GNOME facts for kids
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GNOME Shell with GNOME Web, Weather and Files (version 47)
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| Original author(s) | Miguel de Icaza and Federico Mena |
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| Developer(s) | GNOME Project |
| Initial release | 3 March 1999 |
| Stable release |
47.0
 / 18 September 2024 |
| Written in | C, XML, C++, C#, HTML, Vala, Python, JavaScript, CSS, and more |
| Operating system | Linux and other Unix-like systems |
| Platform | Wayland and X11 |
| Available in | 38 languages |
| Type | Desktop environment |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
GNOME (pronounced "guh-NOHM") is a popular and free computer desktop. It's like the main screen and programs you see when you use a computer. GNOME works on Linux and other similar operating systems. It helps you open apps, manage files, and do all sorts of tasks.
Many big Linux distributions, like Debian, Fedora Linux, and Ubuntu, use GNOME as their main desktop. This means when you install these systems, GNOME is usually what you see first.
The GNOME Project develops GNOME. This project includes both volunteers and people who get paid, with Red Hat being a big supporter. It's a worldwide effort to create tools for software development. They also make apps for users and work to make everything available in many languages and easy to use for everyone.
Contents
What GNOME Can Do
How GNOME Looks and Feels
GNOME focuses on making computers easy to use and helping people get things done. They have special rules called the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG). These rules help app makers create programs that look and work similarly. This makes it easier for you to learn new apps.
GNOME designers believe that software should work well by default. This means they try to make the best choices for you, so you don't have to change too many settings. They think having too many options can sometimes make things confusing.
Making GNOME Easy for Everyone
GNOME wants its desktop to be easy for people with disabilities to use. The design rules (HIG) help with this. Special software also helps solve specific problems.
GNOME uses something called the Accessibility Toolkit (ATK). This allows special tools to work with the desktop. For example, it helps with different ways to type or with programs that read text aloud. Tools like the Orca screen reader were made just for GNOME.
GNOME in Many Languages
GNOME supports many languages. It can be translated into 197 languages, though some are more complete than others. This helps people all over the world use GNOME in their own language.
Different Ways to Use GNOME
GNOME Shell: The Main Look
GNOME Shell is the main way GNOME looks and works. It has a bar at the top with an "Activities" button, an app menu, a clock, and system settings. The app menu shows the name of the program you're using and lets you close it or change its settings.
If you click "Activities" or press the Super key (often the Windows key), you see the "Overview." This shows you all your open windows and lets you switch between them. You can also launch new apps from here. A bar at the bottom, called the Dash, holds your favorite apps and open windows. You can also search for apps or files.
GNOME Classic: A Familiar Feel
Since GNOME 3.8, there's a "GNOME Classic" mode. This adds features that feel more like older computer desktops. It includes an "Applications" menu (like a start menu) and a "Places" menu at the top. It also has a bar at the bottom with a list of open windows, making it easy to minimize or restore them.
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GNOME Flashback: For Lighter Computers
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GNOME Flashback is another official way to use GNOME 3. It uses less computer power, so it's good for older or less powerful machines. It looks and feels more like the older GNOME 2 desktop. It has a traditional and customizable taskbar (called a panel) with many small programs (applets) you can add.
GNOME Flashback includes:
- Metacity – a program that manages your windows.
- GNOME Panel – a taskbar you can change a lot.
- gnome-applets – a collection of useful small programs for the panel.
GNOME for Mobile Devices
GNOME Mobile is a project to make GNOME work well on phones and tablets. It aims to adapt the desktop and its apps for touchscreens. This means you could have a similar experience on your phone as you do on your computer.
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GNOME Applications
Main GNOME Apps
Many programs are made for GNOME. Since GNOME 3.0, the project focuses on a set of "Core Applications." These apps follow the GNOME design rules and work well together. For example, GNOME Files can connect to Google Drive, and GNOME Photos can link with Google Photos. Some of these apps are new versions of old ones, while others are built from scratch.
GNOME Games
There are also games designed to look and feel like other GNOME apps. They are released at the same time as new GNOME versions. All of them have been updated to follow the latest design rules.
Tools for Developers
The GNOME project provides many tools to help people create software for GNOME. These tools make it easier to build apps that fit into the GNOME desktop.
- Integrated Development Environments (IDEs): These are special programs where developers write code. GNOME Builder is the official one.
- User Interface Design: Tools like Cambalache Interface Designer help create the look of apps.
- Debugging and Documentation Tools: GTK Inspector helps developers find problems in their apps. Devhelp helps them read instructions for how to use different parts of GNOME.
- Libraries and Frameworks: These are collections of code that developers can use. For example, libsoup helps apps connect to the internet.
- Third-Party Integration: GNOME also works with other development tools.
These tools together create a complete environment for making software that works well with GNOME.
GNOME Circle Apps
GNOME Circle is a group of apps that are not part of the main GNOME project but are built to work perfectly with GNOME. They use GNOME technology and follow its design rules.
GNOME History
GNOME 1: The Beginning
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GNOME started on August 15, 1997. Miguel de Icaza and Federico Mena began the project. They wanted to create a free desktop environment and apps for it. At the time, another popular desktop, K Desktop Environment, used a software part called Qt that had a special license. GNOME chose GTK instead, which had a more open license.
