From 80354e471b91d4a1e2eebfad74b947d40ca9903f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Alexander Kirillov Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 15:45:41 +0000 Subject: Moved all gnome-intro related things to gnome-intro/C subdirectory --- introduction-to-gnome/C/Makefile.am | 84 ++ introduction-to-gnome/C/README | 6 + introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/Makefile | 18 + introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/desktop.png | Bin 0 -> 86479 bytes .../C/figures/gnome-logo-large.png | Bin 0 -> 23473 bytes introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/img2eps | 58 + introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/microguiborder.png | Bin 0 -> 6232 bytes introduction-to-gnome/C/gnome-intro.sgml | 1176 ++++++++++++++++++++ 8 files changed, 1342 insertions(+) create mode 100644 introduction-to-gnome/C/Makefile.am create mode 100644 introduction-to-gnome/C/README create mode 100644 introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/Makefile create mode 100644 introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/desktop.png create mode 100644 introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/gnome-logo-large.png create mode 100755 introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/img2eps create mode 100644 introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/microguiborder.png create mode 100755 introduction-to-gnome/C/gnome-intro.sgml (limited to 'introduction-to-gnome/C') diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/Makefile.am b/introduction-to-gnome/C/Makefile.am new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3896af0 --- /dev/null +++ b/introduction-to-gnome/C/Makefile.am @@ -0,0 +1,84 @@ + +gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir = $(datadir)/gnome/help/gnome-intro/C + +gnome_user_docs_intro_help_DATA = gnome-intro.sgml + +# the "portable" `basename' stand-in should work for the files that we +# throw at it +install-data-local: index.html + $(mkinstalldirs) $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir) + $(mkinstalldirs) $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/figs + $(mkinstalldirs) $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/stylesheet-images + $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/index.html $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/ + $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/gnome-intro.sgml $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/ + + for file in gnome-intro/*.html; do \ + basefile=`echo $$file | sed -e 's,^.*/,,'`; \ + $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/$$file $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/$$basefile; \ + done + for file in gnome-intro/*.css; do \ + basefile=`echo $$file | sed -e 's,^.*/,,'`; \ + $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/$$file $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/$$basefile; \ + done + for file in gnome-intro/figs/*.png; do \ + basefile=`echo $$file | sed -e 's,^.*/,,'`; \ + $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/$$file $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/figs/$$basefile; \ + done + for file in gnome-intro/stylesheet-images/*.gif; do \ + basefile=`echo $$file | sed -e 's,^.*/,,'`; \ + $(INSTALL_DATA) $(srcdir)/$$file $(gnome_user_docs_intro_helpdir)/stylesheet-images/$$basefile; \ + done + +EXTRA_DIST = $(gnome_user_docs_intro_help_DATA) + +manual-html: index.html +manual-ps: gnome-intro.ps +manual-pdf: gnome-intro.pdf +manual-rtf: gnome-intro.rtf +manual-all: manual-html manual-ps manual-pdf manual-rtf + +all: index.html + +clean: + rm -rf gnome-intro + rm -rf gnome-intro.junk + rm -f figs/*.eps + rm -f *.log *.aux *.dvi *.tex + rm -rf DB2*OUTPUT* + rm -rf DBTO*OUTPUT* + rm -f index.html + +cvsclean: clean + [ -f Makefile.am ] && rm Makefile.in Makefile + +gnome-intro.ps: gnome-intro.sgml + $(MAKE) -C figs + db2ps $< + +gnome-intro.pdf: gnome-intro.ps + ps2pdf $< + +gnome-intro.rtf: gnome-intro.sgml + $(MAKE) -C figs + db2rtf $< + +index.html: gnome-intro/index.html + cd $(srcdir) \ + && cp gnome-intro/index.html index.html + +gnome-intro/index.html: gnome-intro.sgml + -(db2html gnome-intro.sgml \ + && mkdir -p gnome-intro/figs \ + && cp $(srcdir)/figs/*.png gnome-intro/figs || exit 1) + + +dist-hook: all + mkdir $(distdir)/gnome-intro + mkdir $(distdir)/gnome-intro/figs + mkdir $(distdir)/gnome-intro/stylesheet-images + cp gnome-intro/*.html $(distdir)/gnome-intro + cp gnome-intro.sgml $(distdir)/gnome-intro + cp gnome-intro/*.css $(distdir)/gnome-intro + cp gnome-intro/figs/*.png $(distdir)/gnome-intro/figs + cp gnome-intro/stylesheet-images/*.gif $(distdir)/gnome-intro/stylesheet-images + diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/README b/introduction-to-gnome/C/README new file mode 100644 index 0000000..15499e2 --- /dev/null +++ b/introduction-to-gnome/C/README @@ -0,0 +1,6 @@ +This directory contains "Introduction to GNOME" - short document to +get users acquainted with GNOME. Hopefully it will be included in +GNOME 1.4, either along with current (1.2) Users guide or instead of +it. + + diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/Makefile