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><H1
><A
NAME="QUICKSTART"
>GNOME Quick Start</A
></H1
><DIV
CLASS="SECT1"
><H1
CLASS="SECT1"
><A
NAME="QUICK"
>A First Glance At GNOME</A
></H1
><P
>    <I
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
>Figure 1</I
> shows an example of GNOME running. GNOME is
    very configurable, so your screen may look quite different.
   </P
><DIV
CLASS="FIGURE"
><P
><IMG
SRC="./figs/full.png"></P
><P
><B
>Figure 1. Sample GNOME Display.</B
></P
></DIV
><P
>   
      The long bar at the bottom of <I
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
>figure 1</I
> is a GNOME
      Panel, which contains a collection of menus, useful panel applets, and
      application launchers.  The button containing the stylized foot is the
      Main Menu button (the most common kind of menu); just click on the Main
      Menu button and you'll see a menu of pre-loaded applications and options,
      including a logout command.  Panel applets are tiny programs designed to
      be placed in a panel, for example, the the clock applet on the far right
      shows the current time.  Application launchers are buttons that, when
      pressed, immediately start programs (including GNOME utilities and office
      applications).  In this example the toolbox button starts the GNOME
      Control Center (for configuring your system), the question mark button
      starts the GNOME Help browser (for viewing documentation), the display
      starts the terminal (if you'd prefer to use a text interface), and the
      smiling GNU starts emacs (a text editor application).  The arrows on each
      side of the panel hide (and unhide) the panel.
    </P
><P
>   Outside of the Panel is the "Desktop." Just place on your desktop the items
   you use most often and you can double-click on an item (with the left mouse
   button) to use it:
   </P
><P
></P
><UL
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>   
      If the item is a program, that program will start.
     </P
></LI
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>      If it's data, the appropriate program will start up with that data
      loaded.
     </P
></LI
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>      If it's a directory, the file manager application will start and show the
      contents of that directory. Your desktop will probably have a folder icon
      labeled "Home directory". Double-clicking on it will start a file manager
      at your home directory.
     </P
></LI
></UL
><P
>   The file manager application lets you manipulate your files.  The left side
   of its window shows directories, and the right side shows the selected
   directory's contents:
  </P
><P
></P
><UL
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>     To move the file or directory, just drag and drop it.
    </P
></LI
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>     To copy a file, hold down the <B
CLASS="KEYCAP"
>CTRL</B
> key while dragging.
    </P
></LI
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>     To run a program or edit a data file, double-click it.
    </P
></LI
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>     To perform other operations on a file (such as rename or delete), select it
     using the right mouse button.
    </P
></LI
><LI
STYLE="list-style-type: disc"
><P
>     To select more than one item at a time, click on the items after the first
     one while holding down the <B
CLASS="KEYCAP"
>CTRL</B
> key.
    </P
></LI
></UL
><P
>   You can easily move or copy files between directories by starting two file
   manager applications, each one showing a different directory.  If you want to
   put a file on your desktop, simply drag it from the file manager onto the
   desktop. In fact, dragging and dropping items onto other items generally
   "does the right thing" in GNOME, making it easy to get work done.
  </P
><P
>   GNOME is very configurable; for example, you can have multiple panels
   (horizontal and vertical), choose what goes in them, and have them hide
   automatically.  There are many panel applets you can include in your panel.
   You can also change how the screen looks; later portions of this document
   tell you how.
  </P
><P
>   GNOME follows several UNIX conventions you should be aware of.  The left
   mouse button is used to select and drag items.  The right mouse button brings
   up a menu for the selected object (if a menu applies).  Most UNIX mice have 3
   buttons, and the middle button is used to paste text (if in a text area) or
   to move things.  If you only have two buttons, press the left and right
   buttons simultaneously to simulate the middle button.  To copy text, use the
   left button to drag across the text you want to copy, move the mouse cursor
   to the place you want the text to be, and press the middle button.
  </P
><P
> 
   When an application window is displayed, there will be some buttons in
   its borders for controlling the window.  These include buttons to minimize,
   maximize, and close the window.  Their appearance can be configured and is
   controlled by a component called the "window manager."
  </P
><P
>   An example of border styles is the MicroGUI style (<I
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
>Figure
   2</I
>) which is a window manager theme used in both Sawmill and
   Enlightenment. You can read more about window managers in <A
HREF="wm.html"
>the chapter called <I
>Window Managers and GNOME</I
></A
>.
    </P
><P
>      In the MicroGUI border style, the down arrow means minimize, the up arrow means
      maximize (use the whole screen), and the X button means close the window,
      and the down triangle brings up the <B
CLASS="GUIMENU"
>Window</B
> menu.
    </P
><DIV
CLASS="FIGURE"
><P
><IMG
SRC="./figs/border1.png"></P
><P
><B
>Figure 2. MicroGUI Border Style</B
></P
></DIV
><P
>      If you've never used a Unix or Linux system before, you might find the
      overview in <A
HREF="newbies.html"
>Appendix A</A
> helpful as well.
    </P
><P
>      The following sections go into more detail, describing each component of
      the system:  <A
HREF="wm.html"
>the window manager</A
>, <A
HREF="panel-chap.html"
>panel</A
>, <A
HREF="main-menu.html"
>main menu</A
>,
      <A
HREF="desk.html"
>desktop</A
>, <A
HREF="gmc.html"
>file
      manager</A
>, <A
HREF="gnomecc.html"
>control center</A
>, <A
HREF="gnome-utilities.html"
>utilities</A
>, and <A
HREF="gnome-applets.html"
>applets</A
>.
    </P
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