The GNOME project provides two things: The GNOME desktop environment, an intuitive and attractive desktop for users, and the GNOME development platform, an extensive framework for building applications that integrate into the rest of the desktop.
Metacity is the default window manager for the GNOME desktop environment. Its focus is on simplicity and usability rather than novelties or gimmicks. Its author has characterized it as a "boring
... [More] window manager for the adult in you. Many window managers are like Marshmallow Froot Loops; Metacity is like Cheerios." [Less]