b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/Makefile new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a6f3397 --- /dev/null +++ b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/Makefile @@ -0,0 +1,18 @@ +#This Makefile converts all of the .png images used in the GDP +#Handbook to .eps for postscript output. The img2eps script +#converts the image and scales it to your specifications. You will +#need to determine the width you would like your image to display on +#paper before adding the image to this file. The width parameter will +#scale your image in inches. Make sure to add the new image to the +#"all" section as well. + +all: desktop.eps gnome-logo-large.eps microguiborder.eps + +desktop.eps: desktop.png + ./img2eps desktop.png + +gnome-logo-large.eps: gnome-logo-large.png + ./img2eps gnome-logo-large.png + +microguiborder.eps: microguiborder.png + ./img2eps microguiborder.png diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/desktop.png b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/desktop.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..59db0c8 Binary files /dev/null and b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/desktop.png differ diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/gnome-logo-large.png b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/gnome-logo-large.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..495e3c5 Binary files /dev/null and b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/gnome-logo-large.png differ diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/img2eps b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/img2eps new file mode 100755 index 0000000..eebd959 --- /dev/null +++ b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/img2eps @@ -0,0 +1,58 @@ +#!/usr/bin/perl +# +# +# convert image to Encapsulated Postscript, with possible scaling of width +# + +$width = ""; + +if ($ARGV[0] =~ /^--width=(.+)$/) { + $width = $1; + shift (@ARGV); +} + +#print "width =",$width,"\n"; + +#print "argv =",$ARGV[0],"\n"; + +$infile = $ARGV[0]; + +if (!(-e $infile)) { +print "File doesn't exist\n"; +exit 1; +} + +$imagesz = `identify $ARGV[0]`; + +($name, $size, $rest) = split / /, $imagesz, 3; +#print $name, " ", $size, " ", $rest, "\n"; +#print "imagesz = ",$size,"\n"; + +($x, $y) = split /x/, $size, 2; +($y, $rest) = split /\+/, $y, 2; + +#print $x," by ",$y, "\n"; + +# +# if width set, we need to scale +# + +if ($width != "") { + $scale = $width * (72.0/$x); +} else { + $scale = 1; +} + +$scale = 72.0/$scale; +#print "scale = ",$scale,"\n"; + +$outfile = $infile; +$outfile =~ s/\.png/\.eps/; + +#print $infile," ",$outfile,"\n"; +system("convert $infile tmpimage.pgm"); +#system("giftopnm $infile | ppmtopgm > tmpimage.pgm"); +system("convert -density $scale tmpimage.pgm $outfile"); +system("rm tmpimage.pgm"); + + diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/microguiborder.png b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/microguiborder.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a712c05 Binary files /dev/null and b/introduction-to-gnome/C/figures/microguiborder.png differ diff --git a/introduction-to-gnome/C/gnome-intro.sgml b/introduction-to-gnome/C/gnome-intro.sgml new file mode 100755 index 0000000..db3ecba --- /dev/null +++ b/introduction-to-gnome/C/gnome-intro.sgml @@ -0,0 +1,1176 @@ + +
+ + Introduction to Gnome + + + Gnome + Documentation Team + + + + + + + This is a beta draft of Introduction to Gnome for Gnome 1.4 + + + + + 2000, 2001 + + Red Hat, Inc., David A. Wheeler, Alexander Kirillov + + + + + + Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this + document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation + License, Version 1.1 or any later version + published by the Free Software Foundation with no Invariant + Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. You + may obtain a copy of the GNU Free Documentation + License from the Free Software Foundation by + visiting their Web + site or by writing to: Free Software Foundation, Inc., + 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA. + + + Many of the names used by companies to distinguish their + products and services are claimed as trademarks. Where those + names appear in any Gnome documentation, and those trademarks + are made aware to the members of the Gnome Documentation + Project, the names have been printed in caps or initial caps. + + + + + + + + + What is Gnome? + + Gnome is a user-friendly graphical desktop environment for UNIX and + UNIX-like systems that enables users to easily use and configure + their computers. Gnome includes a panel (for starting + applications and displaying status), a desktop (where data and + applications can be placed), a set of standard desktop tools and + applications, and a set of conventions that make it easy for + applications to cooperate and be consistent with each other. + Users of other operating systems or environments should feel + right at home using the powerful graphics-driven environment + Gnome provides. Gnome runs on a number of UNIX-like operating + systems, including Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris. + + Gnome