The top of a desk vs. Xerox PARC's metaphor.
Which meaning of Desktop is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Desktop (furniture) came first (the 1900s). Desktop (GUI) arrived in the 1970s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.
Wikipedia pageviews since 2015
Desktop (furniture)Desktop (GUI)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.
Duplicate's share of attention
Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does
The case for each meaning
Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes
Original · the 1900s
Desktop (furniture)
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Duplicate · the 1970s
Desktop (GUI)
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More duplicated terms
Design & UX
Window · Window (computing)Wall · Wall (Facebook)Profile · User profileBreadcrumb · Breadcrumb navigationCarousel · Carousel (UI)Clipboard · Clipboard (computing)Cursor · Cursor (user interface)Dock · Dock (macOS)Drawer · Navigation drawerPaint · Paint (browser rendering)Pane · Pane (UI)Pin · Pin (UI)Sprite · Sprite (computer graphics)Render · Rendering (computer graphics)Ribbon · Ribbon (UI)Hamburger · Hamburger menuToast · Toast notificationModal · Modal window