Chapter 2

Creating the Perfect Linux Desktop

In This Chapter
Understanding the X Window System and desktop environments
Running Linux from a Live CD
Navigating the GNOME 3 desktop
Adding extensions to GNOME 3
Using Nautilus to manage files in GNOME 3
Working with the GNOME 2 desktop
Enabling 3D effects in GNOME 2

Using Linux as your everyday desktop system is becoming easier to do all the time. As with everything in Linux, you have choices. There are full-featured GNOME or KDE desktop environments or lightweight desktops such as LXDE or Xfce. There are even simpler standalone window managers.

Once you have chosen a desktop, you will find that almost every major type of desktop application you have on a Windows or Mac system will have equivalent applications in Linux. For applications that are not available in Linux, you can often run a Windows application in Linux using Windows compatibility software.

The goal of this chapter is to familiarize you with the concepts related to Linux desktop systems, and then give you tips for working with a Linux desktop. You will:

  • Step through the desktop features and technologies that are available in Linux
  • Tour the major features of the GNOME desktop environment
  • Learn tips and tricks for getting the most out of your GNOME desktop experience

To use the descriptions in this chapter, I recommend you have a Fedora system running in front of you. You can get Fedora in lots of ways, including:

  • Running Fedora from a live CD—Refer to Appendix A ...

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