E-Mail
K File Manager
The default items you will have on your desktop are:
Trash
Trash holds all the items you have deleted from your file system. To delete these items, right click the trash can icon and select Empty Trash Bin.
Templates
The templates folder contains samples of links that can be placed on your KDE Desktop.
Autostart
Autostart contains programs that automatically start when you launch KDE.
Practicals
Practicals contains the practical exercises you will be carrying out as part of your course.
The KDE desktop panel (kpanel) is situated along the bottom of the screen.
It provides quick, point and click access to:
To launch the application starter click on the large K on the panel. A
selection of sub menus will be made available.
To select the Window List click on the icon that looks like a layer of
windows. This produces a list of all the applications you currently have
open on each of your desktops. If the application is held in parenthesis
this indicates that the application is iconified. Click on an application
to access it.
All your files are kept in your home directory. To view this directory in
KDE select the house icon on your control panel. A window will appear on your desktop containing
all the files and directories contained in your home directory. To view the
contents of a directory or a file click once on the icon you wish to view.
The KDE Control Center (KControl) provides an easy way to access all the configuration
modules e.g. fonts, colour, background window configuration etc.
Kfind is KDE's find utility. Its aim is to help you find files within
directory hiearchies.
The utilities folder can be selected by clicking on the icon resembling a
tool box on the panel. It contains utilities such as the address book,
calculator and terminal.
The padlock icon will lock your screen if you need to be away from your
workstation for a few minutes. To unlock the screen you must enter your
password.
The icon above that looks like the letter x will log you out of your KDE
session.
There are four desktops, labelled one, two, three and four on your panel. Click on
the appropriate number to move between desktops.
XEmacs is a powerful text editor, for more information on XEmacs read the
introduction to XEmacs
in the CS1 guide
Kwrite is KDE's own text editor. It is also a powerful editor but does not
at present support printing. KWrite's main feature is the fact that it has
coloured syntax for many programming languages such as C/C++, Java, Perl, HTML
and many more.
The newsreader under KDE is called KRN. To start KRN click on the KRN icon on the desktop panel. You will now be presented with the groups window. When you choose a newsgroup to open (either by double clicking on the newsgroup or by selecting Newsgroup | Open) you will be presented with the articles window. To read an article click on that article. Articles with a green dot beside them are unread, after you have selected that article it will be marked with a read dot. To delete messages use Options | Expunge. You can choose whether to expunge Read, Unread, Current, Tagged or All messages by using the drop down menu on the left hand side of the articles window.
The mail notification utility for KDE is KBiff. To use KBiff click on the blue mailbox icon on the panel and select OK. You will now have a mailbox docked in the bottom right hand corner of the desktop panel. When you have new mail you will be notified by a bleep sound and the presence of an envelope in your mailbox. Click on the mailbox to receive new mail.
Help on KDE applications is available by clicking the blue book on the desktop panel.
KNotes is KDE's notes application. Notes can be printed, mailed, set as an alarm, will recognise URLs and display a calender.
To open a KNote click on the yellow pad on the Desktop panel. A blank note will appear, to view the options available with KNote right click the mouse over the KNote window.
Double clicking on a URL in KNotes will open that URL in a kfm browser window.
Files can be drag and dropped from the Desktop or kfm on to KNotes.
The alarm can be set by right clicking over the KNote and selecting Operations | Alarm. The KNote will sound a couple of bleeps and appear on the date and time you specified.
KNotes can be also be cleared, saved, deleted and renamed from the Operations menu.
The terminal emulation for KDE is kvt. To open a kvt terminal select the monitors icon on the Desktop panel.
KDE's mailer is Kmail, for information on Kmail go to the Email section in the CS1 guide or select the KDE help icon on the Desktop panel.
kfm is the K file manager and is used to view directories and files on your Linux file system.
To open a kfm window choose the Application Starter then Home Directory or select the Home Directory icon on the desktop panel.
Kathleen McLean
Last modified: Mon Sep 27 12:22:50 BST 1999