Chapter 1 - Getting Started with the Desktop
Previous Chapter : Next Chapter : Top
Table of Contents
This chapter describes the Desktop and how to start and exit it.
Next, the chapter takes you through a brief tour of a typical Desktop workspace. You will become familiar with the Desktop windows and icons that you will use in your work.
The Desktop is a graphical user interface to the Caldera Network Desktop operating system. You can use the Desktop to organize your personal workspace so that the programs, files, and directories you use most often are readily accessible.
With the Desktop, you can run an application program (like a spreadsheet or word processor) by double-clicking on the program's icon or on one of its data files. To move a file between directories, you can drag it from one window to another with the mouse. You can perform tasks such as creating links and changing file ownership and access permissions without typing a single command.
Here are a few of the many tasks that the Desktop simplifies for you:
- Running programs
- Opening files for editing
- Printing files
- Viewing the contents of directories
- Creating new directories
- Moving and removing directories
- Moving, copying, and removing files
- Finding directories and files in your system
- Displaying and changing information about directories and files
The Desktop is started automatically when you start the graphical environment of the Caldera Network Desktop. If you have changed your graphical configuration in the X Window System so that the Desktop does not start automatically, you can also start the Desktop with a command.
The Desktop is configured as the default application of the X Window System graphical environment when the Caldera Network Desktop is installed. This means that when you start the graphical system (as described below), the Desktop starts. When you exit the Desktop, the graphical system exits, returning you to text mode. You can change this behavior by editing the /etc/XF86Config file.
If you do not start your Caldera Network Desktop system with a graphical login, you can log in to your system following your normal procedures in text mode. After you log in, you can start the graphical environment by entering this command on a text mode command line:
bash# startx
The Desktop starts up immediately, and you are ready to start working.
Your system may be set up so that the Desktop does not start automatically when you start the graphical system. In this case, you can run the Desktop from a command line window (a terminal emulator) within the X Window System.
If you start the Desktop this way, you should run the program as a background process by placing the ampersand (&) character at the end of the command line. If you do not run the Desktop in the background, the terminal window that you start the Desktop from is busy until you exit the Desktop.
- Open a terminal emulator window in your graphical environment.
This is usually done by holding down the right mouse button and choosing a shell, such as xterm.
- Enter this command and press Return:
bash# lg &
the Desktop startup window appears, displaying the product logo with version and copyright information, followed by the Desktop and a Directory Window.
If you need help the first time you run the Desktop from a command line or use any program options, see your system administrator.
This section is intended for system administrators and other users who are responsible for maintaining the Desktop.
The Desktop provides a set of startup options that allow you to open specific directories at startup and control certain aspects of the program's appearance and operation. If your users start the Desktop from a command line, they can specify these options then. If your users start the Desktop automatically when the graphical system starts, you can specify these arguments in the file /etc/XF86Config.
Arguments are added to the command to start the Desktop, either as the default application of the X Window System, or from within a terminal emulator window. They take this form:
lg <arguments> &
where <arguments> is the list of arguments you want to specify (refer to the following table for information on the valid arguments). Here is an example:
lg budget plans -display lotus:0.0 &
This example tells the Desktop to:
- Open the directories budget and plans
- Use the machine lotus as its display
- Start as a background process (indicated by the &)
The following table describes the arguments you can specify when starting the Desktop from a command line.
Table 1. Command line arguments for starting the Desktop
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This argument: Does this:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-background color Specifies a color for the user interface elements that are in the
or background. Use a color from the system's color database or
-bg color specify a color's Red, Green, Blue (RGB) value in hexideci
mal notation. (See dircolor below)
-bold font Specifies a font for bold text. You can use any font available
or on your system.
-fb font
-bottomshadow Specifies a color for the bottom shadow of the user interface
color elements. Use a color from the system's color database or
or specify a color's Red, Green, Blue (RGB) value in hexideci
-bs color mal notation.
-busy Displays a rotating spinner while the Desktop is going through
its start-up sequence.
-colorcubesize n n x n x n specifies the number of color slots that will be used
in a color map system. Specify a value from 3-8 for n. For
additional information on the use of color, refer to your release
notes and installation guide. (5 is default; using 3 may resolve
color conflicts with other graphical applications.)
-dircolor R G B Sets the background color of Directory Windows on a color
monitor. Use a value from 0 to 100 for R, G, and B.
directories Opens the directories you specify at start-up.
-display machine Specifies the hardware display name for the machine whose
display will be used by the Desktop. The machine name sup
plied is used to set the DISPLAY environment variable.
-font font Specifies a font for plain (nonbold) text. You can use any font
or available on your system.
-fn font
-foreground color Specifies a color for the user interface elements that are in the
or foreground. Use a color from the system's color database or
-fg color specify a color's Red, Green, Blue (RGB) value in hexideci
mal notation.
-help Prints a summary of the command line arguments in this table.
-mono Forces a monochrome display on a color monitor.
-monoicons Forces monochrome icons on a color monitor.
-nopreload Does not pre-load the icons at start-up. (See -preload
below)
-noshade For the region that displays directories and files in Directory
Windows, sets the background shade to the current Desktop
background color. (By default, the Desktop uses a slightly
lighter shade for Directory Windows.)
-preload Preloads all icons at start-up for faster performance. This is the
default.
-quiet/sound Overrides the current setting of Sound Preferences. -quiet dis
ables sound; -sound enables it (only valid on systems with
sound support).
-shade n Specify a value for n from -100 to 100. For the region that dis
plays directories and files in Directory Windows, this adjusts
the background shade by factoring the current lightness value
for HLS with that for n. Positive values make the color lighter;
negative values make it darker.
