Preface

This manual, Using the OpenStep Desktop, is a comprehensive introduction to the Solaris^(TM) OpenStep^(TM) user interface. With the help of this guide, you can quickly get familiar with the various color, sound, graphics, and text applications that make up the Solaris OpenStep desktop environment.

Who Should Use This Book

If you are just beginning to use the Solaris OpenStep applications, this manual is for you. It provides step-by-step instructions for managing your workspace and using the applications that enable you to perform everyday tasks. If you are developing or designing OpenStep applications, some familiarity with the content of this book would help you understand the more in-depth information in the OpenStep User Interface Guidelines manual.

How This Book Is Organized

This manual contains the following chapters:

Chapter 1, "Starting and Ending a Work Session," describes the day-to-day tasks you perform in using OpenStep, such as logging in and out, using the mouse, choosing commands, and accessing online help.

Chapter 2, "Working With Windows," discusses how you use windows on the OpenStep desktop. It tells you how to open, close, reorder, move, miniaturize, and resize windows, as well as how to scroll to view a window's contents.

Chapter 3, "Using the File Viewer," tells you how to use the File Viewer to locate and use folders and files. It describes how to browse, find, list, and open folders and files; and how to stock the File Viewer's shelf for faster access to folders and files you use frequently.

Chapter 4, "Working With Applications," describes how to use applications from the OpenStep desktop, including how to start an application both manually and automatically, how to run several applications and switch among them, and how to customize the application dock with applications you use frequently.

Chapter 5, "Creating and Saving Files," tells you how to use OpenStep tools to create and save files.

Chapter 6, "Organizing Your Work," discusses various tasks for organizing your work by creating new folders; and deleting, renaming, moving, and copying existing folders and files. It also tells you how to link and merge folders, and how to compress files and folders to save space.

Chapter 7, "Inspecting Files and Folders," describes how to get information about a folder or file, as well as how to manage access to folders and files by assigning them to appropriate groups and changing access permissions.

Chapter 8, "Working With Disks," tells you how to use floppy disks and CD-ROMs with OpenStep.

Chapter 9, "Typing and Editing," describes how you can type and edit in any OpenStep application to create documents or simply to name files and folders. It includes instructions for using fonts and special characters. And it tells you how to format your documents by setting margins, indentation, and tabs.

Chapter 10, "Working With Color," discusses ways of selecting and using color in OpenStep, using the color wheel, colors on the screen, and three color models. It tells you how to create color lists, palettes, and a swatch bar to save colors for use in your files and applications.

Chapter 11, "Working With Graphics," tells you how to add graphic images to your documents.

Chapter 12, "Receiving and Sending Mail," discusses how to use the OpenStep Mail application to receive and send electronic messages. It tells you how to compose messages using text, sound, and graphic images, and how to attach an existing file or folder to your message.

Chapter 13, "Managing the Mail Application," tells you how to manage mailboxes and messages. It includes instructions for creating a mailbox; finding, moving, and deleting messages; and tailoring how you receive new messages and how the system notifies you of new mail.

Chapter 14, "Printing," describes how to prepare a file for printing, and how to print a file to a printer or a PostScript^(TM) file.

Chapter 15, "Personalizing the Workspace," covers how to use the Preferences application to customize your OpenStep workspace. It includes instructions for setting your password; setting the date and time; choosing localization options such as an application language, units of measurement, and paper size for printing; choosing fonts for the screen and for applications; setting global file and folder permissions; speeding up the display of large file systems; and displaying UNIX^(R) system and dot files.

Chapter 16, "Managing Hardware," covers how to use the Preferences application to manage your hardware. It includes instructions for setting the screen save delay on your system; changing the background color of your display, choosing system beeps and warnings, and changing how your mouse responds.

Chapter 17, "Using the Terminal Application," tells you how to use the Terminal application to run UNIX programs that you cannot run effectively in the OpenStep workspace.

Appendix A, "Command Reference," summarizes the menus, commands, and buttons that are available in each OpenStep application.

Related Books

For a quick overview of the basics of using the OpenStep user interface, refer to QuickStart to Using the OpenStep Desktop.

What Typographic Changes Mean

Table P-1 describes the typographic changes used in this book.

Table P-1

Typeface or Symbol	Meaning	Example
AaBbCc123	The names of commands, files, and directories; on-screen computer output	Edit your .login file. Use ls -a to list all files. machine_name% You have mail.
AaBbCc123	What you type, contrasted with on-screen computer output	machine_name%su Password:
AaBbCc123	Command-line placeholder: replace with a real name or value	To delete a file, type rm filename.
AaBbCc123	Book titles, new words or terms, or words to be emphasized	Read Chapter 6 in User's Guide. These are called class options. You must be root to do this.

Shell Prompts in Command Examples

Table P-2 shows the default system prompt and superuser prompt for the C shell, Bourne shell, and Korn shell.

Table P-2

Shell	Prompt
C shell prompt	machine_name%
C shell superuser prompt	machine_name#
Bourne shell and Korn shell prompt	$
Bourne shell and Korn shell superuser prompt	#