As far as most people are concerned Linux offers three desktop environments: GNOME, KDE and XFCE. The simple definition of a desktop environment is that it offers everything the user needs for GUI-based operation of his/her computer, such as a file manager, desktop, and so on.
In contrast, window managers such as IceWM simply handle the displaying of program windows, although most include additional functionality that approach the level of usability of desktop environments to varying degrees.
Over the weekend I downloaded and tried Elive, a live-CD demo of Enlightenment. Traditionally classed as a window manager, Enlightenment is moving toward offering functions on a par with GNOME or KDE. In short, I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw.
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