1 Getting Started with the GNOME Desktop
This section describes the conventions, layout, and common tasks of the GNOME desktop as implemented in your product.
GNOME is an easy-to-use graphical interface that can be customized to meet your needs and personal preferences. This section describes the default configuration of GNOME. If you or your system administrator modifies the defaults, some aspect might be different, such as appearance or key combinations.
1.1 Getting Started #
If more than one user account is configured on your computer, generally all users must authenticate—unless is enabled for a specific user. Auto login lets a user automatically log in to the desktop environment when the system starts. This feature can be enabled or disabled during installation or at any time using the YaST User and Group Management module. For more information, refer to Chapter 9, Managing Users with YaST, Deployment Guide. If your computer is running in a network environment and you are not the only person using the machine, you are usually prompted to enter your user name and password when you start the system. If you did not set up the system and user account yourself, check with your system administrator for your user name and password.
The GNOME desktop appears after you first log in. The GNOME desktop appears with a panel at the bottom with following elements:
- Applications menu
Click in the left corner to open a menu with all the installed programs. These are classified under different categories for a better overview. Sub-items open automatically as soon as you place the mouse above them.
Clicking in the bottom part of the menu takes you to the so-called Activities overview where you start programs and manage those already running. You also reach this view by placing the mouse pointer in the top left corner of the screen or pressing the key (also called the key). You return to the normal view by clicking or pressing the key.
- Places menu
Click further to the right to open a menu containing important directories (such as your personal directory or the Download directory), show content of connected data carriers and establish a connection to another computer (connection to server).
- The middle part of the panel
All applications currently open on the desktop (on the active workspace) appear in the middle part of the panel. You can access these applications by clicking their name.
- Workspace menu
The first menu on the right lets you choose a workspace (a virtual desktop) to work on.
- Date and time
The current date and time is shown to the right from the workspace menu. By clicking it, open a menu where you can access a calendar and adjust the date and time settings.
- Status icons
In the right corner of the panel, icons showing the current status of the network connection, sound volume and power (battery) status are displayed.
By clicking them, you open a menu where you can adjust the sound volume, the display brightness, the network connection, and the power settings. There is also the name of the current user. Click the name to display the options for logging out or for switching to another user.
The three icons in the lower part of the menu allow you to, from left to right, open the GNOME settings dialog, lock the screen, and power off or restart your computer.
1.1.1 Activities Overview #
Activities overview is a special mode that dedicates a full screen to all the different ways in which the user can switch from doing one thing (an activity) to doing something else. It shows previews of all the windows the user has open and the user's favorite and running applications. It also integrates search and browse functionality.
1.1.1.1 Activating the Activities Overview #
There are three ways to activate the activities overview:
Open the menu on the bottom panel and choose .
Press the key (also called the key).
1.1.1.2 Using the Activities Overview #
The activities overview contains three important parts:
On the left, there is a favorite bar. It contains favorite applications as well as the running applications with open windows. If you hover over one of the icons with the mouse pointer, GNOME will tell you the name of the pertaining application. A light glow indicates that the application is running and (at least) one window is open. Right-clicking an icon opens a small menu which offers different actions depending on the associated program. With Add to Favorites, you can place the application icon permanently in Dash. To remove a program icon from Dash, select Remove from Favorites. If you want to rearrange an icon in the dock, hold the left mouse button pressed above it and then drag it to its new position.
On the top, there is a search box. If you cannot find what you are looking for or when things need to get done quickly, the small search box on the top will help. As soon as you enter a term there, GNOME will show all the matching applications and system settings. By the way, you do not need to clickthe search box first, you can begin typing directly.
On the right, there is an overview of active virtal desktops. Click to switch to a selected virtual desktop.
1.1.2 Starting Programs #
To start a program, you have several options:
Click in the bottom panel and choose the desired program from the hierarchical menu.
If you know the exact command to start the program, you can press Alt–F2, enter the command into the dialog and press Enter.
You can also start the program using the activities view. You can reach
this view by placing the mouse pointer in the top left corner of the
screen or pressing the key (also called the
key). Now you have two options. Either click
the program icon in the bar on the left edge of the screen, or enter a
term into the search box in the upper part of the activities view. You
can use the name of the desired program or try any meaningful keywords,
such as image or photo in the case
you need an image editor.
1.2 Logging In and Selecting a Desktop #
If more than one user account is configured on your computer, generally all users must authenticate—unless is enabled for a specific user. Auto login lets a user automatically log in to the desktop environment when the system starts. This feature can be enabled or disabled during installation or at any time using the YaST User and Group Management module. For more information, refer to Chapter 9, Managing Users with YaST, Deployment Guide. If your computer is running in a network environment and you are not the only person using the machine, you are usually prompted to enter your user name and password when you start the system. If you did not set up the system and user account yourself, check with your system administrator for your user name and password.
In the login screen, click your user name, enter your password and click Enter to log in. If your name is not listed, click and enter your user name, password and click Enter to log in.
In the top right corner, there are status icons and the assistive technologies menu. By clicking the status icons, open a menu that allows you to set the sound volume and restart or power off the machine.
1.2.1 Locking Your Screen #
To lock the screen, click the status icons on the right of the main panel and click the lock icon.
When you lock your screen, a screen saver starts, locking the screen. To unlock the screen, move your mouse or press a key to display the locked screen dialog. Enter your password, then press Enter to unlock the screen.
1.3 Logging Out #
When you have finished using the computer, you can log out (leaving the system running), restart or shut down the computer. If your system provides power management you can also suspend your computer, making the next session start much faster than with a complete reboot.
1.3.1 Logging Out or Switching Users #
Click the status icons on the right of the main panel to open the menu.
Click your user name.
Select one of the following options:
- Log Out
Logs you out of the current session and returns you to the Login screen.
- Switch User
Suspends your session, allowing another user to log in and use the computer.
1.3.2 Restarting or Shutting Down the Computer #
Click the status icons on the right of the main panel to open the menu.
Click the power off icon in the lower right part of the menu.
Select one of the following options:
- Power Off
Logs you out of the current session, then turns off the computer.
- Restart
Logs you out of the current session, then restarts the computer.
- Suspend
Puts your computer in a temporary state that conserves minimal power (“Suspend to RAM”). The state of your session is preserved, however, including all applications you have running and all documents you have open.
- Hibernate
Suspends your session, using no power until the computer is restarted (“Suspend to Disk”). The state of your session is preserved, however, including all applications you have running and all documents you have open.