Enlightenment goes about the desktop in a somewhat different manner than other desktops. Although DR17 is now leaning more toward the standard desktop metaphore (with much variation), DR16 is quite different. One of the first things you will notice about DR16 is there is no panel, no icons, and no system tray. What you have in DR16 is a mouse menu that contains everything you need. So a simple left mouse click will open up the application menu, a right mouse click will open up the settings menu (where you can configure Enlightenment), and the middle mouse button (the scroll wheel) will open up the window list (a listing of currently open applications).
Another interesting feature of Enlightenment is the Drag Bar. This is a bar that runs across the top of the screen that allows you to navigate between desktops. One feature that has been available to Linux since the inception of the Linux graphical desktop is multiple desktops. You can have multiple desktops set up to help you organize your work. The drag bar helps you move between these desktops.
In the DR17 version of Enlightenment there are a few new pieces added on top of the DR16 elements. The major elements added are Shelves (known as Panels in other desktops). Shelves contain application launchers, system tools, etc. You can place as many shelves on your desktop as you need.
