intro unix/linux 12
DESCRIPTION
accessing and exploring graphical desktopsTRANSCRIPT
Lesson 12-Accessing and Exploring Graphical Desktops
Overview
The UNIX/Linux graphical desktop.
Starting the X Window system from a terminal.
Exploring the graphical desktop environment.
The UNIX/Linux Graphical Desktop
UNIX and Linux support both graphical and character-based
terminals.
GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) and KDE (K
Desktop Environment) are the two most popular flavors of the
graphical desktop.
The X Window system is the fundamental graphical tool that
enables particular desktop window managers such as GNOME
and KDE to operate.
Starting the X Window System from a Terminal
Launching X Window system from Linux:
The “startx” command starts the fundamental graphics
program, the X Window system, and then launches your
account’s default window manager.
A desktop with icons, menu bar, and an active mouse is
displayed.
The startx utility flags an error if X Windows is not properly
installed.
Starting the X Window System from a Terminal
Launching X Window system from UNIX:
In UNIX environment, the “xinit &” command starts the
fundamental graphics program, the X Window system.
A full graphical desktop environment is displayed once the X
Window session is started.
Starting the X Window System from a Terminal
Launching X Window system from UNIX (continued):
The "gnome &" or the "kde &" command can be used for
selecting a particular graphical interface or desktop.
The Motif Window Manger ("mwm &") or the blackbox
"blackbox &" desktop program can also be started.
Exploring the Graphical Desktop Environment
A generic GNOME desktop
Exploring the Graphical Desktop Environment
Navigating the Task Bar.
Accessing applications through the Main Menu.
Moving, resizing, and iconifying Windows.
Starting programs with icons.
Exploring the Graphical Desktop Environment
Using the menu bar.
Customizing the desktop environment.
Exiting a session from the desktop.
Navigating the Task Bar
The Task Bar, by default, appears at the bottom of the
desktop.
In the GNOME and KDE interface, various icons on the
desktop allow a user to access the Terminal Emulator, Help,
web browser, and other features.
The Task Bar contains a wide variety of configurable
settings and features.
Navigating the Task Bar
The Terminal Emulator or the Console icon opens a terminal
window where shell commands can be executed.
Multiple terminal windows can be created on the screen to
work in two or more environments at the same time.
A terminal window uses a default font unless the –fn option
has been specified.
Navigating the Task Bar
The r16 and r24 font can be used for configuring the font
size.
The Task Bar also contains a set of four clustered buttons
that allows a user to switch to an alternate desktop.
Accessing Applications through the Main Menu
The Main Menu in GNOME or the Start Application in KDE
pops up a menu that provides access to various programs,
utilities, settings, and other system menus.
The Main Menu provides access to various programs and
utilities for working, like spreadsheets, address book, word
processor, calculator programs, games, etc.
Moving, Resizing, and Iconifying Windows
The window manager interprets mouse clicks and drags in
the usual ways.
The handle on the sidebar of the window allows the window
to be reshaped.
The minimize button is located at the top-right corner of the
window, and is represented in the form of an underscore.
Moving, Resizing, and Iconifying Windows
The icon of the active window is placed at the center of the
Task Bar.
A Help or Documentation browser is an interface to the
various forms of documentation on the computer as well as
the Internet.
A web browser such as Netscape, Mozilla, or Galeon is usually
included with X Windows and can be accessed either through
the Task Bar or the Main Menu.
Starting Programs With Icons
The icons on the desktop can be customized or removed
according to the user’s preferences.
The Trash icon in the desktop is similar to a Recycle bin and
can be used for recovering documents that get accidentally
deleted.
The “Empty Trash” option deletes the files permanently
from the system.
Using the Menu Bar
The menu bar has functions like a quick reference location for
frequently used applications, configurations, and even
favorite web sites.
Application, Utilities, Development, and Games are some of
the topics that appear in the drop-down menu when the
Programs icon on the Task Bar is clicked.
A web page saved as favorites in the browser also appears for
quick reference.
Customizing the Desktop Environment
The appearance of the desktop can be easily changed with
the help of the pop-up menu that appears when the mouse is
right-clicked on the desktop.
The screen saver and various other options can be configured
with the help of the Main Menu.
X Windows also allows shortcuts to be created on the desktop
for frequently used programs with a simple drag-and-drop
operation.
Exiting a Session From the Desktop
A desktop session in GNOME can be exited by using the
Main Menu, while in KDE, the Start Application is used to
achieve the same.
The “Lock Screen” option keeps the current session alive,
but requires the user to provide a password to unlock the
screen.
The “Logout” option can be selected either from the pop-up
menu that appears when the desktop is right-clicked, or
from the Main Menu.
Exiting a Session From the Desktop
Summary
In UNIX and Linux, the X Window system provides users
with a full graphical environment.
Login accounts can be configured to start up in the
graphical or terminal mode.
In the graphical desktop, the dashboard, or Task Bar,
provides a series of menus and icons for easy access to
programs.