Introduction to Linux Desktop Environment

When I install a Linux distribution to a new user sometimes I ask: "Which desktop environment would you like to use ?" and after looking at their puzzled face I realize that for Windows user this is an unfamiliar term. Usually they answer, I would like icons, or put that photo as wallpaper...or nothing at all.

From Wikipedia: "In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface (GUI) derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed specific operating system (OS) features. The GUI usually does not afford access to all the many features found in an OS. Instead, the traditional command-line interface (CLI) is still used when full control over the OS is required in such cases. A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers and desktop widget"

To make it short, it is a set of programs that combine to create your own desktop, and are used to manage it.

The GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) Project was started in 1997 by two then university students, Miguel de Icaza and Federico Mena. Their aim: to produce a free (as in freedom) desktop environment. Since then, GNOME has grown and now is used by millions of people across the world.

Some Technical info

The last release of Gnome is 3.0, but this is just been released and is very different in its behavior, so many people still use the previous release the 2.3.X. But if you have never used it, don't worry and go for Gnome 3.

Gnome is just the desktop environment that require a window manager like FVWM(Fantastic Virtual Windows Manager). Gnome also offers its own integrated systems for the management of the machine. Its architecture is completely based on CORBA.
It is based on GTK and uses CORBA for communication between processes with the implementation of Orbit.

Look and feel

Ok, but technical things are not funny, let's take a look at what look like a desktop with Gnome. Up until Gnome 2.3.X the Environment was very similar to the classic Windows XP.

The desktop had a launcher menu for quick access to installed programs and file locations; open windows may be accessed by a taskbar along the bottom of the screen, and the top-right corner features a notification area for programs to display notices while running in the background.

With Gnome 3 this has changed, there is now a revolutionary desktop that emphasizes the ability to easily switch between tasks, and the use of workspaces for task management. Icons and menus, both staples of traditional interface design, are noticeably absent from the GNOME Shell U. Another change of Gnome 3 it's the concept of always online, there is integrated in the main bar a Status indicator, and you can configure tehre your IM/Microblog and mail accounts.

KDE stands for K Desktop Environment and is a graphical user interface with many applications, designed to help the user in daily work. KDE also offers many options for changing the desktop to suit your needs and desires.

It is best known for its Plasma Desktop, a desktop environment provided as the default working environment on many Linux distributions, such as openSUSE, Mandriva Linux, Kubuntu, and Chakra GNU/Linux.

What KDE offer it's a complete suite of programs, usually they start with a K or have a K in their name, so for example for Browsing there is Konqueror and Rekonq, as mail program there is Kmail and as office suite Koffice.

But if you use other applications, don't be worried they run perfectly also on KDE.

Technical information

KDE software is based on the Qt framework. The original GPL version of this toolkit only existed for the X11 platform, but with the release of Qt 4, LGPL versions are available for all platforms.

The last release of KDE is the 4.6.x

Look and Feel

The look of KDE is impressing and if you have the pure purpose of wanting to impress friends and family with your Computer, KDE is definitely the place for you. The various plasmoids allows a complete customization of the desktop and also allows configuration of various graphics tricks really awesome. The only flaw is that if you have an old or not so powerful video card KDE will give you many problems like: slow loading, sloppy effects while moving the windows and in general a bad user experience.

Xfce is a lightweight desktop environment for UNIX-like operating systems. It aims to be fast and low on system resources, while still being visually appealing and user friendly.

Xfce embodies the traditional UNIX philosophy of modularity and re-usability. It consists of a number of components that provide the full functionality one can expect of a modern desktop environment. They are packaged separately and you can pick among the available packages to create the optimal personal working environment.

Technical Informations

XFCE is based on the GTK+ 2 toolkit (the same as GNOME). It uses the Xfwm window manager. Its configuration is entirely mouse-driven, and the configuration files are hidden from the casual user.

A characteristic of XFCE it's that uses much less memory of the other DE, you can have a XFCE running with around 50 MB of RAM.

The last release of XFCE is the 4.8.x, distributions that use it are Xubuntu, Linux Mint Xfce and Crunchbang (in alternative to openbox)

Look and feel

XFCE has a classic approach to the desktop with an applications menu on the Top left, the notification area in the top right and on the bottom the list of open applications, it's very similar to what was Gnome 2.3.X.

The LXDE "Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment" is an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment. Maintained by an international community of developers, it comes with a beautiful interface, multi-language support, standard keyboard short cuts and additional features like tabbed file browsing. LXDE uses less CPU and less RAM than other environments. It is especially designed for cloud computers with low hardware specifications, such as, netbooks, mobile devices (e.g. MIDs) or older computers. LXDE can be installed with many Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora.

Technical information

LXDE consists of several components and they have few dependencies and are not tightly integrated. As windows manager it uses Openbox, that is used by others alone as complete Desktop Environment.

Look and feel

LXDE desktop. It's simple, lightweight and fast; you'll find your applications menu on the bottom left and near it some icons for a quick launch, the notifications area is in the bottom right. Just think at windows XP classic.

This is the standard behavior, you can customize it and even add 3D effects with Compiz.

Unity is one of the newcomers among the DE, designed to give support to netbooks has become famous thanks to the fact that it has become the default Ubuntu desktop, one of the major GNU/Linux distributions.

Technical Information

Unity is a shell interface for the GNOME desktop environment; Unity is not a collection of applications but designed to be used with existing GTK+ programs.

Unity is part of the Ayatana project, an initiative to improve the user experience within Ubuntu. In addition to Unity, there are Application Indicators and other projects such as MeMenu, the notification system and the application NotifyOSD gathered.

Look and feel

Unity It is designed to make more efficient use of space given the limited screen size of netbooks, including, for example, a vertical application switcher

Enlightenment is not just a window manager for Linux/X11 and others, but also a whole suite of libraries to help you create beautiful user interfaces, it can be used alone or in conjunction with a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE. Enlightenment is often used as a substitute for a full desktop environment.

At the moment Bodhi Linux it's one of the most famous distro fully dedicated to this DE, but you can get it also on other distro like PCLinuxOS or Gentoo.

Technical information

Enlightenment, is built on top of building blocks known as EFL (the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries). There are more than can be sensibly put into the simple block diagram above, but this covers the essentials.

Pretty much any application written using Core EFL libraries will use one or more of these depending on its needs. It may only need the lower level ones or use all of them to the top of the stack.

Look and Feel

The 2 goals that stand behind Enlightement are the creation of beautiful user interfaces and the low of resources. And in general with the distributions I've tested I've found that it achieve both goals. If you want to have a lightweight and less classic desktop test it.

So, this is a small overview of some of the most famous Desktop Environment of Linux, but of course the are others like Openbox (used in Crunchbang and Archbang for example) or Fluxbox (that is use on my gentoo).

So like many things there isn't a better DE or the one you MUST use, choose your favourite and that will be the best DE for you.