COMPUTER TRAINING: Getting Started With Linux

Getting Started With Linux

Logging into Linux (Fedora)

In order to start using your system you will usually have to perform what is known as a user login. This procedure is necessary to identify yourself to the system.

The system allows multiple users to use it concurrently and so it has to be able to identify a user in order to grant them the necessary privileges and rights to use the system and applications. Each user upon successful login will be assigned to his home directory (folder).

Depending on how you have set up your system, you will either have a graphical login screen or a text-based login prompt for you to perform the login process.

To login, enter the username followed by the ENTER key and when the password prompt appears, enter the password followed by the ENTER key.

Some systems may have been set up so that upon power-on, a default user is logged in automatically. If this is so, then you will not be presented with a login screen or prompt as described in the section below.

Note:

There is a special user called the root or superuser (this user is usually created during the system installation) which has unlimited access and rights to all the system files and resources. You only need to login as root if certain system level administrative tasks are to be carried out. Otherwise there is usually no need for a normal user to login as root. This is to prevent accidentally damaging the system by deleting or modifying important system files.

Getting Started With Linux

Desktop Elements

There are 3 main components on the desktop:

• the Menu System

• the Panel

• the Desktop itself 4.1

The Menu System The main menu can be accessed by clicking on the Main Menu button located at the extreme lower left hand corner of the desktop. This may be portrayed by one of several icons depending on the desktop environment used.

From the Menu System you can start many of the applications installed on your Linux system. Note that the Menu System consists of a Main Menu panel and sub-menu panels. Each entry in the Menu System which has an arrow on its right means that it is an entry point to a sub-menu, and there can be sub-menus within each sub-menu. In this way applications in the Menu System can be organised and categorised for easy reference and access.

To access a the sub-menu associated with a menu entry, move the mouse and rest it on the menu entry in question and a sub-menu panel will appear.

The long bar across the bottom of the desktop screen is called the Panel. The Panel contains the Main Menu icon, the application launcher icons, a notification area and applets.

Installed by default are several application launcher icons on the Panel. Clicking on one of these will run an application. Commonly accessed applications can be added to the Panel and those that are less frequently used can be taken off.

The notification area holds alert icons so that the user can be alerted to critical messages. Applets are small applications that run on the Panel. These usually perform useful and informative tasks like setting the sound level of the soundcard, monitoring whether the system software needs an update, etc. By default the following applets are run.

#The Workspace Switcher

The graphical desktop can be regarded as a workspace drawing an analogy with the working area on a real physical tabletop. Programs are run, documents displayed and files opened on the workspace. To cut down on workspace clutter and to enable the user to organise his workspace more efficiently, the graphical desktop environment allows the usage of multiple workspaces. Each workspace can be considered as a virtual desktop.

By default the user has four desktop workspace areas to work on. The workspace switcher represents each workspace as a small square and shows the applications running in each of them. To access a workspace click on the square with the mouse.

# The Taskbar

The Taskbar applet is located next to the workspace switcher and shows the titles of all the running applications in a virtual desktop (a workspace). 4.3 The Desktop Space The Desktop space refers to the rest of the screen. It contains icons which are graphical representations of short-cuts to application launchers, file folders, files and peripheral devices like floppy disks, CD-ROM drives and printers.

Double-clicking on an icon representing an application will launch or execute the application. Commonly used applications and/or files/folders are usually placed on the desktop space.

Getting Started With Linux

Working with Desktop

Using the Mouse on the Desktop

Proper usage of the mouse is essential in order to have a rewarding and productive experience on the graphical desktop. Most Linux graphical desktops are designed for use with a 3-button mouse. If you are using a 2-button mouse, during installation, it should have been configured to emulate the middle-button of a 3-button mouse by pressing both buttons simultaneously.

To click on a mouse the left button is depressed. (A mouse configured for a left-handed user will need to have its right button depressed.) The right (or left button for a left-handed mouse) and middle buttons are usually used to invoke special or specific features of the GUI and instructions to do so will be explicitly given.

The term "clicking on the mouse" means that you click on the mouse once.

The term "double clicking" means that you click twice in succession on the mouse.

The term “Right clicking” means that you press Right mouse button.

To "select" an item means clicking it once with the mouse. The term "drag and drop" means that you will have to click on an item and while continuing to hold the mouse button down, drag the item to another place and on reaching its destination drop it by releasing the mouse button.

Changing Desktop Wallpaper

To change to desktop wallpaper/background follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the Desktop

2. From the Desktop menu select Change Desktop Background

3. From the Desktop Background Preferences dialog box select the desired image

4. Click on Close button to close the dialog box.

Getting Started With Linux

Creating a new Folder

Folder on Desktop

To create a Folder on Desktop follow these:

1. Right Click anywhere on the desktop and select Create Folder option from the desktop menu.

2. Type the desired name for folder and press Enter to create the folder

3. Your folder has been created.

You can follow these steps to create a folder anywhere.

Getting Started With Linux

Creating shortcuts

Shortcuts also known as softlink in Linux are similar to Windows Shortcuts, but the procedure of a creating a shortcut in Linux is different from windows.

Creating desktop shortcuts

1. Right-click on the Desktop and select Create Launcher from the desktop shortcut menu.