Using The Panel - Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX 3 - STEP BY STEP GUIDE Manual

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icons for files and applications to the desktop, panel, and file manager. You can change the appearance
of most of the tools and applications and change system settings with provided configuration tools.

2.2. Using the Panel

The desktop panel is the bar that stretches across the bottom of the screen and holds icons and small
applications which makes using your system easier. The panel also holds the Main Menu, which
contains shortcuts for all of your applications. Applets embedded on the panel allow you to run specific
tasks or monitor your system or services while remaining out of your way. The notification area holds
alert icons such as the one for Red Hat Network so that you can be quickly alerted to critical messages.
Figure 2-2. The Panel
2.2.1. Using the Main Menu
You can click on the Main Menu button
access the applications on your system.
From here, you can start most applications included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Notice that, in
addition to the recommended applications, you can also access additional applications within each
sub-menu. These sub-menus give you access to a full range of applications on your system. From the
Main Menu, you can also log out, run applications from a command line, find files, and lock your
screen (which runs a password protected screen saver).
2.2.2. Using Applets
Applets are small applications that run on the panel. Applets let you monitor various aspects of your
system. Some applets perform useful tasks while others are designed to be entertaining.
There are a few applets that run on your panel by default. These applets are fairly important and are
covered in the following list.
Workspace Switcher
The graphical desktop gives you the ability to use multiple workspaces so you do not have to have
all of your running applications crowding one viewable desktop area. The Workspace Switcher
represents each workspace (or desktop) in small squares and show the applications running on
them. Click on one of the squares with your mouse to move to that desktop. You can also use the
keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[up-arrow], [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[down-arrow], [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[right-arrow],
or [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[left-arrow] to switch between desktops.
Figure 2-3. Workspace Switcher
Chapter 2. Using the Graphical Desktop
to expand it into a large set of menus that allow you to