2. In computing, a desktop environment is an
implementation of the desktop metaphor made of a
bundle of programs running on top of a computer
operating system, which share a common graphical
user interface (GUI). The desktop environment was
seen mostly on personal computers until the rise of
mobile computing. Desktop GUIs help the user to
easily access and edit files, while they usually do not
provide access to all of the features found in the
underlying operating system. Instead, the traditional
command-line interface (CLI) is still used when full
control over the operating system is required.
3. A desktop environment typically consists of
icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers
and desktop widgets. A GUI might also
provide drag and drop functionality and other
features that make the desktop metaphor
more complete. A desktop environment aims
to be an intuitive way for the user to interact
with the computer using concepts which are
similar to those used when interacting with
the physical world, such as buttons and
windows.
4. While the term desktop environment originally
described a style of user interfaces following the
desktop metaphor, it has also come to describe the
programs that realize the metaphor itself.
5. Implementation
On a system that offers a desktop environment, a
window manager in conjunction with applications
written using a widget toolkit are generally
responsible for most of what the user sees. The
window manager supports the user interactions with
the environment, while the toolkit provides
developers a software library for applications with a
unified look and behavior.
6. A windowing system of some sort generally interfaces directly
with the underlying operating system and libraries. This
provides support for graphical hardware, pointing devices,
and keyboards. The window manager generally runs on top of
this windowing system. While the windowing system may
provide some window management functionality, this
functionality is still considered to be part of the window
manager, which simply happens to have been provided by the
windowing system.
Applications that are created with a particular window
manager in mind usually make use of a windowing toolkit,
generally provided with the operating system or window
manager. A windowing toolkit gives applications access to
widgets that allow the user to interact graphically with the
application in a consistent way.