is completely open source (free software) developed by + hundreds of programmers around the world. Both the source code + and ready-to-run binaries of Gnome are available for download on + the Internet; they are distributed under the terms of GNU General Public + License (and its cousins, Lesser General Public License and Free Documentation License + for libraries and documentation respectively). In particular, + this means that everyone is free to use, copy or distribute + Gnome. If you would like to learn more about the Gnome project + please visit the Gnome web site. + + + Gnome is highly configurable, enabling you to set your desktop + the way you want it to look and feel. Gnome supports many human + languages, and more are added every month. Gnome even supports + several Drag and Drop protocols for maximum interoperability + with non-Gnome applications. + + + + Gnome comes from the acronym for the GNU Network Object Model Environment + (GNOME). Gnome is a part of the larger GNU project, started in 1984 to + develop a completely free UNIX-like operating system. For more information, + visit the GNU Website. + + + + + + + About This Guide + + This guide gives you a short introduction to Gnome. It is not + intended to cover all details of Gnome; if you need more + information, you should read detailed manuals listed in . Also, this guide assumes you already + have Gnome installed; if you need help installing Gnome, + please check the instructions on Gnome Website + + + This guide was written by the members of Gnome + Documentation Project (GDP). If you have any comments or + suggestions about this guide + or if you can offer any other help in improving or translating + Gnome documentation, please send an e-mail to + docs@gnome.org, or visit GDP Web + Site. + + The authors of this guide assume that you are + using the default configuration of Gnome (that is, default GTK + theme and sawfish window manager with + MicroGUI theme). Gnome is highly + configurable, so it is easy to change not only the look but also + the behavior of Gnome; however, we recommend that you do so only + after you already have some experience with Gnome. + + + + + Mouse Conventions Used in This Guide + + Before describing Gnome, let us introduce some terms used not + only in this guide but in all Gnome documents. Most importantly, + we need to clarify the use of mouse buttons and clicks. + + + Most Gnome documents assume that you are using a standard (for + UNIX) 3-button mouse and talk about left, right, and middle + mouse buttons; if a document says click without + explicitly specifying the button, the left button is + assumed. Some documents use notations mouse button + 1, mouse button 2 and mouse button + 3 (or MB1, MB2, MB3 for short) for left, middle, and + right buttons respectively. + + + If you are using a two-button mouse, you can emulate the middle + mouse button by pressing left and right buttons simultaneoulsy; + if you have a wheel mouse, the wheel can be used in place of the + middle mouse button. + + + You can switch the roles of the buttons using Gnome + Control Center. Many left-handers choose to reverse the + right and left buttons. If you have done so, you need to use the + right mouse button whenever document instructs you to click, and use + left mouse button whenever a document talks + about right-clicking or mouse button 3. + + + If you use a mouse with some unusual placement of buttons, a + trackball, or some other input device, you need to find out + which buttons correspond to right, + left and middle; this information + can usually be found in the manual which came with your + device. Usually, left button (MB1) is the one + under your index finger. + + + + + + + + First glance at Gnome: Desktop and Panel + + shows an example of Gnome + running. Gnome is very configurable, so your screen may look + quite different. + + +
+ Sample Gnome Display. + + Sample Gnome Display + + + +
+ + + + Panel + + The long bar at the bottom of is + a Gnome Panel. It contain a number of useful things, such as + + + The Main Menu: this is the + button with the stylized footprint. Clicking this button + brings up a menu containing all Gnome applications + and commands, including the logout command. + + + + + Application launchers: these are buttons that start + various programs. In this example the toolbox button + starts the Gnome Control Center + (for configuring your system), and the button with a + computer screen starts Gnome + Terminal, for those who need to use + command line. + + + + + Panel applets: these are are tiny programs designed to + work inside the Panel. For example, the + clock applet on the far right + shows the current time, and + tasklist applet (in the + middle of the panel) shows the list of all application + windows on your desktop (this will be discussed in + detail in ). + + + + + As with all Gnome components, Panel is highly + configurable: you can add or remove application launchers and + applets, edit the Main Menu, change Panel + background, or even create new Panels. For example, to move an + object, drag it to the new location using the middle mouse button; to configure + an object, get