The KDE Desktop

The Mouse in Unix uses 3-buttons. The left button is the Select button. Essentialy everything you do is done with the left button. The right button is the Menu button. Holding down the right button over any window or part of a window, or even the desktop background, will give you a context-dependent menu. The Center button is the paste button. If you select a block of text in one place, you can move the cursor to another place, press the center button, and the selected text will be copied into the new location. This is sometimes a DANGEROUS button, because it is very easy to accidentally select and past a large block of text! On some mice, the center button is also a wheel that can be used for scrolling.

Note: Some mice  are two-button mice. You can emulate the third button by holding down both buttons at once. Sometimes tapping the gap between the two buttons also works.

Edit the launcher for the KDE Konqueror file manager to open to your home directory.

Find the Konqueror launch button and hold down the right mouse button to open the menu shown below.

Click on Configure Konqueror Button, which will brings up the Properties menu. Open the Application tab. Change the Command: line to read

kfmclient exec .

(Note that the word 'exec' is seperated from 'kfmclient' and period '.' by blank spaces.) Clik on 'OK' to make the changes take effect.

Next, launch Konqueror by clicking on the Konqueror launch button .

By default, the KDE Konqueror File Browser displays each file as a large icon, giving no further information. It is much more useful to have detailed information about each file appear.

Change the default view to List by clicking on the Detailed List View button.

To save your changes, choose Settings --> Save View Profile "File Management".

Choose Nedit as the default text editor

Open the Control Center and then, in the left pane, open the KDE Components list. Choose File Associations. Next, open the text list and choose plain. A new pane will open up in the right side of the window. In the General tab, select Nedit, and then use the MoveUp button to move Nedit to the top of the list.

Q: What is a Plain Text File?

A: A Plain Text File, or ASCII text file is a file containing simple text, consisting of only letters or numbers. These files don't contain special formatting such as fonts, underlining, pagination, graphics, italics etc. While most application programs such as word processors, spreadsheets, or graphics programs store data in complex binary formats, most scientific programs store data in simple text. One of the consequences is that any text file can be opened for examination or editing by a generic class of programs known as text editors. On KDE, gedit is the default text editor. On Windows, Notepad is the default text editor.

Q: Why don't we just use the default editor, gedit?

A: First Nedit is far more powerful than gedit. Secondly, gedit is threaded, and when you have several files open at the same time, it is impossible to get them to appear in separate windows. Gedit will force multiple files into tabs within a single window. Nedit lets you view several files in independent windows: a very important capability when working with data.

Next, click on the Edit button. In the Properties window, open the Application tab. On the Command line, choose Browse, and go to /home/birch/local/script. (You may need to type in '/home/birch' to get to the /home/birch folder.) Select simpress.

Click OK , and then Apply to save your settings.

Using the table below, set File Associations for the other file types to be used in this course. Some of the Mimetypes may already be present in the Supported file types: window (eg. at right), in which case they do not need to be added.

Known types

appplication

File extension to add

Application Preference Order

command

application

mspowerpoint

.pptx

simpress

/home/birch/local/script/simpress

application

vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation

.odp

simpress

/home/birch/local/script/simpress

application

msword

.docx

swriter

/home/birch/local/script/swriter

application

vnd.oasis.opendocument.text

.odt

swriter

/home/birch/local/script/swriter

application

msexcel

.xlsx

scalc

/home/birch/local/script/scalc

application

vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet

.ods

scalc

/home/birch/local/script/scalc

application

x-perl

Nedit

nedit

Add a Printer Manager to the Panel

The printer manager lets you monitor print jobs, cancel print jobs, choose a favorite set of printers to display, and even drag and drop files directly from the Konqueror file manager.

To add the Printer Manager, go to the control panel and hold down the right mouse button on the gray background are ie. away from launch icons . Choose Add to Applet to Panel and select Print System.

Now, you can print text or Postscript files by dragging them onto the Printer icon :

Important notes:

1. Only text and PostScript (.ps) files can be dragged and dropped. For specialized file types (eg. .pdf, .jpg, .gif) you need to open the application and print from the application.