GNOME

GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment), a popular desktop environment, is shown in Figure 5-1.

Figure 5-1. GNOME desktop in Mandrake 9.1.

Notice the blank work surface, icons on the desktop, and a panel at the bottom. The first icon at the left of the panel shows a foot (the GNOME logo). This icon opens a menu of applications (a menu that looks very similar to the start menu on Windows). Because the desktop is provided by Mandrake in their distribution, the icons and panel contents are customized by Mandrake, as seen by the Mandrake Welcome icon (big yellow star) on the desktop.

The GNOME project is supported by Red Hat. The default desktop for Red Hat and Fedora is a customized version of GNOME called Bluecurve GNOME. Bluecurve GNOME has a red hat logo for the start menu icon, rather than the GNOME foot logo. And, of course, Bluecurve GNOME doesn't have a Mandrake Welcome icon.

The KDE desktop shown on the next page (Figure 5-2) is very similar. It too has a workspace, icons, and a panel. The difference is mainly in the icons on the desktop and the organization of the panel. Using the desktop is discussed in Chapter 6.

Figure 5-2. KDE desktop in Mandrake 9.1