GNOME used to be part of the GNU Project, but it's not anymore. In 2021, GNOME officially separated from GNU. The name "GNOME" originally stood for "GNU Network Object Model Environment." But this name didn't fit the project's goals anymore, so they just use "GNOME" now.
Companies like Eazel and Ximian helped develop important parts of GNOME, like the Nautilus file manager.
GNOME 2: The Classic Desktop
GNOME 2 came out in June 2002. It looked a lot like a traditional computer desktop. You had a main screen with windows, icons, and files. It had a menu to launch programs and a taskbar at the bottom for open windows. You could change how these features looked and where they were placed.
The MATE desktop environment is a project that continued using the GNOME 2 design after GNOME changed.
GNOME 3: A Modern Look
In 2008, developers wanted to make big changes to GNOME. This led to GNOME 3, released in 2011. Instead of a traditional desktop, GNOME 3 introduced the GNOME Shell. This new design focused on a simpler way to manage windows and tasks. It had a special "overview" area to switch between different tasks and virtual desktops.
GNOME 3 also updated many core apps and changed its default look. Mutter became the new window manager, and Adwaita became the new default theme.
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GNOME 40 and Beyond
GNOME 40 was released on March 24, 2021. It started a new way of naming versions and a plan for new releases every six months. This means updates come out faster.
GNOME 40 changed how the "Activities" overview works, making it horizontal instead of vertical. It also added new touchpad gestures.
Later versions brought more improvements:
- GNOME 41 (September 2021) updated the app store and added new settings for mobile networks.
- GNOME 42 (March 2022) added screen recording and easier switching between light and dark themes. Some default apps were replaced with newer versions.
- GNOME 43 (September 2022) introduced a new quick settings menu and updated the file manager.
- GNOME 44 (March 2023) improved the file chooser and accessibility settings.
- GNOME 45 (September 2023) redesigned app styles and updated the activities button. It also added new image viewer and camera apps.
- GNOME 46 (March 2024) improved the files app with global search and updated settings.
GNOME Panel: The Classic Taskbar
GNOME Flashback with Applications menu on Ubuntu 18.04 (displaying the panels at the top and bottom of the desktop)
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| Developer(s) | GNOME project |
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| Stable release |
47.0
/ 18 September 2024 |
| Operating system | Unix-like |
| Platform | GNOME |
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| License | GNU Lesser General Public License |
GNOME Panel was a key part of GNOME 1 and 2. It was a taskbar that you could change a lot. In GNOME 3, it was replaced by GNOME Shell. However, it's still used in "GNOME Flashback" mode, which gives you a similar experience to the older GNOME 2.
By default, GNOME Flashback has two panels, one at the top and one at the bottom. The top panel usually has "Applications" and "Places" menus. The bottom panel helps you switch between open windows. You can add many other things to these panels, like quick-launch icons for your favorite apps.
How GNOME is Released
Release Schedule
Each part of GNOME has its own version number. But all the different parts work together to release a full, stable GNOME version about every six months. This includes important parts like GTK and GLib.
Before GNOME 40, version numbers looked like v.xx.yy. The v was for big changes. The xx changed every six months (even numbers for stable, odd for development). The yy was for small updates and bug fixes.
With GNOME 40, they started a simpler numbering system. Now, a single number goes up with each six-month release. For example, GNOME 40, then 41, and so on.
GNOME releases are usually given out as source code. Computer companies then take this code, put it together, and add it to their operating systems. Most companies use the stable versions of GNOME.
How GNOME is Made
The GNOME Project develops GNOME. Developers and users meet every year at a conference called GUADEC. They talk about what's new and what's next for GNOME. GNOME also works with other projects to make sure it works well with other desktops.
GNOME is written in many programming languages. Some of the main ones are C, XML, C++, Python, and JavaScript.
Tools for Building GNOME
The main parts of the GNOME development platform are the GLib library, the GObject system, and the GTK toolkit. Other important tools include:
- D-Bus: Helps different programs talk to each other.
- Cairo: For drawing graphics.
- Pango: For showing text in different languages.
- PulseAudio and PipeWire: For handling sound.
- GStreamer: For playing videos and music.
- NetworkManager: For managing network connections.
- WebKit: For showing web pages.
- GNOME Display Manager (GDM): Manages who logs in and out.
- Tracker: Helps you find files quickly.
- GVfs: Helps manage different types of file systems.
- Mutter: Manages windows and how they appear on your screen.
What GNOME Needs to Run
GNOME needs other software to work.
Windowing System
GNOME can run on Wayland or the X Window System. Wayland is a newer system that helps display things on your screen. GNOME started supporting Wayland in version 3.10. By GNOME 3.20, Wayland became the default. This means it's the main way GNOME shows things on your screen.
systemd
systemd is a program that helps start up and manage parts of the Linux operating system. GNOME uses systemd for some features, like managing power. This means that for some advanced features, GNOME works best on systems that use systemd.
See also
In Spanish: GNOME para niños
