GNOME vs. KDE
GNOME began as a project to develop a free and open-source desktop environment and corresponding applications in August 1997. Its design philosophy can be best described as streamlined and easy to use. KDE community started in October 1996. Its design philosophy is dedicated to functionality and expansion of its features. GNOME concentrates more on eye candy and user interface while KDE is robust, not all that flashy

Key Differences
GNOME and KDE are two different Desktop Environments in Linux.
Gnome by default (this can also be changed) favors dark grey and purple, has a toolbar at the top and then a pop-out dock and KDE can be made to be orange.

Samantha Walker
Feb 19, 2016
KDE has a reputation for having confusing menus and options. In Gnome's file browser preferences, you see five tabs with a bunch of options underneath each one.
GENOME has earned a reputation of being simple as compared to KDE.
GNOME concentrates more on eye candy and user interface while KDE is robust, not all that flashy
KDE has excellent applications which IMO is superior than any other Desktop Environment's applications.
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KDE has a System Settings central location for configuring system preferences. This can be accessed through Kickoff. And, despite KDE's reputation for being more Windows-like than Gnome, you can see the layout here is actually quite similar to Mac OS X's System Preferences window.Ubuntu's Gnome has also recently adopted an OS X–like System Settings window. Unlike the KDE one, which is sprawled all over the place, the new Gnome one seems evenly spaced and less cluttered.
In KDE, usually when you make a change, you have to clickApply or Save to get the changes to stick. In Gnome, changes usually take effect as you are choosing the new option.

Samantha Walker
Feb 19, 2016
GNOME and KDE Definitions
Gnome
One of a fabled race of dwarflike creatures who live underground and guard treasure hoards.
Gnome
In the occult philosophy of Paracelsus, a being that has earth as its element.
Gnome
A pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; an aphorism.
Gnome
A brief reflection or maxim; a pithy saying.
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Gnome
An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth.
Gnome
One of a race of imaginary human-like beings, usually depicted as short and typically bearded males, who inhabit the inner parts of the earth and act as guardians of mines, mineral treasure, etc.; in modern fantasy literature and games, when distinguished from dwarves, gnomes are usually even smaller than dwarves and more focussed on engineering than mining.
Gnome
A person of small stature or misshapen features, or of strange appearance.
Gnome
The northern pygmy owl, Glaucidium gnoma, a small owl of the western United States.
Gnome
A small statue of a dwarf-like character, often bearded, placed in a garden.
Gnome
An upper atmospheric optical phenomenon associated with thunderstorms, a compact blue starter.
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Gnome
A banker, especially a secretive international one.
The gnomes of Zurich
Gnome
An imaginary being, supposed by the Rosicrucians to inhabit the inner parts of the earth, and to be the guardian of mines, quarries, etc.
Gnome
A dwarf; a goblin; a person of small stature or misshapen features, or of strange appearance.
Gnome
A small owl (Glaucidium gnoma) of the Western United States.
Gnome
A brief reflection or maxim.
Gnome
A legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure
Gnome
A short pithy saying expressing a general truth
What is GNOME?
It is a desktop environment that is composed entirely of free and open-source software. GNOME is an acronym for GNU Network Object Model Environment. Its target operating system is Linux, but it is also supported on most derivatives of BSD
What is KDE?
It is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on modern Unix-like and Microsoft Windows systems. It is known for its Plasma Desktop, a desktop environment which is provided as the default work environment on many Linux distributions, such as openSUSE, Mageia, and Kubuntu. It is also the default desktop environment on PC-BSD, a BSD operating system.