GNOME
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2 Organisation 3 GNOME platforms 4 Versions 5 Architecture 6 Major native applications 7 See also 8 External links |
Origin
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The GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) project was started in August 1997 by Miguel de Icaza as an attempt to provide a Free desktop for the GNU/Linux operating system. At the time, the only serious alternative for the non-technical user was KDE.\r
However, there were a number of problems associated with KDE: it was based on Trolltech's Qt toolkit, which had a number of licensing issues, and its language of implementation was C++ (the licensing issues with Qt have since been substantially resolved). \r
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\r GNOME screenshot showing: RhythmBox (music), gthumb (image manager), Abiword and the Nautilus file manager viewing the available network shares. (Larger image)\r \r
Although originally a GNU/Linux desktop, GNOME now runs on most Unix-like systems (*BSD variants, AIX, IRIX, HP-UX), and in particular it has been adopted by Sun Microsystems as the standard desktop for its Solaris platform, replacing the ageing CDE. There is also a port of GNOME to Cygwin, allowing it to run on Microsoft Windows
Organisation
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GNOME project development, like most Free software projects, is loosely organised -- preferring to rely on the dedication of those working on it. Most discussion regarding GNOME occurs on a variety of open mailing lists (see GNOME website). The GNOME foundation was set up in August 2000 to deal with administration tasks, press interest and companies interested in GNOME development or distribution.\r
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GNOME platforms
Versions
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Architecture
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Several vital pieces of technology make up the advanced infrastructure of GNOME:\r
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Major native applications
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See also
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External links
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