桌面环境

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在图形计算中，一个桌面环境（DE，有时称为 桌面管理器）为计算机提供一个图形用户界面（GUI）。这个名称来自桌面隐喻，对应于早期的文字命令行界面（CLI）。一个典型的桌面环境提供图标，视窗，工具栏，文件夹，壁纸以及像拖拽这样的能力。整体而言，桌面环境在设计和功能上的特性赋予了它与众不同的外观和感觉。

流行的私有操作系统Microsoft Windows和Mac OS X所用的桌面环境是相对不可变的。但是也有主题和第三方软件可以完全更改常见界面元素的外观（比如窗口、按钮和图标）以及界面本身。在Windows中，这一切可以通过替换默认的Explorershell来实现。

On systems running the X Window System (typically Unix-like systems), the desktop environment is much more flexible. In this context, a DE typically consists of a window manager (such as Metacity or KWin), a file manager (such as Konqueror or Nautilus), 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 KIOslaves which give the user access to a wide range of virtual devices. These I/O slaves are not available outside the KDE environment.

[编辑] 桌面环境实例

GNOME	KDE	Xfce	Java Desktop System - GNOME-based
Windows Vista (Aero)	Mac OS X (Aqua)	Symphony OS Mezzo	Enlightenment
StarBlue (window manager)

The most common desktop environment on personal computers is the one provided by Microsoft Windows; another common environment is the one provided by Mac OS X.

Other mainstream desktop environments for Unix-like operating systems using the X Window System include KDE, GNOME, Xfce and CDE.

A number of other desktop environments also exist, including (but not limited to): Aston, EDE, GEM, IRIX Interactive Desktop, Mezzo, Project Looking Glass, ROX Desktop, UDE, Xito.

X window managers that are meant to be usable stand-alone — without another desktop environment — also include elements reminiscent of those found in typical desktop environments, most prominently Enlightenment. Other examples include Window Maker and AfterStep, which both feature the NEXTSTEP GUI look and feel.

The Amiga approach to desktop environment was noteworthy; the original Workbench desktop environment in AmigaOS evolved through time to originate an entire family of descendants. Some of those descendants are the AmigaOS 4.0 Workbench based on the ReAction object oriented GUI engine, the Ambient desktop of MorphOS based on the MUI (Magical User Interface) object-oriented GUI engine, the ScalOS third-party desktop environment for Amiga, the Zune graphical environment of the AROS open source OS, and the Feelin third party programming environment which has its internal GUI engine built on the XML markup language.

The BumpTop project is an experimental desktop environment. Its main objective is to replace the 2D paradigm with a "real world" 3D implementation, where documents can be freely manipulated across a virtual table.

StarBlue is the actual tab-based desktop environnement for Virtual OS and many others Web Desktop's.

[编辑] 参见

• Shell (computing) for a more general concept of a computer user interface
• History of the graphical user interface
• X window manager for a specific, technically constrained software of desktop environments
• Comparison of X Window System desktop environments