Linux Desktop Pocket Guide

Linux Desktop Pocket Guide

by David Brickner
Released September 2005
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596528744

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Book description

While Mac OS X garners all the praise from pundits, and Windows XP attracts all the viruses, Linux is quietly being installed on millions of desktops every year. For programmers and system administrators, business users, and educators, desktop Linux is a breath of fresh air and a needed alternative to other operating systems.

The Linux Desktop Pocket Guide is your introduction to using Linux on five of the most popular distributions: Fedora, Gentoo, Mandriva, SUSE, and Ubuntu. Despite what you may have heard, using Linux is not all that hard. Firefox and Konqueror can handle all your web browsing needs; GAIM and Kopete allow you to chat with your friends on the AOL, MSN, and Yahoo! networks; and the email programs Evolution and Kontact provide the same functionality as Microsoft Outlook, with none of the cost. All of these programs run within the beautiful, feature-packed, and easy-to-use GNOME or KDE desktop environments.

No operating system truly "just works," and Linux is no exception. Although Linux is capable of running on most any computing hardware that Microsoft Windows can use, you sometimes need to tweak it just a little to make it work the way you really want. To help you with this task, Linux Desktop Pocket Guide covers essential topics, such as configuring your video card, screen resolution, sound, and wireless networking. And laptop users are not left out--an entire section is devoted to the laptop issues of battery life, sleep, and hibernate modes.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Preface (1/2)
  3. Preface (2/2)
  4. Distributions
    1. Choosing a Distribution
    2. Fedora
      1. Installation
      2. Configuration
      3. Package Management
      4. Documentation
    3. Gentoo
      1. Installation
      2. Configuration
      3. Package Management
      4. Documentation
    4. Mandriva
      1. Installation
      2. Configuration
      3. Package Management
      4. Documentation
    5. SUSE
      1. Installation
      2. Configuration
      3. Package Management
      4. Documentation
    6. Ubuntu
      1. Installation
      2. Configuration
      3. Package Management
      4. Documentation
    7. Other Distributions
    8. Getting a Distribution
  5. Logging In
    1. Graphical Logins
    2. Text Logins
  6. GNOME
    1. GNOME Desktop
      1. Virtual Desktops and Window Management
      2. Fast User Switching and Sessions
    2. File Manager
    3. The GNOME Menu and Program Launchers
    4. GNOME Configuration
  7. KDE
    1. The KDE Desktop
      1. Virtual Desktops and Window Management (1/2)
      2. Virtual Desktops and Window Management (2/2)
      3. Fast User Switching and Sessions
    2. File Manager
      1. Keyboard Commands
      2. Configuring Konqueror
      3. Protocol Handlers
    3. The KDE Menu
    4. The KDE Control Center
  8. Applications
    1. Web Browsers
    2. Email (1/2)
    3. Email (2/2)
    4. Instant Messaging and IRC
    5. Office Suites
    6. Video Players
    7. Music Ripping, Encoding, and Playing
    8. CD and DVD Burning
    9. Digital Images
    10. Games
  9. Add, Remove, and Update Programs
    1. Fedora
    2. Gentoo
    3. Mandriva
    4. SUSE
    5. Ubuntu
    6. Using RPMs
    7. Build Your Own
  10. Configuration
    1. Sound
    2. Printing
      1. GNOME
      2. KDE
      3. Generic
    3. Wired Networking
    4. Wireless Networking
    5. X
      1. Creating a Base X Configuration
      2. Setting Resolution and Color Depth
      3. Multiple Mice and Keyboards
        1. Multiple keyboards
        2. Multiple mice
    6. Touchpads
    7. Kernel Support for Power Management
    8. Extending Battery Life
      1. Testing Your Battery Life
      2. CPU Throttling
      3. Dim or Blank Your Display
      4. Power Down Your Hard Drive
    9. Putting Your Laptop to Sleep
    10. Hibernating Your Laptop
    11. Distribution Support
      1. Fedora
      2. Gentoo
      3. Mandriva
      4. SUSE
      5. Ubuntu
  11. Running Commands and Editing Text (1/2)
  12. Running Commands and Editing Text (2/2)
  13. Index (1/4)
  14. Index (2/4)
  15. Index (3/4)
  16. Index (4/4)

Product information

  • Title: Linux Desktop Pocket Guide
  • Author(s): David Brickner
  • Release date: September 2005
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596528744