What is Gnome / KDE etc?

Question

I have been on Windows my entire life.

Without getting too technical, what are these things? When I search on the net, I get some technical results. I simple do not understand what these things are!

I work on Windows and completely miss the point when this lingo is used.

How is Linux different from Windows basically. I thought it is a set of operating systems which are open source and/or free.

How wrong am I?

Is it entirely a different world out there??

Answer 1

One important thing to know, before we start, is Microsoft is the single source for windows software. In reality, Microsoft Windows is really multiple layers of software, working transparently as one product. In the Linux world, these multiple layers are working together, with multiple software packages available for use on each layer. Because of this array of choices, it's easy for the average user to get confused with these terms.

I'm going to try to explain the multiple layers below layers below:

1st layer - command line interface / kernel

To understand the multiple layer aspect of Linux, and describe it in simple, windows-centric terms, when we're talking about Linux, let's pretend we're back in the days of windows 95.

The "Linux" Operating System is similar to DOS where everything is executed from a command line interface (abbreviated CLI). A Linux CLI is very similar to DOS. In fact, on most server installations of Linux, a CLI is the only way to access the machine. After Linux starts up, depending on configuration, it will either stay in command line mode, or start a graphical user interface (abbreviated GUI) automatically. Additionally, on some machines that stay in CLI mode, a user who logs into the CLI can manually start a GUI.

2nd layer - Graphic USER Interface

On top of the command line interface, sit the GUI. Modern Linux systems typically use an X Server, which is essentially just like the windows desktop (think a blank canvas in Photoshop).

This layer handles the hardware level of the GUI, managing the input from the keyboard, mouse, and output to monitors, etc. Basically, it handles how things are drawn to the screen, what is drawn on the screen is controlled by a windows manager.

Windows Manager

Sitting on top of the X windows system is a windows manager. it's responsible for drawing each application on the "canvas", and attaches common window elements like borders, the title bar, minimize/maximize buttons for the window. It can also control other aspects of the program as well. Switching windows managers can be a lot like switching themes in Windows (think going from Classic mode to aero mode). The frame of the window will change, while the content of the window generally stay the same.

The most high profile window managers are KDE & Gnome, and generally a Linux distribution will focus on one window manager as the primary interface. However, in general, most distributions will install both windows managers onto your system so that they would be available to you. In most cases, you would be able to install any window manager on any distribution and be able to run it without an issue.

Ultimately, it's a matter of choice which platform you would want to use. Each provides a large number of applications that run under them, using their framework. Also important to know is that multiple windows managers can be running at the same time (Enlightenment and be used under Gnome, etc), but that's typically outside the need of normal users.

With regards to Gnome & KDE specifically, these two software projects have grown much larger than a simple windows manager. They also offer much more, including a development framework to create applications from. The KDE framework is known as Qt, and the Gnome framework is known as GTK. The entire scope of these 2 projects would be information overload.

To help confuse the issue for normal users, KDE & Gnome are now available for use on the MS windows platform, however, typically use by applications that are trying to be used on multiple platforms (like pigdin Instant messaging software). In most instances, however, when reading about Gnome or KDE, a linux desktop is being described.

Thanks to Phoshi, who's answer i build upon

Answer 2

Easiest definition -

Gnome and KDE are to Explorer, as Linux is to Windows!

I cannot recommend any over any others though.

It is not a entirely different world, but it is a different world!

Edit - Some people have downvoted this due to the definition, so I will explain some more.

Windows is the operating system, Explorer is the name of the "shell" that both is the taskbar and file manager. Whilst I would say 99% of people use Explorer as the Windows shell, it is possible to use others and very easy to switch.

If you want to take a look at others, for example you can even use KDE on Windows.

Answer 3

Gnome:

Kde:

Fluxbox:

These are desktop environments - they are the graphical interface to the system, and normally come with a suite of applications designed with them.

