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==Computing==
In a computer the operating environment includes temperature and so on affecting circuitry; but in particular the term is often used to describe the non-physical environment in which [[software]] runs. This may apply to [[application software]] with which users interact, comprising the "[[look and feel]]" of the system, its appearance and the things that have to be done to achieve desired results. The term may also apply to [[system software]]; e.g., software designed for a [[Unix]] environment will do things differently than in a [[Microsoft Windows]] environment. Some operating environments for programming purposes are referred as programming environments; e.g., the "UNIX programming environment" for a [[Unix shell]] with its look and feel and functionality.
"Operating environment" is not the totality of the functionality and appearance of an [[operating system]].
In the mid 1980s, [[text-based user interface|text-based]] and [[graphical user interface|graphical]] user interface operating environments such as [[IBM TopView]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Digital Research]]'s [[GEM Desktop]] and [[Quarterdeck Office Systems]]'s [[DESQview]] surrounded [[DOS]] operating systems with a [[shell (computing)|shell]] that turned the user's [[computer monitor|display]] into a [[menu (computing)|menu]]-oriented "[[desktop metaphor|desktop]]" for selecting and running [[IBM PC compatible|PC]] applications. These programs were more than simple menu systems—as alternate operating environments they were substitutes for integrated programs such as [[Framework (office suite)|Framework]] and [[Lotus Symphony (DOS)|Symphony]], that allowed [[context switch|switching]], [[windowing system|windowing]] and [[cut-and-paste]] operations among dedicated applications. These operating environment systems gave users much of the convenience of [[integrated software]] without locking them into a single package. Alternative operating environments made [[Terminate and Stay Resident|TSR]] pop-up utilities such as [[Borland Sidekick]] redundant. Windows provided its own version of these utilities, and placing them under central control could eliminate memory conflicts that [[RAM]]-resident utilities create.<ref>Operating in a New Environment, ''PC Magazine'', Feb 25, 1986</ref> In later versions, Windows evolved from an operating environment into a complete operating system.
==="The environment" and environment variables===
{{Main|environment variable}}
Some operating systems have an area of memory called "the environment" which can contain [[environment variable]]s which tell processes about such matters as where the particular [[computer system]] expects temporary files to be stored, i.e., some details of the operating environment.
==See also (computing)==
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