Last Updated on January 5, 2025
The Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE) project is a computer desktop environment for Unix-like operating systems with a primary goal of retaining the function and form of traditional desktop computers.
TDE was born as a fork of the K Desktop Environment version 3.5, which was originally written by the KDE Team, a world-wide network of software engineers committed to Free Software development. The name Trinity was chosen because the word means Three as in continuation of KDE 3.
Since then, TDE has evolved to be an independent and standalone desktop environment project.
Features include:
- A repository of TDE compatible software applications.
- Traditional panel, task bar, task manager, quick launch.
- Several text editors, file manager, image viewers, office apps, archive manager.
- The original and improved classic Amarok music player.
- A comprehensive control center to configure the desktop to each user’s preferences.
- Monitor and Display control center module for system wide single/multi monitor and display configuration.
- TDE Run dialog supports autocompletion and history-based autocompletion.
- Customizable System Tray icon sizes.
- Remote Folder Synchronization in Konqueror file manager.
- ICC (International Color Consortium) color profile support.
- Searchable system menu.
- Kickoff style system menu support.
- SmartCard support.
- Supports GTK2/Qt theme engine; tabs, check boxes, menu backgrounds.
- Optional Secure Attention Key to further secure the login and desktop lock dialogs.
- A built-in X11 compositor.
- Some TDE applications, such as Amarok, detect and use true RGBA (Red Green Blue Alpha) transparency when available.
- A TDE-specific DBUS notification client for improved integration with common applications such as Firefox and NetworkManager (not dependent on HAL).
- Prevent OpenGL screen savers from locking the display.
- Support for FreeBSD.
Website: www.trinitydesktop.org
Support: Documentation, Wiki, Mailing Lists
Developer: TDE Team
License: GNU GPL and other licenses

TDE is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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