Answer 4

Linux is actually just the kernel of the OS, that is the part of the OS connected to hardware and a part you don't really see.

In unix-type OS'es graphical application usually runs in X (a.k.a X Window System), on top of X one run a window manager, a special application that handles other applications windows. One might also want toolbars/taskbars/docks etc these are usually part of the desktop enviromment. KDE and Gnome are two different desktop environments, these define the look and feel of your OS, they include window manager, toolbars, taskbars, file explorer etc.

Answer 5

In simple, windows-centric terms, let's pretend we're back at windows 95. "Linux" is similar to DOS (Lots of variations, entirely Command Line), and KDE, GNOME, are similar to the windows shell that ran on top of DOS.
This doesn't, however, mean KDE and GNOME are 'outdated' compared to windows, it's just a different method of reaching the same goal.

Answer 6

This is not related to your question, but here's a simple explanation between Linux and other operating systems:

Answer 7

Gnome and KDE are the two most popular window managers for Linux. The Linux operating systems were originally command-line only. Eventually, a program called an X server was added. This program provides facilities for programmers to make graphical software. Gnome and KDE (and others) use these programming utilities to provide a unified desktop, with windows and menus and stuff.

The best way to understand would be to look at screenshots:

Answer 8

In Linux, the set of programs that does things like show you windows, show your start menu, your taskbar, etc., is not directly tied to the operating system in general. You can run a GNU/Linux distribution without any graphics at all, or with windowing and task management handled by one of a dozen different systems: Gnome, KDE, Xfce, Fluxbox. These are called Window Managers, because they provide the interface for interacting with all the graphical applications on your GNU/Linux installation.

For a better idea of what I'm talking about, you can simply look at screenshots of all these different things in action; since much of their user-facing distinctiveness is in how they differentiate as interfaces, you can see the different ways they're set up.

Answer 9

Sitting at a Windows computer, I'm looking at screens with windows on them, and the windows have various controls I can click. If I select a window by clicking on it, I might be able to type into it. There's icons down the left side, and a task bar on the bottom.

That's basically what Gnome or KDE do: they provide the same sort of GUI controls I've just mentioned. There are other programs that do much the same thing, but they're not as popular on Linux machines.

An operating system is a piece of software that runs on your computer and makes it basically useful. It allows you to run applications. It comes in layers, more or less.

There's the kernel, which handles things like how files exist on disk or whatever, what processes get to run when, and how much memory they get to use. It doesn't talk to the user directly.

There's system tools that do various things. If you type ls into a Linux command line, or dir into a Windows one, it will give you a list of files with information attached. It fundamentally gets the information from the kernel, but processes it in other ways. (With Windows, these sorts of tools usually come with GUIs, while in Linux they usually don't.)

There's the GUI, which is what you usually work in.

There's other parts, but I'm trying to keep these simple.

In Windows, Microsoft provides all of these neatly wrapped up in large packages. With Linux operating systems, you have choices for a lot of things, and can build a system in lots of different ways.

Many Linux providers provide packages. For example, if you were to install Ubuntu Linux (a popular version), it would work much like Windows in that all sorts of things would be pre-installed, and (barring hardware incompatibilities) would just work. If you used Gentoo Linux instead, you'd find yourself doing a lot more work and making many more decisions. Some people find this fun (there's a very wide range of things some people somewhere will consider fun), and some like being able to tailor their operating system to suit themselves.

There's also cultural differences. Linux operating systems are normally made up of components you can duplicate freely, examine, and change to your liking, and so there's a strong preference for applications you can get on the same terms. (The advantage for the non-technical person is that many apps are free to download and install, quickly, easily, and safely, without worrying about licenses or transferring money around.) Windows users are more used to paying money for closed-source apps they just use. (The advantage here is that people being paid good money for things generally pay more attention to the needs of people who give them money, and so commercial applications are often easier to use, and there's more commercial apps available for things programmers find dull.) Don't exaggerate this too much. There's plenty of closed-source commercial applications that will run nicely on Linux, and plenty of open-source applications you can just grab for Windows.