help on it, or remove it from the Panel, + right-click on it and select the appropriate item from the + pop-up menu. To hide the Panel when you are + not using it, click on one of the Hide + buttons (with small arrows) at the ends of the + Panel. + + More Panel operations are available from the + Panel menu, which you can open by + right-clicking in any empty space on the Panel (for example, + in the hide arrows) and selecting Panel + from the menu. The Panel menu also contains Panel manual, which describes + all these options and more. + + + + Desktop + + Everything outside the Panel is called + desktop. You can place icons for files, applications, + and other items on the desktop (a default collection of icons is + installed with Gnome), after which you can double-click on an item + to use it: + + + + + If the item is a program, that program will start. + + + + + If it is a data file, the appropriate program will start + up with that data loaded. + + + + + + If it is a directory, the File Manager will start and show + the contents of that directory. Your desktop will probably + have a folder icon labeled Home + directory. Double-clicking on it will start the + File Manager at your home directory. + + + + + The easiest way to place an item on the desktop is to + drag-and-drop a file from the File Manager window. This will be + discussed in more detail in . Once + the item is placed on the desktop, you can move it around the + desktop using the left mouse button, or you can click on it + with the right mouse button to bring up the + pop-up menu which allows you to delete the + item or change its properties. + + + + + + Using the Mouse + + As you have already seen, you can do almost anything just by + clicking with your mouse. Here are some conventions which work + almost anywhere in Gnome: + + + + + Clicking on an item with the left mouse button selects + (hilights) it. If you need to select several objects, hold down + CTRL key while clicking. + + + Double-clicking on an item runs the default action for + this item (running an application, opening the file, etc.) + + + Clicking on an item with the right mouse button brings up + the context menu, which contains all the commands and + information available for this item. If you have selected + a group of items, right-clicking on any of them will bring + up the context menu which applies to all of these items. + + + You can + select text anywhere on the screen using the left mouse + button, and then insert this text into any other place on + the screen which accepts text input, by clicking with the + middle mouse button. + + + + In addition, clicking with the right mouse button on any empty + space on your desktop brings up a pop-up + menu, which allows you to change desktop background or other + properties, or add a new item to the desktop. Clicking on the + desktop with the middle mouse button produces the default menu + for your window manager (see ). + + + + + + Logging Out + + To log out of Gnome, click on the Main Menu + button and select Log out. Gnome + will prompt you for confirmation; it will also give you an + option to save the session — that is, information about + currently open applications and their location on the screen + will be saved, so that when you login next time, the same + applications will be in the same places (this only works for + applications which are fully Gnome-compliant). + + + + + + + + Working With Windows + + The graphical system used by all UNIX-like operating systems, X + Window System, allows you to have several windows on your + screen, with a different application running each in each + window. By itself, however, X Window System can only do very + low-level operations, so it is always used in conjunction with + another piece of software, called window manager. A window + manager provides windows' borders and buttons, allows you to + move, close, and resize windows, etc. Gnome can work with many + window managers. The most popular are: + + Enlightenment and + Sawfish (formerly known as + Sawmill). Each window manager can use many different styles of + window decorations and buttons (this is referred to as + window manager theme). Since it is impossible to + cover them all, in this section we only describe the default + window manager shipped with Gnome, + Sawfish, and its default theme + (MicroGUI). An example of the window border in + the MicroGUI theme is shown in + + + +
+ Window Border in MicroGUI Style. + + Window border in MicroGUI style + + + +
