Chapter 7: The CDE and KDE Desktops

Overview

In Chapter 6, we discussed the GNOME desktop. If you are an experienced user, you may wish to choose a Linux or UNIX 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 (The K Desktop Environment, 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 CDE and KDE desktops and their main features, using Linux with KDE and Solaris with CDE as example operating system environments. While the environment used for Linux examples is Fedora Core 4, other Linux distributions should interact with the KDE desktop in the same way

Remember that the graphical user interface (GUI) and the operating system are separate on both Linux and UNIX systems, so there are “hybrids” in the marketplace that operate basically the same way-for example, CDE desktops running on Linux or KDE desktops running on Solaris. Note that we will not discuss the Mac OS X desktop interface-called Aqua-here. Aqua itself has a rich heritage from the developers at Apple that invented the concept of desktop icons and a visual interface. There are, however, a number of books on the topic of Mac OS X that explain the interface in great detail. In fact, understanding this chapter on CDE and KDE will help you understand the Aqua interface as well, since almost all of the concepts are similar.

Be aware that this discussion is only intended to give you a flavor of the environments and their capabilities. It is not a detailed description of all of the CDE and KDE desktop capabilities. Manuals and other documentation that can give you a much more detailed view of CDE are available through HP for HP-UX 10 and 11 at their documentation web site, http://docs.hp.eom/en/oshpux10.x.html#CDE.

These include

• Common Desktop Environment 1.0: A Tour of CDE

• Common Desktop Environment Advanced User’s and System Administrator’s Guide

• Common Desktop Environment User’s Guide

• HP CDE 2.1 Getting Started Guide

• HP CDE Getting Started Guide Addendum for HP-UX 10.30

If you wish to learn about your KDE environment in great detail, the best way is by referring to the detailed online documentation for your particular version of KDE. This is easily accessible by selecting the built-in Help features on the Desktop drop-down menu (described later on in this chapter). The typical documentation available online with a KDE distribution includes

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

• KDE for Administrators Manual (part of KDE User Guide)

• Applications manuals (for the many accessories, built-ins, and tools available)

• Applet manuals (for the KDE applets that come loaded with the interface)

• Tutorials (including a QuickStart Guide and a Visual Guide to KDE)

• FAQs, UNIX manual pages, and command information info pages

• Online HELP manual and contact information (mailing lists)

User and system administration documents for KDE are also available at the official web site, http://www.kde.org/.