Entering a Single Command

Occasionally, you may want to enter a single command, such as a command to start a program or application. A Run option is provided on the start menu, similar to the Run option in Windows, that is a shortcut for entering a single command. When you select the Run option from the menu (Shortcut: <Alt+F2>) a window opens where you can enter a command.

The dialog box for KDE, shown on the left, provides a text box where you can enter the command and a Run button that executes the command.

The Run dialog box in Gnome, shown on the right, provides a list of available applications, allowing you to select one instead of typing the name of the application, and a button that allows you to browse for a file to be run by the program or an application that you start. You can, of course, type in a command if you want.

If you want to execute a command that produces output, you need to check "Run in terminal," an option that opens a window where the output displays. (In KDE, click the Options button to see the "Run in terminal" check box.) For example, the sort command shown in the KDE dialog box above does not reformat the information in the file. Instead, it outputs the information from the file in sorted order. Thus, to see the information in sorted order, you need to check the "Run in terminal" box, which opens a window where the sorted output displays.