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| January 2001• Vol.9 Issue 1 Page(s) 80-81 in print issue | |
Getting Around In Linux A Look At Two Graphical User Interfaces |
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[LINUX]
[RICH]
[GRAY]
 The open and extendible operating
system Linux is quickly reaching the point
where it has incorporated the best of both worlds: the stability and
usability of a Unix system and the look and feel of more traditional
operating systems such as Mac OS or Windows. It is this look and feel, the
GUI (graphical user interface), or desktop environment, which is making
Linux more attractive to desktop computer users. Most of the Linux
distributions ship with one or more GUIs. Take Red Hat 7.0, for example. The latest version of Linux from the industry-leading seller Red Hat ships with two very powerful environments: the original Red Hat favorite, GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment), and KDE (K Desktop Environment), which has been bundled with Red Hat as a GUI option since Red Hat version 6.0. Both environments are quite similar to each other in their use of icons, menus, windows, and other graphical features that should be very familiar to users of such operating systems as Windows. Both GNOME and KDE make it easier to open and work with applications, perform tasks, and navigate around the screen, and both have a very high level of customization, so you can set them up to look and feel the way you want. While the two differ a bit in the way that they work (and look), the most striking thing users will notice is the amount of overlap between them. Both are based very strongly on graphical elements that have been widely used by more conventional operating systems (such as the Mac OS or Windows systems) for years. The best way to decide which environment is right for you is to install them both and put them through their paces. 
Installation Choices. You’ll need to consider the amount of
free disk space you have (you’ll need about 1.7GB for both GNOME and KDE)
if you want to install both GUIs. During the Red Hat 7.0 installation, you
will have the option of Selecting Package Groups (look for this right
after the Time Zone Configuration and Account Configuration sections in
the installation process). To select both GNOME and KDE, make sure that
both options are checked, and the installer will put them both on your
system. Each time you log on to Linux, you’ll have the choice of which
environment you wish to use for that session. For example, at the GUI
Login screen, click the Session menu in the upper-left corner and select
GNOME or KDE). You can easily switch between the two by logging out and
logging back in under the new environment, or you can try bits and pieces
of each from within the other environment. For example, GNOME makes it
possible to access KDE items from its Main Menu.
GNOME.
GNOME is a highly configurable, graphics-driven environment.
With GNOME, you can easily configure your desktop to look and work the way
you want it to. A session manager keeps track of all your settings and
currently running applications so that once you get it set up the way you
want it, it stays that way.The GNOME environment offers several specialized features that help you work more effectively with Linux. Here are a few of them. The GNOME Panel. The GNOME Panel resides (by default) along the bottom edge of the screen. From the GNOME Panel, you can access menus, application launchers (shortcuts to applications such as Netscape Navigator), applets (tiny programs such as a clock, system monitors, or a CD player), and more. Like everything else about GNOME, the GNOME Panel is highly configurable. You can easily do such things as move icons and add and remove items from the Panel by right-clicking the Panel or objects on it. Items such as drawers, which are pop-up menus that can hold launchers, applets, and other drawers (basically anything a Panel can hold) can be added, as can just about anything else that you want easy access to. You can create multiple Panels that rest either vertically or horizontally and set them up so they float on the desktop, stretch along an entire edge, or are aligned with an edge but don’t take up the whole edge. You can also set the Panels to hide automatically, or you can click either edge of a Panel to collapse (hide) it. The GNOME Panel is also capable of holding the Pager, a section that holds all open tasks or applications, and the Desk Guide, a control area that lets you easily manage and switch between multiple virtual desktops. Think of the GNOME Panel as the Taskbar in Windows. Main Menu. At the far left of the GNOME Panel, you’ll see a little foot icon. This launches the Main Menu, which gives you access to applications, configuration tools, a command line prompt, and more. If you have more than one Panel, you can have more than one Main Menu, each of which can have its own configurations. A Global Menu, which you can access by right-clicking any blank space on the GNOME Panel, provides the same commands as the Main Menu. Open the Main Menu by clicking the foot icon and then drilling down through the various pop-up menus until you reach what you’re looking for. To configure the Main Menu, right-click the foot. For extra convenience, GNOME provides a perforation feature that lets you “tear off” a menu and place it on the desktop. This comes in handy when you frequently use a menu that is nested deep in the Main Menu. To “tear off” a menu, click the perforation (dotted lines) at the top of the menu you want. Microsoft users can compare the GNOME’s Main Menu feature to the Start button in Windows. Desktop. The desktop in GNOME works like the Windows or Mac desktop. Place items such as files or application launchers (icons) on it and double-click them to open them. While clicking launchers will open the specific application they’re associated with, clicking folders will open the file manager, which lets you work with that folder doing such tasks as renaming and deleting items. GNOME lets you open two or more file managers at a time, so you can easily drag and drop items between them. Like Windows and the Mac OS, the desktop background is highly customizable; you can change the background color, use tiled or regular images, and more. GNOME windows. Most computer users will easily recognize GNOME windows, which feature menus on the top left and buttons to minimize, maximize, and close the window on the top right. With GNOME, you can easily lock the screen so other users can’t use or view your GNOME session without a password. To do so, right-click either end of the GNOME Panel and select Lock Screen or place a Lock Screen button on the Panel itself for easy access. Mouse tasks. GNOME also uses the Unix convention of three-button mousing. If your mouse doesn’t have a third button to use for pasting text and moving things, you can set the option during installation to press both buttons at once to simulate the third.
KDE. As
we mentioned earlier, KDE works and feels a lot like GNOME, and many times
the only apparent difference is in what KDE chooses to call things. In
KDE, for example, the GNOME Panel becomes the Kpanel, the Application
Starter takes the place of the Main Menu, the big K icon at the far right
of the Kpanel takes the place of the similarly placed GNOME foot icon,
application launchers become Nicknames, and the Task Bar takes the place
of the Pager.Customization made easy. Also, like GNOME, KDE is highly configurable and it provides right-click context menus for the desktop, panels, and icons. Mouse-over tool tips (the text that appears then you hold your pointer over certain objects) give brief explanations for nearly every item that makes up KDE. In addition, KDE offers very comprehensive help sections, which you can easily access through a panel icon. Make it stick. One of the great features associated with KDE’s virtual desktops is a little “pin” that appears on window Title bars. By clicking the pin, you can make a given window “sticky,” meaning that it shows up on all virtual desktops. This is a handy way to keep something that you use often, such as a calendar, within easy reach on any desktop you’re using. If It’s Not
Perfect, Fix It. Something to keep in mind is that Linux is an
open source project, which means both of these environments have been
built and are constantly being modified by the communities of people who
use them. If you don’t find exactly what you want in these environments,
get involved with the modification process to make them fit your situation
better. Both the GNOME Web site (http://www.gnome.org/) and the KDE Web site (http://www.kde.org/) offer news, tips, software, developer/development resources, and a wide range of other information pertinent to their GUI. Whether your talent is writing, graphics, or programming, if you want to help these environments evolve, you’ll be welcome. With something like Linux, selecting a community you’re comfortable with can be as important as being comfortable with the GUI itself. And unlike the Windows or Mac desktop environments, a Linux GUI is something you can actually leave your mark on. 
by Rich Gray
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