File Information

Each file has properties. For some specific uses of a file, you may need to know information about it:

• Name: String of characters that identifies the file.

• Location: Path to the file.

• Size: Number of bytes. A byte usually holds a character.

• Owner/group: The name of the user account and the group that own the file. Groups are explained in Chapter 8.

• Date created/accessed/modified: The date/time the file was created, last accessed, or last modified.

• Permissions: Settings that determine who can access the file. Permissions are discussed in detail later in this chapter.

• Type: Format in which the file is stored, such as text file or a program file.

You can look at the file information from:

• Desktop: A file manager application allows you to look at and manage files.

• Command line: Many Linux commands are available for file management.

The file manger for KDE is Konqueror. To examine files, Konqueror serves as a file browser, allowing you to navigate through the file system, looking at files and file information (similar to Windows Explorer). Konqueror also serves as a Web browser.

On your KDE desktop, if you click an icon that is a directory, such as home, Konqueror opens and displays the contents of the home directory. Some Linux distributions also have a menu item for home. You can find Konqueror on the main menu or a system submenu. Some distributions have the Konqueror icon on the desktop or panel.

In this chapter, file management instructions for the desktop are given using Konqueror. You can use Konqueror on your GNOME desktop, as well as on KDE, as long as you selected KDE, as well as GNOME, during installation. GNOME has its own file manager called Nautilus, so if you click the home icon on GNOME, Nautilus opens, not Konqueror. However, often Konqueror is on the GNOME menu.

If Konqueror eludes you on the desktop and menus, you can select Run from the main menu, type Konqueror, and click Run on both KDE and GNOME.