Mint GNOME Shell Extensions (MGSE) is a desktop layer for the Linux Mint Linux-based operating system that “sits on top” of the GNOME 3 desktop environment and delivers an interface that is more familiar to users of GNOME 2 as well as to users of previous Linux Mint distribution releases. MGSE users have the option of disabling all components within MGSE for a pure GNOME 3 experience, or they can enable all the components for a desktop that retains the look and feel of GNOME 2.
Also known as Linux Mint Shell Extensions for GNOME 3, the MGSE layer was developed by Clement Lefebvre, who also created and continues to develop the Linux Mint distribution. The Mint GNOME Shell Extensions are a default option of the Linux Mint 12 release, but the core developers have largely shifted focus to their own desktop environment known as Cinnamon, which is a fork of GNOME 3.
