A desktop environment is a bundle of programs that provide a common graphical user interface and desktop metaphor on top of an operating system. The first desktop environment was created by Xerox in the 1970s but failed to gain popularity. On systems using the X Window System, desktop environments are customizable and typically consist of components like a window manager, file manager, and toolkits. Common examples of desktop environments include Microsoft Windows, Apple's Aqua, and open-source environments like KDE, GNOME, Xfce, and LXDE.

1. Desktop Interface

2. What is it?
In computing, a desktop environment (DE) 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.

3. History & Common Use
The first desktop environment was created by Xerox and was sold with the Xerox Alto in
the 1970s. The Alto was generally considered by Xerox to be a personal office computer;
it failed in the marketplace because of poor marketing and a very high price tag.
With the Lisa, Apple introduced a desktop environment on an affordable personal
computer, which also failed in the market.

4. Desktop environments for the X
Window System
On systems running the X Window System (typically Unix-family systems such as
GNU/Linux, the BSDs, and formal UNIX distributions), desktop environments are much
more dynamic and customizable to meet user needs. In this context, a desktop
environment typically consists of several separate components, including a window
manager (such as Mutter or KWin), a file manager (such as Files or Dolphin), a set of
graphical themes, together with toolkits (such as GTK+ and Qt) and libraries for managing
the desktop.

5. Examples of desktop environments
The most common desktop environment on personal computers is Microsoft Windows'
built-in interface. It was titled Luna in Windows XP and Aero from Windows Vista onward.
Also common is Aqua, included with Apple's Mac OS X.
Mainstream desktop environments for Unix-like operating systems use the X Window
System, and include KDE, GNOME, Xfce, and LXDE, any of which may be selected by users
and are not tied exclusively to the operating system in use.

6. Reference Page
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Jump up ^ Then, Ewdison (6 February 2009), Xfce creator talks Linux, Moblin, netbooks and
open-source, SlashGear, retrieved 5 February 2011
Jump up ^ "KDE Localization". L10n.kde.org. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
Jump up ^ "GNOME Internationalization". Gnome.org. 2011-10-23. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
Jump up ^ Link 27 Dec Personalized Golf Ball Sign» (2011-12-27). "Where life imitates art".
KDE-Artists. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
Jump up ^ "GNOME Art: Artwork and Themes". Art.gnome.org. Retrieved 2012-02-04.