Common Desktop Environment facts for kids
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| Developer(s) | The Open Group (early), CDE Project (modern) |
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| Stable release |
2.2.2 / July 27, 2014
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| Operating system | Unix, Linux, BSD, OpenVMS, other Unix-like OSes |
| Type | Desktop environment |
| License | LGPL v2+ |
The Common Desktop Environment (CDE) is a special type of computer program called a desktop environment. Think of it as the main screen you see when you turn on your computer, with all the icons, menus, and windows. CDE was made for Unix and OpenVMS computers. It used a special set of tools called the Motif widget toolkit to create its look and feel.
For a long time, CDE was the main desktop used on powerful Unix computers called workstations. These were often used by businesses and scientists. At first, CDE was a "proprietary" software, meaning you had to pay to use it and couldn't see its secret code. But on August 6, 2012, CDE became "free software." This means anyone can use it, share it, and even change its code. Since then, CDE has been updated to work on Linux and BSD computers too.
How CDE Was Made
In June 1993, four big technology companies decided to work together to create CDE. These companies were Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM, SunSoft, and USL. They wanted to build a common desktop that many different Unix computers could use. This project was part of a bigger plan called the Common Open Software Environment (COSE).
Each company brought its own ideas and technology to help build CDE:
- HP gave the main design for CDE. This design came from HP's own desktop, called Visual User Environment (VUE). VUE was based on another program called the Motif Window Manager.
- IBM shared its ideas for how users interact with computers. These ideas came from its OS/2 operating system, specifically a part called the Workplace Shell.
- SunSoft added a way for different programs to talk to each other, called ToolTalk. They also brought some useful everyday tools like mail and calendar programs from their OpenWindows environment.
- USL provided parts that helped manage the desktop and make it work well on different types of computer systems. These ideas came from their UNIX System V software.
Images for kids
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CDE File manager
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Reading Linux kernel man pages in CDE
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HP 9000 C360 displaying the CDE login manager, dtlogin
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HP 9000 model B180L running HP-UX and CDE
See also
In Spanish: Common Desktop Environment para niños
