Definition of Common Desktop Environment in the Network Encyclopedia.
What is Common Desktop Environment (CDE)?
Common Desktop Environment, also known as CDE, is a graphical user interface (GUI) developed by IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Hewlett-Packard for open systems on UNIX platforms. Common Desktop Environment (CDE) is a paradigm that is widely used in the UNIX industry. CDE is based on various industry standards including the X Window System (X11) release 5, X/OPEN, OSF/Motif 1.2, and others.

CDE is designed to provide users with a simple and consistent desktop interface that includes
- Standard windows-management features
- File-system browsing tools supporting multiple views
- Customizable user interface–management tools for changing backdrops, mouse and keyboard settings, and screen savers
- Extensive and easily accessed online help features
- Multiple workspaces for increasing available desktop area
Systems that provided proprietary CDE
- IBM AIX
- Digital UNIX
- HP-UX: from version 10.10, released in 1996.
- IRIX: for a short time CDE was an alternative to IRIX Interactive Desktop.
- OpenVMS
- Solaris: available starting with 2.3, standard in 2.6 to 10.
- Tru64 UNIX
- UnixWare
- UXP/DS
- Red Hat Linux: Two versions ported by Triteal and Xi Graphics