desktop communication protocol (DCOP)

The Desktop Communication Protocol (DCOP) is a client- server protocol that supports interprocessing between KDE applications. The K Desktop Environment (KDE) works with a relatively simple Interprocess Communication( IPC), the KWMcom, which was used for example for the communication between the Panel and the Window Manager. The simplicity of the IPC mechanism limits its use in terms of the size and complexity of the data to be transmitted.

DCOP supports message transferand Remote Procedure Call( RPC), which works on sockets. DCOP is based on the ICE protocol, Information and Content Exchange (ICE), which is part of the X.11 standard.

The DCOP mechanism is relatively simple. Each application that uses DCOP is a client. These communicate with each other through a DCOP server, which handles traffic control and sends messages and requests to the appropriate destination client. All clients form peers of each other.

DCOP can be used to block and unblock messages. "Send and Forget" belongs to the messages that are non-blocking and "Calls" belongs to the blocking messages that wait for a response beforehand.