Answer 10

I have a simple answer for you:

Get an Ubuntu "Live CD". You can get one for free. Stick it in your computer, and boot from it. Note: it will not install anything on your hard disk, or even touch your hard disk, unless you tell it to do so.

Now play around with it. Surf the web a bit. Maybe try out some games.

You will find that it is different, but not shockingly different.

If Windows is working for you, you may be done at this point. But still, tuck away that Ubuntu CD; it can serve as a handy "rescue CD" to help you if your Windows system ever gets overrun with viruses, or melts down due to a registry error, or whatever.

If you are still curious, you might want to repeat the exercise, this time with a "KUbuntu" CD. Compare how the KDE desktop in KUbuntu looks and works, compared to the GNOME desktop in Ubuntu. Some people really like KDE. Other people prefer GNOME. In Linux, you get to choose. (In Windows, the only choice you have is: run XP, or run Windows 7? If you run XP you get the XP desktop, and if you run Windows 7, you get the Windows 7 desktop. In Windows it all comes together.)

You may have a friend who can give you an Ubuntu CD. Or, you may have a Linux club in your city, where someone would be happy to give you an Ubuntu CD. Or you can make your own:

Here is a web page that describes how to download and burn your own Ubuntu CD.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto

Answer 11

To put it simply, Linux is just another choice. It's like you have been eating with a fork and knife all along, and then one day you realized that hey! you can actually eat with just your fingers!

The objectives accomplished by using your fingers, or using a full cutlery set, is the same - to move food into your mouth. However, using your fingers is free, whereas if you use a full cutlery set, it costs money, and it can be quite expensive depending on how fine the cutlery set is.

For a lot of people, eating with your fingers is unpolished, messy, and uncivilized. They are clumsy at it - lots of food gets dropped between fingers. Most of them give up after a short while. This group of people however are adept with cutlery, and is more than willing to pay for a set of fine well-crafted cutlery so they can eat with finesse, and style even.

However, there is another class of people, that has absolutely no problem eating with their fingers. In fact, they love it! They love how from having only 2 points of contact with their food, it expands to 10 suddenly. They love the choice available - and best of all, they love it that if ever one day all the cutlery disappears in the world - they will know how to use their fingers at least (not like the other bozos).

Linux - is just like eating with your fingers. If you don't know how to do it, it's really messy, and you'll probably hate it. However, once you get the hang of it, you love the choices, and best of all, you love it that you never have to pay for a cutlery set ever again if you don't wish to.

Windows - is like eating with a good, solid, if unremarkable, set of cutlery. Bland, but functional, and hey, everyone's doing it too.

Mac, ah Mac... that's like eating with pure gold cutlery probably. Finely balanced, looks good, but you pay for the privilege.

Answer 12

Unix and later Linux started as command line based operating systems. The nix philosophy is to provide a simple function that does one thing properly. If you want additional functionality, you take the output of one function and input it to another. When MIT was given given different types of computer workstations, they came up with a platform that allowed graphical environments to be spread across the computers. It was a distributed com;puter environment splitting out the display portion of a program from the processing portion. KDE and Gnome are two different display managers, Gnome being more object oriented than KDE.

Answer 13

Now then, KDE and GNOME are desktop environments. A window manager is a program that controls the way windows are displayed, but a desktop environment controls the icons and panels (equivalents to the Windows taskbar) on your desktop. If you want a desktop environment that functions exactly like Windows XP, get XPDE. Wish I could post screenshots of my KDE and GNOME, but I'm on Windows now.

Also, linux uses the / instead of C:\ for its root folder. Your Documents folder is in /home/username/Documents and your Pictures folder is in /home/username/Pictures, likewise. Same thing for your Videos, Music, and Downloads folders.