+ + + So, what can you do with windows? + + + + + Closing, minimizing, and maximizing windows + + + + To close a window, click on the button with the + small yellow x in the right side of the window + border. If the application has any unsaved data, it will + prompt you to save it. + + + To maximize a window, i.e. make it fill the entire + screen (except for the part taken by the panels), click + on the button with small yellow up + arrow. Clicking on this arrow once again will restore + the window to its original size. + + To minimize (hide or iconify) a window, click on the + button with small yellow down arrow. The + window will disappear from screen. However, it is not + lost forever — the application in this window continues + running, no data is lost — it is just temporarily + hidden. All minimized windows are shown in the tasklist + applet and can be restored as described below. + + A convenient alternative to minimizing windows is + shading them. When you shade a window, it + rolls up into its own title bar, so the + title bar is the only part of the window left on + screen. To shade a window, double-click on the title + bar; to unshade, double-click again. Try it! + + + + + + Raising and lowering windows + + + Windows on your screen can overlap, so that one of + the windows is on top of another. You can + raise a window (i.e., put it on top of + all others) by clicking on the window title bar. You can + also switch a window from raised to lowered and back by + clicking on the title bar with the middle mouse button, or by + clicking anywhere inside the window with the right mouse + button while holding down ALT key. + + + + + + Focus + + + Of all the windows on your screen, only one is active + (in computer parlance, focused), which means + that anything you type on the keyboard will be sent to the + application running in that window. (It does not mean that the + applications in other windows are idle — they can + be running as well.) To help you see which window has + focus, the title bar of this window has different color + (left side is blue, as opposed to gray for all other + windows). To change focus to another window, just click + anywhere in this window. You can also click in the + window title bar to focus and raise the window + simultaneously. + + + + + + Moving and resizing windows + + + To move a window, drag its title bar to a new + location using left mouse button (i.e., click in the + title bar and move the mouse without releasing the + button). You can also move a window by clicking anywhere + inside the window while holding down the + ALT key. + + + To resize a window, place the mouse cursor on any of the + window borders (except the top one) or corners. The + mouse cursor will change to an arrow pushing a line or + corner, allowing you to drag the border or corner to a new + position. + + + + + + + + Tasklist + + All the windows on your desktop (including the minimized ones) + are shown in the tasklist, located + on your Panel. For each window, a mini-icon and beginning of + the window title is shown. To restore a minimized window, just click + on its title in the tasklist. Right-clicking on the window + title brings up the pop-up menu whihc + allows you to shade a window, close it, or kill the + application running in the window. The last option should only + be used when an application is frozen and does not respond to + close window command. If you kill an + application, you lose all unsaved data! + + + + + Window Operations Menu + + Sawfish also provides a menu for + each window; this menu contains all the operations for this + window described above, and then some. To access this menu, + click on the button in the left side of the window title bar + (with the small triangle pointing down). You can also invoke + this menu by right-clicking in the window title or clicking + anywhere in the window with the middle mouse button while holding + down the ALT key. + + + + Desktop Menu + + Finally, Sawfish also provides a + desktop menu; it can be accessed by clicking on any + empty space of the desktop with the middle mouse button. It + contains the following options: + + + + + Windows + + + + Provides list of all windows, including minimized + ones. Selecting one of these windows restores it (if it + was minimized) and raises it over other windows. Very + convenient if you have so many windows that the one you + need is completely covered by others. + + + + + + Workspaces + + + Allows you to switch from one workspace to another, + create and delete workspaces. See + Sawfish manual for details. + + + + + + Programs + + + + Same as Programs section + of the Main Menu. + + + + + + Customize + + + + Allows the user to customize all properties of the + Sawfish behavior. For a new + user, we recommend trying various + Appearance settings, but leaving + all other subsections alone. + + + + + + Help + + + + Provides links to Sawfish web + page, Sawfish manual (beware: + this is not a user's manual but rather a manual for + people who write extensions/customizations to + Sawfish using LISP + programming language), link to Gnome Users + Guide, and to Gnome Web + site. + + + + + + + + + + + Nautilus: Gnome File Manager, Help Browser, and More + + Gnome 1.4 includes a graphical shell, + Nautilus. It combines file manager, + help browser, web browser, FTP client, and much more. To launch + it, select Nautilus in the + Main Menu, or just dpuble-click on any directory + icon on your desktop. + + + Managing Your Files With Nautilus + + + As most modern graphic file managers, + Nautilus shows the contents of a selected + directory using icons to represent files and subdirectories. Clicking + on any file or directory opens it (for data files, it starts + the appropriate application which opens this file). Right-clicking + on a file or directory produces a pop-up menu. + Using this menu, you