The KDE Desktop Environment-I

Appendix A.

The KDE Desktop Environment

 

A.1. Introducing KDE

KDE is a graphical desktop environment that allows you to access your Red Hat Linux system and applications using your mouse and keyboard.

This chapter covers the fundamental apsects of using the KDE desktop environment including system navigation, working with files and applications, and customizing the desktop to suit your needs. If you would like to learn more about KDE, visit the official website at http://www.kde.org.

 

A.2. Setting Up KDE

The first time you log into KDE (refer to Chapter 1 for more information about logging into your Red Hat Linux machine), a setup wizard will appear that allows you to set up your language and locale settings. Figure A-1 shows the welcome screen of the KDE setup wizard.

 

Figure A-1. The KDE Setup Wizard

 

A.3. Finding Help

You can access a comprehensive set of documentation about KDE through the KDE HelpCenter.

 

Figure A-2. The KDE HelpCenter

 

You can access the HelpCenter from the Main Menu by selecting Help. To access HelpCenter from the desktop, right-click on the desktop and select the Help on desktop. The opening screen of the KDE HelpCenter browser will appear like Figure A-2. From this main page, you can view help documentation on topics such as using and configuring the desktop, working with the many applications included with KDE, and working with the Konquerer file manager. The HelpCenter allows you to perform searches based on keyword entries and Web queries. To do this, click on the search tab and type in a keyword, subject, or significant phrase in the Keywords field. Click on Search or press [Enter] to begin searching the Internet for your subject.

 

A.4. Using The Desktop

After setting up KDE using the wizard, your default desktop will look similar to Figure A-3.

 

Figure A-3. A Typical KDE Desktop

 

The KDE desktop displays application launchers, document windows, file folders, and so on. You can also access the main menu and configure the desktop to suit your needs. The long bar across the bottom of the desktop is the panel. The panel contains application launchers, status indicators, and the desktop manager. You can have up to 16 desktops running at the same time in KDE. The panel taskbar shows your currently running applications. Icons located on the desktop can be files, folders, device links, or application launchers. Click on an icon to open the associated resource.

 

The KDE desktop works similarly to other graphical desktop environments. You can drag and drop files and application icons to any location on the desktop. You can also add new icons for all types of applications and resources to the desktop, panel, or file manager. The desktop itself is also highly customizable. You can change the appearance of buttons, window and frame decorations, and backgrounds easily. Configuration tools are also available which allow you to customize the way the desktop behaves at events such as single- and double-clicking mouse buttons and combining (also called chording) keystrokes to create time-saving shortcuts.

 

The default KDE desktop displays icons for the trash can, your home directory, the KDE Control Panel, and a link to the Red Hat website. You can access any one of these resources by clicking on the associated icon.

When you right-click on these icons, you will see several options for working with these resources, such as Delete Rename Move to Trash, and Copy. You can drag and drop unwanted items such as files you no longer need to the Trash icon. Right-click on the trashcan and select Empty Trash Bin to delete the items from your system permanently.