-topshadow color Specifies a color for the top shadow of the user interface ele
or ments. Use a color from the system's color database or specify
-ts color a color's Red, Green, Blue (RGB) value in hexidecimal nota
tion.
-uwmstyle Displays windows compatible with the uwm window manager.
or (You will not need this option unless you have changed the
-uwm window manager that came with the Caldera Network Desk
top.)
-version Displays the Desktop version information without starting the
or Desktop.
-ver
-xdm Specifies that, when the Desktop receives a SIGHUP (a hang-
up signal), normally from xdm (the X display manager), it
should pass the signal along to any programs launched from
within the Desktop. This lets users exit the Desktop and all
programs run within the Desktop simply by exiting the Desk
top.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Choose "Exit the Desktop" from the File Menu of the Desktop.
If there are no programs running that you launched from within the Desktop, the Desktop exits, closing the X Window System graphical environment and returning you to a text mode command line.
If there are programs running that you launched from the Desktop (for example, the Icon Editor or a terminal emulator window), a message box opens asking if you want to exit the Desktop without quitting the programs you launched.
- To close this message box, click:
- "Yes" to exit the Desktop and leave the other programs running.
- "No" to cancel and return to the Desktop.
This section gives you a brief tour of a typical Desktop workspace. The Desktop enables you to organize your workspace any way you want, placing the programs, files, and directories you use most often within easy reach. When you exit, the Desktop remembers how you left your workspace and restores that arrangement the next time you start the Desktop (unless you have specified otherwise with the Desktop "Layouts" option).
In addition, the Desktop lets you name and save an unlimited number of workspace layouts so you can switch easily from one layout to another. For instructions on organizing your workspace and saving layouts, refer to the chapter "Customizing Your Workspace."
The following illustration shows the major windows in a typical the Desktop workspace:
The Desktop Window is the main window of the Desktop---the background to your other windows. From the Desktop Window, you have access to all the Desktop functions. You can optionally set your Desktop Window as a fullscreen display that is positioned behind all other windows (this is the default installation).
The Desktop Window includes an area referred to simply as the Desktop, a place where you can put frequently used programs, files, and directories. While the objects you put on the Desktop actually remain in their locations in the file system, they are also displayed on the Desktop for easy access. You can open or activate any object from the Desktop the same way you can in Directory Windows.
Here is a typical Desktop Window:
Notice that there are several directory and file icons on the sample Desktop. Objects you put on the Desktop stay there until you take them off. You may find yourself keeping directories and files on it on an as-needed basis. For example, you might display the directory Budget during the weeks you are working on a budget. On the other hand, if you use your spreadsheet application year-round, you would probably keep it on the Desktop all the time.
Once you have placed an object on the Desktop, you can put it in any position you want. This allows you to put directories and files in the most convenient order.
The Icon Bar, located beneath the menus in the Desktop Window, contains buttons for several Desktop commands and windows. You can add other Desktop commands to the Icon Bar and create additional buttons for executing external commands that you specify. For more information on the Icon Bar and creating external commands, refer to "Customizing Your Workspace."
When you save a workspace layout, the size, position, and contents of the Desktop and the Icon Bar are also saved.
Directory Windows display the contents of a directory.
Here is a typical Directory Window:
From a Directory Window, you can perform tasks such as:
- Opening and closing selected directories and files
- Launching programs
- Changing how you view directories and files
- Printing files
- Moving directories
- Moving and copying files
- Removing directories and files
You can view objects in a Directory Window by their icon, by their name, or in a wide format that contains detailed information. The previous illustration shows a Directory Window with objects displayed as icons.
If you have a color monitor, you can also assign colors to object names in Directory Windows.
For more information about these display formats, refer to "Setting Display Formats."
Directory Windows separate directories from files with a horizontal bar called a splitter. The top section of a Directory Window displays the subdirectories in that directory, and the bottom section displays the files in that directory. You can move the splitter to adjust the size of each section by clicking on the splitter and dragging it up or down.
You can also remove the splitter and position directories and files anywhere in the Directory Window. For information about positioning directories and files, refer to "Cleaning Up Repositioned Directories and Files."
You can display as many Directory Windows as you want, but you can only display a particular directory in one window at a time.
Icons play an important role in your the Desktop workspace. the Desktop icons are images that represent directories and files in your system. There is an icon for each type of directory or file in your system; icons can appear in a number of locations.
The Desktop provides an Icon Editor for managing icons. With the Icon Editor, you can:
- View the Desktop icons in your system
- Create a personal gallery of icons
- Create new icons
- Edit existing icons
If you browse through the icons that come with the Desktop, notice that certain characteristics are represented in more than one icon design. Icons with the same design make up an icon family.
Icons with one fold in the upper right corner represent data files that can be opened by more than one application. An example of this type of file is a file that contains only text. This type of file may be edited by more than one editor or word processor. Icons in this family often contain another visual cue that indicates which application created them or the type of data in them. Here are some examples of icons used to represent data files:
Icons with two folds in the upper right corner are data files that contain data in a format that is probably meaningful only to the application that created them. Files in this family include the data files that programs create to store your work. Here are some examples of icons used to represent data files containing data formatted for a specific program:
The folder icon represents a directory. Within this family, there are different types of directories. For example, the picture of a house on a folder represents your home directory. When a directory is open somewhere on your workspace, its folder icon is fanned to make it appear open. Here are some examples of icons used to represent directories:
As you work with the Desktop, you will notice other common characteristics that make up icon families. You can even create some icons with the Icon Editor. For more information about the Icon Editor, refer to the chapter "Working with the Icon Editor."