can delete or rename the file, view and change + file properties or permissions, and more. + + Nautilus also provides an easy + way to move files between directories. To move move a file + from one directory to another, open each directory in a + different Nautilus window by selecting + New window from the + Nautilus File menu. + Select the file you need, and drag it from one window into another + using the mouse. You can also drag the file to the desktop. In this + case, the file remains in its old location, and an icon will + be created on your desktop which acts as a link + (shortcut) to it. + + Nautilus provides many more + tools to manipulate your files. It is also highly + customizable, so you can easily change the way files are + displayed (for example, you can choose a custom icon for a + given file). For detailed description of all these + possibilities, read Nautilus manual. + + + + Reading Documentation With Nautilus + + In addition to being a file manager, + Nautilus is also a help browser: + you can use it to read documentation installed on your + system. This includes not only Gnome documentation, but also + UNIX-style manual pages (manpages), GNU info pages + (documentation format used GNU project utilities), and other + types of documentation. To view the list of all documentation + installed on your system, click on the Help + contents tab in the left panel of + Nautilus. + + + + + + + Customizing + + Gnome is highly configurable — you can change almost + anything: background color, key bindings, location of panels + and contents of the Main Menu, and more. + Most of these changes are done using Gnome Control + Center, which can be found in + Settings submenu of the Main + Menu; this menu also allows you to access a specific + section of the Gnome Control Center. + The Control Center has its own + detailed documentation which you should consult before making + any changes. + + + Here we would like to give just an overview of the most commonly + used options of the Gnome Control + Center. + + + + + You can change the desktop background by selecting + Background in the + Desktop section of Gnome + Control Center. (A quicker alternative to + access this section is to right-click on any empty space on + your desktop and select Change Desktop + Background from the pop-up + menu). + + + + + Theme Selector allows you to change the + desktop theme (also known as GTK theme). This changes the + appearance of the Main Menu, as well as + menus, toolbars, scrollbars, checkbuttons and other elements + of graphical user interface for all Gnome applications. Many + users find the default GTK theme rather dull, so the first + thing they do is switching to another one. + + + + + Sawfish window manager: this section + allows you to change settings for the window manager. In + particular, in the Appearance + subsection you can change the frame style (theme), which + determines the window borders and buttons. You can also + change the font used for window title bars. If you + are a new user, we recommend that you do not change + other settings. + + + + + Session: in this section you can define + the startup programs (that is, programs that are run every + time you log in), enable or disable login hints and logout + confirmation dialog. + + + + + In addition, you can change properties of various items — + most notably, panels and icons on your desktop — by + clicking on them with the right mouse button and selecting + Properties from the + pop-up menu. In this way, you can change the + caption of an icon, size and background color (or even + background image) of the Panel, and much more. + + + NOTE + + Desktop icons corresponding to various drives and devices of + your system (such as floppy drive or CD-ROM) have more + complicated nature, so you can not change their caption using + the Properties dialog. + + + + Almost every Gnome application has its own + preferences settings (look for + Preferences or Settings in + the menus), so you can change, for example, colors used by the Gnome + Terminal or make it transparent — the possibilities are + unlimited! + + + + + + Gnome Applications and Utilities + + Gnome comes with many applications and utilities; in addition, + Gnome allows you to use any third party applications such as + Netscape), KDE applications, or other + applications and utilities installed on your system. Here is a + list of some of the most useful tools and applications which you + can find in Gnome's Main Menu (this is not a + complete list!) + + + + Applications + + + These include office and productivity applications + such as Gnumeric + — a full-featured Excel-compatible spreadsheet; + AbiWord — a lightweight + word processing application; + Evolution — e-mail, + calendar, address book and contact manager. In addition, + here you will find the Swiss army knife of text + editors, emacs (which + is not a Gnome appication). + + + + + Graphics + + + Here you will find the famous + Gimp — image editing + program for serious users which rivals + Photoshop. This menu also + contains image viewers such as Eye of + Gnome and xv. + + + + + Utilities + + + Among other things, here is a + Calculator, Gnome + Search tool