OS GUI

Xfce is a free software desktop environment for Unix and other Unix-like platforms, such as Linux, Solaris and BSD. Its configuration is entirely mouse-driven and the configuration files are hidden from the casual user. It is based on the GTK+ 2.x toolkit (like GNOME). It uses the Xfwm window manager. Xfce is somewhat similar to the commercial CDE, but has been getting a little farther away from that comparison with each new version (it was completely re-written twice, between versions 2 and 3, and then again for version 4).

In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer processes. Windows are primarily associated with graphical displays, where they can be manipulated with a pointer. A graphical user interface (GUI) that uses windows as one of its main metaphors is called a windowing system.

The idea was initially developed by researchers at the Stanford Research Institute, led by Douglas Engelbart. Their systems used non-overlapping or tiled windows. This was further developed as a part of the WIMP paradigm at Xerox Corporation's Palo Alto Research Center, PARC, led by Alan Kay. Their systems used overlapping windows. Overlapping systems have become far more common than non-overlapping systems.

KDE (K Desktop Environment) (IPA: [ke.di.i]) is a free software project which aims to be a powerful system for an easy-to-use desktop environment. The goal of the project is to provide basic desktop functions and applications for daily needs as well as tools and documentation for developers to write stand-alone applications for the system. In this regard the KDE project serves as an umbrella project for many standalone applications and smaller projects that are based on KDE technology, such as KOffice, KDevelop, Amarok and K3b.

The KDE logo is a "K" over a cogwheel and the project's mascot is a green dragon named Konqi. Konqi can be found in various applications, including when the user logs out and in the "About KDE" screen

The GNOME project is an international effort to create an easy-to-use computing platform built entirely from free software. This goal includes creating tools which help developers write new stand-alone application software, selecting applications for inclusion in the official product, and working on what is known as the desktop environment — the programs which manage application launching, file handling, and window and task management.

A great deal of software is created or hosted under the umbrella of the GNOME project, some of which is collected and released as GNOME. GNOME is used in conjunction with an operating system such as Linux or Sun Microsystems’ Solaris, to create a fully functional computer system.

GNOME is part of the GNU operating system, and is its official desktop environment. The official pronunciation with a hard “G”, although (as in the English word “gnome”) is also in common usage. of the name is