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Linux Desktop Hacks
book

Linux Desktop Hacks

by Nicholas Petreley, Jono Bacon
March 2005
Beginner to intermediate content levelBeginner to intermediate
342 pages
15h 55m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Linux Desktop Hacks
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Preface
The Linux desktop has come a long way. I know. I’ve been using Linux as
my default desktop work environment for so long I feel like I’ve experienced
almost the entire evolution of the Linux desktop firsthand. I’m guessing it
was sometime shortly after 1995 when I started using Linux on the desktop
for more than 90% of my work. Linux not only outperformed Windows 95
on my Everex 486 DX2-66, but it also spared me the three Rs that plagued
every version of Windows: Reboot, Reformat, and Reinstall. I never had to
reboot or reinstall anything to solve a Linux problem. That was enough to
solidify my determination to use Linux in spite of its aesthetic flaws.
On the down side, I had to tolerate very spotty hardware support, especially
for display and sound cards. Once I had a graphical desktop running, the
fonts were hideous. To its credit, Linux let me choose from dozens of win-
dow managers. Unfortunately, only a few of them ran reliably, and the user
interface on most of them made little sense to someone like me, who was
used to OS/2 and Windows. On the other hand, I was immediately spoiled
by the fact that almost all Linux window managers let you switch between
virtual desktops instantaneously (virtual desktops are separate, distinct
desktop workspaces). Windows-based attempts at mimicking this feature
were pitiful by comparison. Only a small number of productivity applica-
tions were ...
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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596009119Supplemental ContentCatalog PageErrata