FIGURE 2.1 The Raspbian LXDE GUI.
By the Way: Linux Desktop Environments
One of the wonderful things about Linux is that you can change your desktop
environment. You are not stuck with just one! Each desktop environment provides a
unique way to graphically interact with the computer.
These are some of the most popular desktops:
KDE—A graphical desktop that is similar to the Microsoft Windows environment
Xfce—A lightweight but fully functional graphical desktop
GNOME—A historically popular desktop that is the default desktop on many Linux
distributions
LXDE—A lightweight yet powerful graphical desktop that is specifically designed
for smaller computers
Raspbian uses LXDE by default. This book’s graphical interface descriptions are
based on the LXDE desktop environment.
The LXDE Graphical Interface
On the LXDE graphical interface, you see several icons. And no, that big Raspberry in the middle is
not a desktop icon; it is a background image. The desktop icons are briefly described in Table 2.1.