Oroborus is a minimalistic window manager, about 75kb on a PowerPC machine and about 63kb on an x86 machine. Despite its size, it includes some features not found in most other windows managers, such as good default key bindings, windows that are moveable by keyboard, highly-configurable, GNOME and NET_WM compatible, and mostly KDE compatible. Recommended add-ons are listed, and it may be downloaded from the or from the Debian archive.
https://www.oroborus.org/
Plasma is a desktop environment from KDE, an international free software community, designed for use in any mouse- or keyboard-driven computers powered by Unix/Linux-type operating systems, such as Kubuntu, openSUSE, KDE neon, Fedora KDE, and Manjaro KDE, although it can also be installed on Windows and Mac systems using ROSA Image Writer. Its features are outlined, development notes are posted, and devices preinstalled with Plasma are offered for sale.
https://kde.org/plasma-desktop.php
TDE is a fork of K Desktop Environment 3.5 (KDE 3.5), and available for free under the terms of the GNU General Public License and others, currently offering a complete software desktop environment designed for users of Unix-like operating systems who prefer a traditional desktop model. Its features are listed and shown in screenshots, and installation instructions and a support wiki are available. The program is available through download or LiveCDs.
https://www.trinitydesktop.org/
UKUI is a lightweight desktop environment for Linux/Unix-like distributions that are based on a pluggable framework and developed using GTK and Qt. The DE has been tested and found to be supported by Ubuntu, Ubuntu Kylin, and Debian distributions. Its features are listed an illustrated through screenshots, and installation guidelines are posted to the site, along with a user support wiki and interactive forum. The key members of the development team are acknowledged.
http://www.ukui.org/
Unity is a graphical shell for the GNOME desktop environment. Originally developed by Canonical for the Ubuntu operating system, UBports assumed development of the shell after Canonical announced that it was going to end work on it, in favor of the GNOME 3 desktop. Development information is presented, with links to its development group, documentation, a support forum, and a blog. Announcements for those interested in getting involved with the project are posted.
https://unity8.io/
Licensed as free and open-source through the GNU General Public License, the Lesser General Public License, and the BSD License, XFCE is a lightweight desktop environment for Unix/Linux-type operating systems like GNU/Linux and BSD. Although based on the GTK toolkit like GNOME, XFCE is not a fork of GNOME. Its features are listed and discussed, and examples of XFCE desktops are shown in screenshots. A user support forum is included, along with a wiki and blog.
https://xfce.org/
