A desktop graphics environment for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Cinnamon is a fork of the GNOME 3 desktop environment that features a traditional layout similar to GNOME 2 but with GNOME 3’s more modern technology and newer features. The mission of Cinnamon is to provide users with an “easy to use and comfortable desktop experience” while also staying current with the latest technology and capabilities.
Cinnamon was developed by Clement Lefebvre, who also created and continues to develop the Linux Mint distribution of Linux. Linux Mint has also partnered on development of a somewhat similarly focused GNOME-based desktop environment known as MATE. But while MATE is built on a GNOME 2 foundation, only the desktop layout of Cinnamon is similar to GNOME 2 — the underlying technology for Cinnamon is based on GNOME 3.
Cinnamon can be installed in Linux Mint and operate alongside the GNOME 2-based MATE desktop environment as well as GNOME 3 with Mint GNOME Shell Extensions (MGSE), a set of desktop layer components developed by Linux Mint that sits on top of GNOME 3.
