Logging In and Selecting a Desktop
To start a normal login, just enter your username and password.
System
Performs a system action, such as shutting down the computer or starting different login actions
Locking Your Screen
To lock the screen, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+ Alt+L.
Logging Out
When you are finished using the computer, you can log out and leave the system running or restart or shut down the computer. If your system provides power management, you can also suspend the computer, making the next system start much faster than a complete boot.
To log out and leave the system running, do one of the following:
• Select System >Log Out....
Use the keyboard shortcut that is defined in the GNOME keyboard shortcuts. Usually, to log out with confirmation, this is Ctrl+Alt+Del. You may find some more pictures on the desktop with self-explanatory labels. These pictures are called icons.
Desktop Components
The main components of the desktop are the icons on the desktop and the panel at the top and bottom of the screen.
Desktop Icons
The desktop has the following icons by default:
Trash
Contains files and folders that have been deleted
Computer
Displays information about hardware, network status, operating system, hard disks, common folders, and removable devices
Home
Displays the files and folders in the home folder.
Panel
The panel is a bar, typically located at the top and bottom of the screen. It is designed to provide information about running applications or the system and easy access to some applications. If you hold your pointer over an
icon on the panel, a short description is displayed.
Top Panel
The top panel typically consists of the following items:
Menu Bar
The Menu bar is located across the top of the screen, just below the Title bar. When you choose one of the menus, a submenu drops down to show commands.
• File contains commands that apply to the entire document such as Open, Save, and Export as PDF.
• Edit contains commands for editing the document such as Undo and Find & Replace. It also contains commands to cut, copy and paste selected parts of your document.
• View contains commands for controlling the display of the document such as Zoom and Web Layout.
• Insert contains commands for inserting elements into your document such as Header, Footer, and
Picture.
• Format contains commands, such as Styles and Formatting and AutoFormat, for formatting the layout of your document.
• Table shows all commands to insert and edit a table in a text document.
• Tools contains functions such as Spelling and Grammar, Customize, and Options.
• Window contains commands for the display window.
• Help contains links to the OpenOffice.org Help file, What’s This?, and information about the program.
The following icons by default appears in the right side of the top panel
Notification Area
The notification icons like Update Manager, SCIM appears in the notification area.
Clock
The clock icon displays the current date and time.
Volume Control
The Volume Control icon is useful for controlling the speaker volume.
Window Selector
This icon when clicked displays the applications running on different windows.
Bottom Panel
The bottom panel consists of the following items:
Show Desktop
This icon appears at the left side of the bottom panel. Click that icon to hide all the windows and show the desktop.
Window List
The Window List is located next to the “Show Desktop” icon. By default, all started applications and open
windows are displayed in the Window List, which allows you to access any application regardless of the currently active desktop. If you click a window title in the Window List, the application is moved to the foreground. If it is already in the foreground, clicking minimizes the application.
Workspace Switcher
By default, the right end of the bottom panel has an icon which shows your different desktops. These virtual desktops enable you to organize your work. If you use many programs simultaneously, you might want to run some programs in one desktop and other programs in the other desktop. To switch between desktops, click the desktop symbol in the panel.
MANAGING/CUSTOMIZING FILES AND FOLDERS
A file in computer terminology can be considered as the modern counterpart of paper documents which traditionally were kept in offices and libraries. The term file is used in computers for a block of information, or resource for storing information. Some files icons are shown below for your reference with filenames Bill_Gates.jpg, Thoughtsofpranav.txt.
Files can be managed based on their location on the storage device. Files are grouped into hierarchical folders or directories to make them more manageable.
On Unix/Linux machines the hierarchy is:
• The root directory (/)
• Directories (/usr "user" or /dev "device")
• Sub-directories (/usr/local)
• Files: data, devices, links, etc. (/usr/local/readme.txt or /dev/hda1, which is the hard disk device)
In DOS/Windows the hierarchy (along with examples):
• Drive (C:)
• Directory/Folder (C:\My Documents)
• Sub-directory/Sub-folder (C:\My Documents\My Pictures)
• File (C:\My Documents\My Pictures\VacationPhoto.jpg)
Commands that are used to manage (copy or move) the files to and from other directories on the varying platforms are listed here:
• Unix/Linux: cp, mv
• DOS: copy, move
• Windows: the Cut/Copy/Paste commands in the Edit menu of Explorer
FILE OPERATIONS
In EduBOSS, the Nautilus is a file manager. The following sections cover using Nautilus for file management.
