Datasheet

16
Part 1: Starting Out with Ubuntu
As you can see, quite a few applications are available for the GNOME desktop. Some
of these applications are included in Ubuntu by default, while others you have to install
from the Ubuntu repository. Besides all of these applications, other Linux applications
use the GNOME library to create Windows-based applications that run on the GNOME
desktop.
The KDE Desktop
The K Desktop Environment (KDE) was first released in 1996 as an open-source project
to produce a graphical desktop similar to the Microsoft Windows environment. The KDE
desktop incorporates all of the features you are probably familiar with if you are a Microsoft
Windows user. Figure 1-5 shows a sample KDE desktop running on Kubuntu Linux.
Figure 1-5: The default KDE desktop in Kubuntu 8.10.
Just like in Microsoft Windows, the KDE desktop allows you to place application and
file icons on the desktop area. Unlike Windows, if you single-click an application icon,
the KDE system starts the application. If you single-click on a file icon, the KDE desktop
attempts to determine what application to start to handle the file.
The bar at the bottom of the desktop is called the panel. The panel consists of four parts:
The K menu:
♦♦
similar to the Windows Start menu; contains links to start installed
applications
Program shortcuts:
♦♦
quick links to start applications directly from the panel
The taskbar:
♦♦
shows icons for applications currently running on the desktop
Applets:
♦♦
small applications that have an icon in the panel that often can change
depending on information from the application
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