It's hard to believe that The GNOME Project started its life 18 years ago, but that's the truth and its developers are preparing to celebrate the occasion.

The GNOME project was founded by Miguel de Icaza and Federico Mena back in 1997, and it's come a long way since then. In fact, it's now one of the biggest and most important desktop environments, although GNOME is much more than that. It is actually made of a huge stack of applications that fill in any nook and cranny.

"Join us in celebrating GNOME’s birthday this Saturday, August 15th. This is a great chance to tell the world why you love GNOME, inspire others to give it a try, give back to the community, and just wish GNOME a happy birthday. If you know someone who contributes to GNOME, send them a thank you. It’s always nice to know you’re appreciated," reads the entry on GNOME's website.

People have been invited to celebrate this momentous occasion by showing off their GNOME attire, if they have any, their desktops, or anything that has to do with the project, and sharing them with the community. Make sure that you use these hashtags to identify your posts: #HappyBirthdayGnome #IAMGNOME #GNOME2015.

All in all, this has been a great year for GNOME, with a great 3.16 release, not to mention the fact that an even better 3.18 version is on its way.

Happy Birthday, GNOME!