which you can use to find a file + on your system, gfloppy which + lets you format a floppy disk, Bug reporting + tool, and a nice utility called + GDict which allows you to look + up a word in one of the many dictionaries freely available + on the Internet. + + + + + Multimedia + + + + Here you will find CD player, + Mixer (which also can be used + to adjust volume of your speakers), and an MP3 player + XMMS. + + + + + + System + + + + This submenu contains utilities for managing your + system. You can find out detailed information about your + processor, memory, and operating system using + System Info, check how much + space you have left on your disks using Gnome + DiskFree, or view all the processes (jobs) + which are currently running on your computer using + System monitor. In addition, + System monitor also shows you + load level for the processor and memory, and allows you to + kill a stalled or otherwise unwanted job. + + + This submenu also contains tools for managing software + installed on your system, namely + GnoRPM and Helix + Gnome Update (if you are using the + distribution of Gnome prepared by Helix Code, Inc.). + GnoRPM allows you to view all + software packages installed on your system (if you are + using a distribution of Linux based on RPM packages, such + as Red Hat, SuSe, or Mandrake); it also allows you to remove, + update, or install new packages. + Helix Gnome Update provides an + extremely easy, almost one-click, way to update your + Gnome installation. Both of these utilities , however, require + that you have system administrator (root) privileges. + + + And finally, the same submenu also contains various + terminal emulators (xterm, + Color xterm, + Gnome Terminal) letting you use + the most powerful (although not most user friendly) interface + ever created — the command line prompt. + + + + + Internet + + + + Here, you will find Netscape web + browser, X-Chat for Internet Relay + Chat (IRC), Gnome-ICU for talking + with other people using ICQ protocol, and + gftp which is a graphical tool + for FTP file transfers. Note that Gnome file manager, + Nautilus, also has built-in FTP + capabilities, so gftp is needed + only in those rare cases when you need something really + complicated (for example, transferring files using secure + version of FTP, based on ssh). + + + + + Games + + + + Lots of them — just try! + + + + + + + + + + + Help — I Am in Trouble! + + Everyone runs into trouble sooner or later. Here is some + advice on how to handle the most common problems: + + + + Killing a Stalled Application + + If an application is stalled or frozen — that is, if it + does not respond to your mouse clicks and keyboard commands, + you can either wait and hope that it wakes up, or kill it. If + you decide to kill it (NOTE: You will lose all unsaved data), + click on the button with small triangle in the left side of the + window title bar to invoke the + window operations menu, and select + Destroy. Another way to kill the + application is to start the Gnome System + monitor (from System + submenu of the Main Menu), right-click + on the frozen application name, and select + Kill now. Using Gnome + System monitor also allows you to find and kill + all helper processes started by this application. + + + If a Gnome application freezes or crashes (unexpectedly dies) + repeatedly, you should file a bug report as described in . + + + + My Whole System Froze! + + If your whole system is frozen and is not responding, do not + hurry to push the reset button on the computer + — this is usually the worst solution. Most probably, it is + not the operating system itself that is frozen (UNIX systems are + known for stability), but just the graphical part, X Window + System. In this case, you can try to restart X Window System by + simultaneously pressing + CTRLALT + Backspace . This should work for + the implementation of X Window system used on Linux and *BSD, + XFree86 — unless it was disabled by your system + administrator. Of course, in this way you also lose all unsaved + data, but at least you do not risk to mess up the whole file + system. + + + + + My Gnome Desktop Icons Are All Messed up! + + This sometimes happens when upgrading from an older version of + Gnome. In this case, try this trick: delete the file + ~/.Gnome/metadata.db (note the dot!), where + ~ is your home directory, then log out and + login again. If this didn't help, read on. + + + + + My Whole Gnome Configuration is Messed Up! + + If you have more serious problems than just desktop icons — + for example, if your panel is missing — the radical solution + is to remove all your Gnome configuration files and start from + scratch. This is an emergency solution, as you lose all + configuration settings and will need to configure your menus, + panels, etc. again from scratch, that is, from the default Gnome + configuration. However, this only affects Gnome configuration, + so your data files and settings for non-Gnome applications + remain intact. + + To remove all your Gnome configuration files and return + to the original Gnome configuration, logout then log in again + holding down keys CTRL and + SHIFT (immediately after entering your + password