In the OS/2 operating system, the Desktop is a collection of objects (icons) and windows associated with those objects. The Desktop (which also is an object), the objects that appear on the Desktop, and the underlying code supporting these objects constitute the OS/2 Workplace Shell, the default OS/2 user interface.
The OS/2 Workplace Shell provides an object-oriented user interface. It provides a seamless environment, where all services are task-oriented and the user is shielded from the complexities of the operating system. The user can perform tasks faster and easier and with a shorter learning curve.
In the OS/2 Workplace Shell, applications from OS/2 operating system are replaced by objects and collections of objects, or folders. Users do not have to be aware of where an object is (which drive or network) or what it is called. They can place an object wherever they wish and call it by any name. They do not have to know about EXEs, DLLs, device drivers, or how to add a printer or use a network. If they want to print a report on the laser printer down the hall, they can simply drag the icon representing the report and drop it onto the icon representing the laser printer that is labeled "Laser printer down the hall".
Users act on all objects in a consistent manner. They can act on program files the same as program references. There is no difference in using programs on a network server or on a hard disk or on a CD drive. There is no difference in setting up or printing to a local or remote printer.
In the OS/2 Workplace Shell, users are not aware of the file system. They do not need to know anything about disk drives or directories. They need to know only about folders and the objects they put into them. They can put applications, files, and so forth, in a folder, as shown in the following figure. They can arrange things, regardless of where they physically reside, to suit themselves and their own needs. And they can label the folders by any name.
┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ My NewsLetter Composition Folder │
├───────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌────┐ ┌────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ └────┘ └────┘ │
│ My Text Editor My Graphics Editor │
│ │
│ │
│ ┌────┐ ┌────┐ │ ┌────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ └────┘ └────┘ │ └────┘
│ My Layout Program My Final Copy │ My Printer
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
Some of the objects that the OS/2 Workplace Shell provides are described in the following table. After installation, some of the objects appear directly on the Desktop. Some of them are contained in folders. Users can re-arrange and re-label objects to suit themselves.
┌───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │Object │Description │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Clock │Sets and views the current date, time, and │ │ │alarm. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Color palette │Sets and views colors for visual elements of │ │ │user interface and applies color to a window.│ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Country │Sets and views international conventions for │ │ │system elements (country, date, time, │ │ │numbers). │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Font palette │Sets and views fonts for textual elements of │ │ │user interface and apply fonts to windows. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Keyboard │Sets and views keyboard configuration │ │ │(timing, mappings, special needs). │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Mouse │Sets and views behavior of mouse device │ │ │(timing, setup, button mappings). │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Printer │Sets and views a print destination (a print │ │ │queue and its associated port). │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Scheme palette │Sets and views window color and font │ │ │attributes. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Shredder │Destroys an object. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Sound │Enables/disables warning beep. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Special needs │Explains implications of special needs mode │ │ │when activated. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │Spooler │Enables/disables spooling. Sets and views │ │ │spool path. │ ├───────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │System │Sets and views behavior of system elements │ │ │(confirmations, logo, windows). │ └───────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┘