Chapter 6: The GNOME Desktop

Overview

As of this writing, there are well over 400 Linux distributions (such as Fedora, Red Hat, Caldera OpenLinux, Debian GNU/Linux, Slackware, Mklinux, Mandrake, and SuSE, just to name a few of the English-language distributions). There is a complete list of all worldwide Linux distributions at http://www.linux.org/. The distributions differ mainly in installation style, included applications, and method of package management (such as installing new applications). Other differences may include enhanced performance on a particular hardware platform or with advanced graphics boards. Finally, they may differ in the way you interface with the operating system and its commands-either by entering them directly or by using a graphical user interface (GUI). Choosing one over another is a matter of personal preferences based on which features are most important to you.

If you are an experienced user, you may wish to choose a Linux distribution with a command-line interface, where you can input commands directly to the operating system. If you are a beginning user of UNIX, though, you may wish to choose a distribution that offers a desktop interface first. A desktop interface is a layer between the user and the operating system that performs the tasks necessary to do things like manage files and operate programs. Just as Microsoft’s PC environment has evolved over time from the native DOS environment to Windows 95 to the Windows 2000/XP environment, Linux and other UNIX variants have evolved from the command-line interface to the X Window System to robust desktops such as GNOME (the GNU Network Object Model Environment), CDE (the Common Desktop Environment), and KDE (originally the Kool Desktop Environment). This has made it easier for users who do not wish to understand what is going on “behind the curtains” to perform routine tasks on a daily basis, using a relatively simple visual interface rather than entering commands.

In this chapter we will discuss the GNOME desktop and its main features, using Fedora Core 4 Linux as the operating system environment. Almost all of the features described in this chapter will apply to other Linux distributions using the GNOME desktop interface. In addition to Linux, other UNIX variants such as Solaris, HP-UX, BSD, and Apple’s Darwin (the kernel of Mac OS X) have versions of GNOME available as their desktop interface as well.

Be aware that this discussion is only intended to give you a flavor of the environment and its capabilities. It is not a detailed description of all of GNOME’s capabilities. There are a number of versions of GNOME in use among the UNIX variants. If you wish to learn about your GNOME environment in great detail, the best way to do so is refer to the detailed online documentation for your particular version of GNOME. This is easily accessible by selecting the Help feature on the Desktop drop-down menu (described later on in this chapter). The typical documentation available online with a GNOME distribution includes

• User Guide (explains all features and functions of the GNOME desktop)

• System Administration Guide (for use by system administrators)

• Accessibility Guide (for configuring Accessibility Features for the Disabled)

• Search for Files Manual (for using find, grep, and locate to find files)

• Panel Applets Manuals (covers all provided applets in individual manuals)

• Zenity Application Manual (for creating graphical application dialogs)

User and system administration documents for various versions are also available at the official GNOME web site, http://www.gnome.org/. The documentation pages themselves are online at http://www.gnome.org/learn/.

Chapter 7 will discuss the CDE and KDE desktop environments.