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This is the new top-level page for the wiki-based work on the Fedora User Guide. To help contribute or to view the status of each page, go to User Guide tasks.

Documentation Summary

Purpose: How to accomplish specific tasks with the desktop applications in Fedora 12. This requires a major expansion of the content beyond the GNOME desktop to include KDE and Xfce. Other packages for common functions may also be considered, such as Thunderbird for e-mail.

Audience: Individuals who are unfamiliar with the default Fedora desktop and who may be running their first Linux desktop.

Approach: This document explains basic principles by explaining one principle at a time. The document does not assume familiarity with any Linux/UNIX-specific terminology or concepts. Functionality is also compared, where appropriate, to what the reader may know from other OSes, particularly Microsoft Windows.

Assumptions: The reader has a standard desktop class installation or live instance of Fedora with, including a user account with the default settings. The reader does have access to the root password. (We changed this "non-root access" assumption so that we can include more coverage of regular software updates and the installation of alternate packages and desktops.)

Related Documents: The Administration_Guide further documents detailed tasks that require root access. The Getting_Started_Guide is a general introduction to using Fedora. Each desktop application has integrated Help, so the scope of this document may need to be considered carefully.

Lead Writer: Matthew Daniels

Writers:

User_Guide_contributors

User Guide Table of Contents

The links below go directly to the actual pages.

Summary of Sections

Introduction

  • Purpose of this Guide

Desktops

  • GNOME
  • KDE
  • Xfce

Logging in

  • Logging into a Desktop
  • Logging into a Terminal
  • The Multiuser Model
  • The Superuser

Tour of the GNOME Desktop

  • First View of the GNOME Desktop
  • The GNOME Menu Panel
  • The GNOME Desktop Area
  • The GNOME Window List Area

Tour of the KDE Desktop

  • First View of the KDE Desktop
  • The KDE Menu Panel
  • The KDE Desktop Area
  • The KDE Window List Area

Tour of the Xfce Desktop

  • First View of the Xfce Desktop
  • The Xfce Menu Panel
  • The Xfce Desktop Area
  • The Xfce Window List Area

Using Media

  • Understanding Media
  • Exploring Media
  • Writing CDs or DVDs
  • Using a USB Drive

Accessing the Web

  • Browsing the World Wide Web

Communications

  • Understanding Communications
  • Setting up Email
  • Setting up Instant Messaging

Office Tools

  • Using OpenOffice

Playing Multimedia

  • Playing Audio Files and CDs
  • Playing Video Files and VCDs

Multimedia Production

  • Converting Audio and Ripping CDs
  • Editing Multimedia Files
  • Screen Casting

Playing Games

  • Wasting Time

Managing Photos

  • Importing photos
  • Organizing photos

Sharing Your Desktop

  • Getting Assistance

Customizing the Desktop

  • Customizing the Menu Panel
  • Changing the Background
  • Changing the Desktop Theme
  • Changing File Browsing Behavior

Managing Software

  • Check what is installed
  • See what can be installed
  • Install new software
  • Update existing software
  • Manage update alerts
  • Focus on PackageKit
  • Updated information for Pirut and Pup