Moving a File or Folder
You can move a file or folder by dragging it with the mouse, or with the cut and paste commands. The following sections describe these two methods.
Drag to the New Location
To drag a file or folder to a new location, perform the following steps:
1. Open two file manager windows:
a. The window containing the item you want to move.
b. The window you want to move it to, or the window containing the folder you want to move it to.
2. Drag the file or folder that you want to move to the new location. If the new location is a window, drop it anywhere in the window. If the new location is a folder icon, drop the item you are dragging on the folder.
To move the file or folder to a folder that is one level below the current location; do not open a new window. Instead, drag the file or folder to the new location in the same window.
Cut and Paste to the new location
You can cut a file or folder and paste the file or folder into another folder, as follows:
1. Select the file or folder that you want to move, then choose Edit→Cut.
2. Open the folder to which you want to move the file or folder, then choose Edit > Paste.
Copying a File or Folder
You can copy a file or folder by dragging it with the mouse, or with the copy and paste commands. The following sections describe these two methods.
Drag to the New Location
To copy a file or folder, perform the following steps:
1. Open two file manager windows:
The window containing the item you want to move.
• The window you want to move it to, or the window containing the folder you want to move it to.
2. Drag the file or folder that you want to move to the new location. If the new location is a window, drop it anywhere in the window. If the new location is a folder icon, drop the item you are dragging on the folder.
To copy the file or folder to a folder that is one level below the current location, do not open a new window. Instead, grab the file or folder, then press and hold Ctrl. Drag the file or folder to the new location in the same window.
Copy and Paste to the New Location
You can copy a file or folder and paste the file or folder into another folder, as follows:
1. Select the file or folder that you want to copy, then choose Edit→Copy.
2. Open the folder to which you want to copy the file or folder, then choose Edit > Paste.
Duplicating a File or Folder
To create a copy of a file or folder in the current folder, perform the following steps:
1. Select the file or folder that you want to duplicate.
2. Choose Edit >Duplicate.
A copy of the file or folder appears in the current folder.
Creating a Folder
To create a folder, perform the following steps:
1. Open the folder where you want to create the new folder.
2. Choose File >Create Folder.
Alternatively, right click on the background of the window, then choose “Create Folder”. An untitled folder is added to the location. The name of the folder is selected.
3. Type a name for the folder, then press Enter.
Renaming a File or Folder
To rename a file or folder perform the following steps:
1. Select the file or folder that you want to rename.
2. Choose Edit > Rename. Alternatively, right click on the file or folder, then choose “Rename...”. The name of the file or folder is selected.
3. Type a new name for the file or folder, then press Enter.
Moving a File or Folder to Trash
To move a file or folder to Trash, perform the following steps:
1. Select the file or folder that you want to move to Trash.
2. Choose Edit >Move to Trash.
Alternatively, right click on the file or folder, then choose “Move to Trash”. Alternatively, you can drag the file or folder to the Trash object on the desktop.
When you move a file or folder from a removable media to Trash, the file or folder is stored in a Trash location
on the removable media. To remove the file or folder permanently from the removable media, you must empty
Trash.
Deleting a File or Folder
When you delete a file or folder, the file or folder is not moved to Trash, but is deleted from your file system immediately. The “Delete” menu item is only available if you select the
“Include a Delete command that bypasses Trash” option in the Edit > Preferences dialog
To delete a file or folder perform the following steps:
1. Select the file or folder that you want to delete.
2. Choose Edit > Delete. Alternatively, right click on the file or folder, then choose
“Delete”.
Alternatively, select the file or folder you want to delete, and press Shift+Del