Unix vendors adopt Gnome desktop

Dominique Deckmyn   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Windows and Linux PCs Stories  

Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

August 16, 2000 (Computerworld) -- Desktop Linux gained momentum on the first day of LinuxWorld in San Jose, as vendors including Red Hat Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, Compaq Computer Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. and VA Linux Systems Inc. joined to form the Gnome Foundation.

As a result, the Gnome desktop environment will be enriched with Sun's StarOffice productivity suite, Eazel Inc.'s Nautilus file manager and the Mozilla Web browser.

Gnome, an open-source desktop environment for Linux, will be integrated with two other open-source projects: the Mozilla browser (the open-source version of Netscape Navigator) and Sun's StarOffice productivity suite, which was recently released under the General Public License. This will add to the Gnome desktop environment a browser and a set of productivity tools with support for Microsoft Office file formats. Software developers will be able to make use of Mozilla and StarOffice components in their own applications thanks to Gnome's Bonobo component technology, which is based on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture.

Further narrowing the gap with Microsoft Windows, Helix Code Inc., the company founded by Gnome project leader Miguel de Icaza, is delivering a Microsoft Outlook-like e-mail and contact manager called Evolution, while Eazel Inc. will ship Nautilus, a file manager with integrated browsing similar to the Windows Explorer.

"Linux is becoming ready for more and more workloads," said Dan Frye, director of IBM's Linux Technology Center. "This announcement is about Linux becoming ready for desktop workloads."

Linux is also literally changing the face of Unix, with two major Unix vendors agreeing to adopt Gnome as the default desktop environment. HP and Sun said Gnome will be the default user interface for HP/UX and Solaris, respectively, starting in the first half of next year. It will replace the Common Desktop Environment, the current standard desktop for Unix.

IBM, which is also a member of the Gnome Foundation, said it had no plans to port the environment to AIX (but has recently announced that Linux binaries will run on the upcoming AIX 5L, formerly named Monterey).

The Gnome project was founded three years ago, as a volunteer-driven effort to deliver a graphical desktop environment for Linux. Most Linux distributions currently offer users a choice of Gnome or KDE. Applications written for KDE will generally run under Gnome and vice versa, but software developers must make a choice between supporting Gnome's or KDE's libraries when writing their applications.

Separately at LinuxWorld, developers demonstrated KDE 2.0, expected to be released in September. Red Hat founder and Chairman Bob Young said Durham, N.C.-based Red Hat would still offer customers the choice of KDE and Gnome, despite the company's longstanding involvement in Gnome. "Competition is a good thing, this is actually a strength of the [open source] model,'' said Young.



Related stories:

• Sun goes open source with Office software, July 24, 2000



• IBM OS targets Intel market, Linux users , August 14, 2000

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"I am, shall we say, more than a little cynical, even by my standards, when it comes to wireless networking...." Read more... "The first legal home PCs just went up for sale in Cuba, and it should be no surprise that they're..." Read more... Read more Hardware posts or See all Blogs

XP SP3 cripples some PCs with endless reboots Microsoft to patch four bugs on Tuesday Web attack worm on a rampage More top stories...

Microsoft grows DAISY for blind computer users while Adobe wilts Leopard at six months: Does it live up to the early hype? Mozilla shipped worm with Firefox add-on

5 easy ways to commit career suicide Mistakes such as putting down co-workers or burning bridges when you resign are surefire ways to darken your career prospects. Here's how to avoid them Opinion: Get ready for these 6 game-changing technologies Hype and promises abound in the IT world, but these six breakthroughs really will change your life, says author and former IT manager John Brandon. What brain drain? Baby boomers are retiring and taking their knowledge with them. Why do so few in IT seem to care? Tales from the crypt: Our first computers Computerworld editors share stories of their first PCs, including some classics and some real clunkers -- then we ask readers to share their early-PC tales. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 2 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone Enterprise Solutions Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone The Data Center Management Zone See your link here

Computerworld Report: Virtual Reality Download this Computerworld Report, free for a limited time, compliments of HP. (Source: HP) The data center is real, but storage is turning virtual at many organizations that need to manage exploding storage needs. Learn about how virtualizing your enterprise will save you money in this Computerworld report, a $49.95 value, available free for a limited time, compliments of HP. Download this executive briefing  Gartner Webinar: WAN Acceleration Scalability Requirements Gartner Webinar: WAN Acceleration Scalability Requirements Get this on demand webcast now! Go to the webcast  Matching Server Virtualization with Advanced Storage Virtualization Get this white paper now! (Source: LeftHand Networks) Storage systems powered by LeftHand's SAN/iQ software deliver better ease of use, reduced complexity, and unmatched availability when paired with VMware Infrastructure 3. Learn how IT organizations can match server virtualization with storage virtualization. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. License Optimization: Get to One Version of the Truth Gaining Insights Through Analytics Butler Technology Audit Report View more whitepapers

• XP SP3 cripples some PCs with endless reboots
• Microsoft to patch four bugs on Tuesday
• Web attack worm on a rampage
• More top stories 

HP StorageWorks EVA4400 Before now, midsize customers settled for either an expensive and complex array or low cost solution that lacked functionality. Now experience virtual storage with enterprise class functionality at an affordable price. View this product demo now



Gift Guide Get tips on 50+ hot products - digital cameras, HDTVs, family games, wacky tech gifts and much more.



HP StorageWorks EVA4400 Before now, midsize customers settled for either an expensive and complex array or low cost solution that lacked functionality. Now experience virtual storage with enterprise class functionality at an affordable price. View this product demo now