Preface

Solaris Common Desktop Environment: User's Guide describes the basic features of the Common Desktop Environment (CDE). It describes how to use the desktop and desktop applications.

Note –

In this document the term “IA” refers to the Intel 32–bit processor architecture, which includes the Pentium, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium II Xeon, Celeron, Pentium III, and Pentium III Xeon processors and compatible microprocessor chips made by AMD and Cyrix.

Who Should Use This Book

This book is intended for users who have Solaris Common Desktop Environment installed on their workstation and who plan to use it as their default desktop. To use this book, you should also be familiar with a three-button mouse, graphical user interfaces, and typing commands at a command-line prompt.

Before You Read This Book

You should first read the following book:

Solaris Common Desktop Environment: User's Transition Guide

How This Book Is Organized

This book contains the following chapters:

Chapter 1, Basic Skills describes the basic skills you need to work with the Common Desktop Environment, keyboard navigation, and some common interface aspects of the desktop.
Chapter 2, Starting a Desktop Session describes how to log in to and out of the desktop, and how to set the session that will appear at login.
Chapter 3, Getting Help explains how to get help about an application and how to navigate within the help viewer.
Chapter 4, Using the Front Panel describes the Front Panel, a special desktop window that contains a set of controls for doing common tasks. It explains the Front Panel controls and how to customize the Front Panel.
Chapter 5, Managing Files with File Manager explains how to work with files and folders in the graphical user interface File Manager. It describes basic skills, navigation, manipulating and finding files and folders, and the Trash Can.
Chapter 8, Using Application Manager explains how to run applications using Application Manager, the main repository for applications in CDE.
Chapter 9, Customizing the Desktop Environment explains how to use Style Manager to customize the look and behavior of your desktop. It also describes how to set personal environment variables.
Chapter 10, Using Mailer describes how to send and receive electronic mail messages through Mailer, and how to add and retrieve attachments.
Chapter 11, Printing explains how to print through the desktop, and how to change the default printer.
Chapter 12, Using Text Editor describes the desktop Text Editor, which you can use to create and edit short documents such as memos, mail messages, or resource files.
Chapter 13, Using Calendar explains how to use Calendar to set appointments for yourself or a group, and how to create To Do lists.
Chapter 14, Using Terminal explains how to display and customize terminal emulator windows on the desktop.
Chapter 15, Using Icon Editor explains how to create files for use as desktop icons or backdrops.
Chapter 16, Using Image Viewer describes how to capture snapshots and to view, edit, print, and translate the file formats of monochrome and color images and multiple page documents such as PostScript files.
Chapter 17, Using Video and Audio describes how to use Audio to record or play audio files.
Chapter 18, Using Address Manager describes how to find cards containing information about users, hosts, and systems, and how to perform related actions.
Chapter 19, Using Process Manager describes how to display the process running on your workstation, and how to investigate and kill these processes.
Chapter 20, Using Performance Meter describes how to monitor activity levels on your system, and how to identify errant behavior.
Chapter 21, Using Hotkey Editor describes how to use the Hotkey Editor to create, modify, or delete CDE hotkeys.
Chapter 22, Using Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Synchronization describes how to synchronize your PDA with your desktop information.
Chapter 23, Power Management describes the power management features in the Solaris operating environment.
Appendix A, Keyboard Shortcuts for the Desktop describes desktop keyboard navigation
Appendix B, Running Localized Sessions describes how to change the language for your desktop session, and how to change fonts for different languages.
Appendix C, Compose Key Sequences lists the keyboard commands needed to compose special characters (for the ISO Latin-1 code set only).
Appendix D, Locale Notes describes the display, manipulation, and printing of text using CDE and the Thai and Hebrew locales.
Glossary is a list of words and phrases found in this book and their definitions.

Related Books

Once you've read this book, you may want to read more detailed information on the desktop in Solaris Common Desktop Environment: Advanced User's and System Administrator's Guide.

Accessing Sun Documentation Online

The docs.sun.com^SM Web site enables you to access Sun technical documentation online. You can browse the docs.sun.com archive or search for a specific book title or subject. The URL is http://docs.sun.com.

Typographic Conventions

The following table describes the typographic changes used in this book.

Table P–1 Typographic Conventions


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

The following table shows the default system prompt and superuser prompt for the C shell, Bourne shell, and Korn shell.

Table P–2 Shell Prompts


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	`#`