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Linux 
• Slingshot: An app launcher available on WingPanel
• Wood: Dock (where Docky is based)
• Switchboard: Settings application (or control panel)
• Pantheon Mail: Email client written in Close and supported by 
WebKitGTK
• Calendar: Desktop calendar
• Music: Audio Player
• Code: A text-based editor comparable to gedit or leafpad.
• Terminal: Terminal emulator
• Files (formerly called Marlin): File manager
• Installer: Installer built in conjunction with System76
Bryan Lunduke of Network World wrote that the Pantheon desktop envi-
ronment, the first OS platform, was among the best of 2016. Pantheon is 
also being released as an ongoing desktop of choice of GeckoLinux.
Development
• Jupiter
• 0.2 Luna
• 0.3 Freya
• 0.4 Loki
• 5.0 Juno
• 5.1 Hera
• Odin
• 6.1 J
ólnir
Features
The New Interface
Starting with the user interface, we discover a new Pantheon desktop. 
Pantheon is a home desktop explicitly designed for the first OS, which 

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has gained a lot of flow. This clean and modern desktop may be one of the 
main reasons for the initial success.
Dark Mode
Pantheon finally gets black mode. Everything looks clean and advanced 
on the first OS while all the operating system applications and applica-
tions installed to follow this black mode maintenance process is made so 
as not to force third-party applications to use this black mode which could 
lead to a bad UI. Black mode is just recommended. You can also set a dark 
mode to enter at sunset or from time to time.
Themes and Looks
The first OS 6 also brings advanced customization with ten different colors 
to choose from. This is very similar to changing themes. But this will be 
greatly polished. You can also choose the primary color behind the desk-
top. Before the customization area, Odin in the first os was close to zero.
Performance
While playing with the original OS 6, we noticed a slight increase in operat-
ing times. Most automated system apps also have Flatpacks and Flatpacks 
with the original head up. They have all their dependencies attached to 
them. They also have to be read and uploaded to memory when you click 
the app icon.
Usability and Stability
The first OS has been stable and reliable. It is based on the solid foundation 
of Ubuntu and is a great program for homes, students, offices, software 
developers, and businesses. The foundation was created with a high level 
of technology and is visible everywhere. The first OS 6 Odin will be sup-
ported for the next 4+ years. It will continue to receive regular bug fix 
updates and security updates.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
In this chapter, we have covered three DE introductions and its features, 
history, core projects, applications, and version history. We have provided 
a separate section where you get history of their versions.

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261
Appraisal
U
buntu and other Linux distro systems took the open-source and 
the IT world by storm in the early years. They support various desk-
top environments such as GNOME, KDE, MATE, and more. The oper-
ating system could have grown into a fully featured desktop and server 
offering that has won users’ hearts globally. Besides the solid technical 
platform and impressive dedication to quality, desktop environment (DE), 
e.g., MATE, GNOME, LXDE, KDE, enjoys success because of its vast 
community of enthusiastic users who help support, document, and test 
every point of Linux landscape. The term used in this chapter is the desk-
top environment.
So what is DE? A desktop environment is the desktop metaphor of a 
bundle of programs running on top of an operating system that shares a 
standard graphical user interface (GUI). It is described as a graphical shell. 
The desktop environment mainly was on personal computers until mobile 
computing. Desktop GUIs help the user quickly access and edit files, while 
they usually don’t provide access to all of the features in the underlying 
operating system. Besides, the traditional command-line interface (CLI) 
is still used when complete control over the operating system is required.
It consists of various icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers, and 
desktop widgets. A GUI provides drag and drop functionality and other 
features that complete the desktop metaphor. A desktop environment 
aims to be a way for the user to interact with the system using concepts 
similar to those used to interact with the rest of the world, such as buttons 
and windows. This is the piece users are interacting with. There are many 
desktop areas (GNOME, Cinnamon, Mate, Pantheon, Enlightenment, 
KDE, Xfce, etc.). Each desktop includes built-in applications (such as file 
managers, configuration tools, web browsers, and games).
You have the official guide to these unique desktop environments in 
your hands. Each of us working on this book has shown a high level of 
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Appraisal 
technical competence and shares this knowledge with you all. We gath-
ered together to create a book that offers a solid understanding of the 
essential points of Ubuntu and explains the fundamentals along with the 
other LXDE, Budgie, Cinnamon, or other details.
This book varies in the coverage of various topics. This is intentional. 
Other books do not cover some topics, and those topics deserve more 
coverage here. There are some topics that power users master. Other top-
ics are things the power users should know about. They can understand 
some history, some other options, or have what they need to listen to fur-
ther discussions with different technical views without being completely 
confused.
This book is planned for intermediate and advanced users or those who 
want to become middle and advanced users. Our goal is to give you the 
right direction, to help you enter the higher stages by telling you to use as 
many tools and ideas as possible. We give you some thoughts and meth-
ods to consider so that you can seek out more. Although the content of 
this book is for intermediate to advanced users, new users who pay atten-
tion will benefit from each chapter as all chapters are related. The central 
pointer is that more detailed or related information is provided at the end 
of each chapter.
This book helps you to learn these skills and tells you how to learn more 
about your system, Linux, with the software including Ubuntu Distros 
with the desktop environment. Most importantly, it enables you to over-
come your fear of the system by telling you more about it and how it works. 
You can also install other Linux distros like Fedora, OpenSuse, Manjora, 
etc.
This book is not a pure reference book but properly guides you with 
step-by-step procedures for performing tasks. This book is organized by 
topics and includes many useful commands.
Chapter 1 discusses the basic understanding of the desktop environ-
ment, and its features also have some specific terms like GUI, CLI, TUI. 
The chapter describes the vast resources available to support this book. 
You will also get a brief knowledge of DE history, features, and some pros 
and cons.
Chapter 2 gives a quick review of the KDE Plasma introduction
installation, describes valuable commands such as apt-get snapd, and 
gives some brief knowledge of the user interface, core projects, and ver-
sion history environment system.

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Chapter 3 provides a quick review of the GNOME introduction, instal-
lation, GNOME-based distros, pros, and cons, and also gives some brief 
knowledge of the GNOME user interface.
Chapter 4 discusses XFCE desktop environment, its versions, history, 
main components of XFCE, installation, advantages, and disadvantages.
Chapter 5 discusses other MATE desktop environments, version his-
tory, main components of MATE, installation, advantages and disadvan-
tages, and another operating system for MATE.
Chapter 6 provides you with knowledge of the other Budgie desktop 
environment, its version history, main components of Budgie, installation, 
advantages, and disadvantages.
Chapter 7 discusses Cinnamon, its version history, main components 
of Cinnamon, libraries, core components, installation, advantages, and 
disadvantages.
Chapter 8 discusses LXDE, its version history, main components of 
Cinnamon, libraries, core components of the software, reasons to use 
LXDE, installation, also with Lubuntu distribution.
Chapter 9 discusses other DEs such as Pantheon, Enlightenment, and 
LXQt, version history, main components, and features.
In other words, this book provides a Linux desktop environment on 
any Linux-based distribution system.

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Bibliography