in the login dialog). You will be presented a dialog, + offering you the choice to reset the saved session (that is, + which applications were open when you last logged out); reset + your Gnome configuration settings; or both. + + + Finally, if you have really severe problems and your system + freezes or becomes otherwise unusable as soon as you login, + you have one last option. You can select + Failsafe session type instead of + the default Gnome in the login + screen. Both Gnome and KDE Login Managers support this. In + this session type, Gnome is not started; instead, you are + presented with a single terminal window. This is almost + guaranteed to start OK, and if you know how to use + command-line tools to find and fix your problem, you have a + chance. Otherwise, ask an expert. + + + + + + + Where to Find More Information + + Documentation Included with Gnome + + Gnome includes detailed documentation for the majority + of applications, utilities and other components, such as Panel + or Nautilus file manager. You can view the list of all Gnome + documents installed on your system using the Help + Contents tab in Nautilus. So, if you want to + know more about one of these components, read the appropriate + manual. + + + In addition to the manuals for individual components, Gnome + documentation also includes: + + + + + + Frequently Asked Questions + + + + This document contains answers to some of the most + commonly asked questions about Gnome. + + + + + + + If you are new to UNIX/Linux... + + + + + This short document gives the minimal necessary + information about UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems, + including such things as filenames, paths and + directories, permissions, symbolic links and most + confusing of them all, the notion of + mounting. If you never used UNIX system + before, be sure to read this. + + + + + + + Gnome Resources on the Internet + + In addition to documentation shipped with Gnome, there is also + wealth of information available on the Internet. A good + starting point is, of course, the Gnome Website. There you + will find instructions for installing Gnome, reviews and tips, + developer information, and more. + + + If you can not find an answer to your question there, you + may ask other Gnome users and developers on Gnome mailing list + (subscription instructions can be found here). + Note, however, that this list is for Gnome-related questions + only (do not ask how to configure X Window System, for instance), + and it is impolite (to say the least) to ask a question without + first checking if this question is already answered in available + documents such as Gnome FAQ. + + + + Everything Not Gnome + + You should realize that Gnome is just part of your computer + system. If you want to unleash the full potential of your + computer, you need to understand not just Gnome but also the + underlying operating system (UNIX/Linux/FreeBSD), various + tools and utilities included with it, and its graphics system + (X Window System). Each of these components usually comes with + its own documentation. Most of UNIX commands and utilities are + documented in so-called manual pages, or man pages + for short. You can view them using Nautilus + (see ). This documentation is usually + very detailed and more technical than most users would like. + Another documentation format used by utilities from the + GNU project is called info pages. They, too, + can be viewed using Nautilus. Many + applications also have documentation in other formats. Sometimes + it is not easy to find documentation for a given application — + try looking in the directory /usr/doc. + + Documentation for operating system itself varies from one + system to another. The best advice is to check the printed manual + which came with your system. For Linux, a good source of information + is the Linux Documentation Project (LDP); you can read or their + documentation on the Internet (at http://www.linuxdoc.org). + Virtually all Linux distributions also include copies of LDP + documents; usually they are found at + /usr/doc/LDP or + /usr/doc/HOWTO. + + + And of course, there are a number of books available about all + flavors of UNIX/Linux, Gnome, and about anything else you might + be interested in. Check your local bookstore. + + + + + Feedback + + If you have any comments, suggestions, or complaints about this + guide, please send them to Gnome Documentation project at + docs@gnome.org. + + + If you find a bug in one of Gnome applications, please report it! + The developers do read these reports and try to fix all reported bugs. + The easiest way to send a bug report is to use Gnome + Bug Report Tool, found in the + Utilities submenu of the + Main Menu. This tool will be automatically + started if a Gnome application crashes. It should also be used + for submitting suggestions or requests for new features for + Gnome applications: just select Severity: + wishlist in the appropriate window of + Gnome Bug Report Tool. + + + If you have questions about Gnome, or want to discuss Gnome + with other users and developers, you should subscribe to the + Gnome mailing list as described in . + + +
+ + + + + + + + -- cgit