Chapter 3: A New Place to Call Home – Getting to Know the Desktop
NOW UBUNTU IS UP AND RUNNING, and you are ready and raring to go. If you are running Ubuntu from your hard disk, you will first see the login screen that will appear each and every time you boot up. There’s no need to keep the login screen waiting, so type your username, and press ENTER. After that, you will be prompted for your user password in the same screen, so type it, and press ENTER again. Within moments, you will be face to face with your desktop in Ubuntu.
Read the Chapter here (currently unavailable) , or read a little more about the book first:
In this chapter:
A NEW PLACE TO CALL HOME
Getting to Know the Desktop
Welcome to the GNOME Desktop
The Top Panel
The Left End
The Right End
The Bottom Panel
Project 3A: Customizing the GNOME Panel
3A-1: Adding Utility Buttons to the Panel
3A-2: Adding Amusing Applets to the Panel
3A-3: Adding a Program Launcher to the Panel
3A-4: Changing Panel Launcher Icons
3A-5: Adding a Drawer to the Panel
3A-6: Adding Program Launchers to the Drawer
3A-7: Adding the Entire Contents of a Menu to the Panel
3A-8: Moving Things Around on the Panel
More Panel Fun
Project 3B: Manipulating Menus
3B-1: Changing Icons Within Menus
3B-2: Changing the Order of Icons Within Menus
Virtual Desktops
Moving Running Applications Between Virtual Desktops
Wanda Revisited—GNOME Easter Eggs
Shutting Down
About the book:
“A fast, crystal-clear topical tour of the amazing collective accomplishment embodied in Ubuntu.”
—Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
Ubuntu 8.04 has been hailed as the Linux distribution for newbies, and it’s certainly the Linux for the less geeky among us. Even the name is user friendly—it’s a South African term that translates roughly as “humanity toward others” and could also describe author Rickford Grant’s approach to teaching Linux.
Full of tips, tricks, and helpful pointers, Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, 3rd Edition is a hands-on, project-based guide to Ubuntu 8.04 for those interested in—but nervous about—switching to the Linux operating system. This edition has been updated for Hardy Heron, the latest Ubuntu release (8.04), with its improved multimedia support and desktop effects. Step-by-step projects build upon earlier tutorial concepts, helping you absorb and apply what you’ve learned.
Ubuntu for Non-Geeks covers those day-to-day tasks that most non-geeks will want to perform, like how to:
- Download and install free software, games, and utilities
- Connect to wired and wireless networks or transfer files via Bluetooth
- Configure printers, scanners, monitors, and USB flash drives
- Watch DVDs, listen to music, and even sync your iPod
- Edit and share your digital photos and videos
- Customize the look and feel of your system
- Tackle more advanced tasks like working with commands and using Windows applications
Whether you’re new to computers, looking for a pain-free way to make the Linux switch, or just want a low-cost alternative to Windows, Ubuntu 8.04 is easier than ever. Try it and you’ll see.
- Author: Rickford Grant author of Linux for Non-Geeks and Linux Made Easy (both No Starch Press), has been a computer operating system maniac for more than 20 years. From the Atari 600XL to today’s Linux machines, he has been the guy behind the help desk for family, friends and colleagues. Rickford currently resides and teaches in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks: A Pain-Free, Project-Based, Get-Things-Done Guidebook
