Chapter 2

CREATING THE PERFECT

LINUX DESKTOP
Content:
• Installing Ubuntu as Virtual machines sandboxes
• Handling Ubuntu desktop
• Adding an application launcher
• Managing files and folders
• Installing and managing additional software
• Using tools
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes

Pre-requisite Utility:
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.0 iso image (x86_64 architecture)
- Sandboxe -> Oracle virtual box (Any version)

Hardware Achèvements: (Minimum)

- Intel i3 6th Gen processor or AMD A6 processor
- 8GB RAM
- Virtualisation Technology should be enabled in BIOS
- Hard Disk Size 50GB should be free
- Virtual box supporting operating system
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes

Procedure:
1. Be ready with installed the Oracle virtual Box.
2. Run the oracle virual box and then click new to Create a new virtual machine,
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
3. It will open the Creating operating system Wizard, Type the “Red Hat’’ in
the Name section.
4. Click next.
5. Assign the Memory (RAM) Size as 2048
MB, then click next,
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
6. Choose the ‘’Create a Virtual hard disk now’’ option, then choose hard disk file
type ‘’VDI (Virtual Disk Image)’’ and click Create
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
7. Select the storage type as ‘’Dynamically allocated’’ and Click next.
8. Remain file storing location as default and set the size as 20 GB
and click Create
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
9. An Empty Virtual machine will be create, and you can find the details.
10. Double Click the ‘’Storage’’ Tab.
11. Select the Controller: IDE and Click the CD icon named as ‘’empty’’.
12. Click the CD icon in right side, then select the ‘’Choose the disk file’’
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
13. Browse the RHEL 9 iso, Open the RHEL 9 image from your stored location
and Click ok.
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
13. Click start and wait for while to take Virtual machine powering up.
14. Select ‘’Try or install Ubuntu’’ and then click enter
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
15. Click “Install Ubuntu” to start the installation process.
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
16. Select the Keyboard Layout to “English US”
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
17. Select the “Normal Installation” and tick the checkbox
“Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware and
additional media formats”
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
18. Select “Erase disk and install ubuntu” and click install now.
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
19. Click “continue” to erase all existing data, then start the installation
process
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
20. Wait for few minutes to complete the installation process
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
21. Once the installation was complete, Please click “Restart Now”
 Installing Ubuntu as
Virtual machines sandboxes
Now you can explore the Ubuntu Desktop
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Understanding of how desktop interfaces work in Linux:

 As Linux desktop environments are not required to run a Linux system, a Linux
system may have been installed without a desktop. It might offer only a plain-
text, command-line interface.

 For a very lightweight Linux system, such as one meant to run on less powerful
computers, you can choose an efficient,

 For more robust computers, you can choose more powerful desktop
environments (such as GNOME and KDE)

 You can have multiple desktop environments installed and you can choose
which one to launch when you log in. In this way, different users on the same
computer can use different desktop environments.
 Handling Ubuntu desktop
Many different desktop environments are available to choose from in Linux. Here
are some examples:

GNOME:
GNOME is the default desktop environment for Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise
Linux, and many others.

K Desktop Environment:
KDE is probably the second most popular desktop environment for Linux. It
has more bells and whistles than GNOME and offers more integrated applications.

Xfce:
The Xfce desktop was one of the first lightweight desktop environments. It
is good to use on older or less powerful computers.

LXDE:
The Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE) was designed to be a
fastperforming, energy-saving desktop environment.
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Starting with the GNOME Desktop in Ubuntu:

The top bar has the word “Activities” on the left, a clock in the middle, and some
icons on the right for such things as adjusting audio volume,
 Handling Ubuntu desktop
Navigating with the mouse:

Toggle activities and windows. Move your mouse cursor to the upper-left corner of
the screen and pressing the Windows key Activities button

Open windows from applications bar. Click to open some applications from the
Dash on the left (Firefox, File Manager, Rhythmbox, or others).
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Page through.
To see icons representing applications that are not onscreen, use the mouse
to click dots on the right to page through applications.

Frequent.
Select the Frequent button on the bottom of the screen to see often run
applications or the all button to see all applications again.

Launching an application.
To start the application you want, left-click its icon to open the application in
the current workspace.
 Handling Ubuntu desktop
Open additional applications.

• Application icon. Click any application icon to open that application.

• Drop Dash icons on workspace. From the Windows view, you can drag any
application icon from the Dash by pressing and holding the left mouse button on it
and dragging that icon to any of the miniature workspaces on the right.
• Use multiple workspaces. Move the mouse to the upper-left corner again to show a
minimized view of all windows.
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Select different views.

From the Windows or Applications view, hold Ctrl+Alt+Tab to see a menu
of the different views
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Select an active window.

Return to any of your workspaces (press the Windows key if you are not
already on an active workspace). Press Alt+Tab to see a list of all active windows
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Starting with desktop applications

Many of the extensions help you add back in features from GNOME 2, including
the following:

Applications Menu.
Adds an Applications menu to the top panel, just as it was in GNOME 4.
Places Status Indicator.
Adds a systems status menu, similar to the Places menu in GNOME 4 to
let you navigate quickly to useful folders on your system.
Window list.
Adds a list of active windows to the top panel, similar to the Window
list that appeared on the bottom panel in GNOME 4.

Applications menu Window List (showing several active applications icons), and
Places Status Indicator (with folders displayed from a drop-down menu)
extensions installed.
Handling Ubuntu desktop
 Handling Ubuntu desktop

Using the software manager

• Open Software via the Activities search bar. You will need to
enter your password in the Authenticate window.
• Click Search to search for an application, or click Sections and
look through the categories to find one.
• Right-click the application that you want to install and select
Mark for Installation.
• If you are asked to mark additional changes, click Mark.
• Select any other applications that you would like to install.
• Click Apply, and then click Apply in the window that appears.
The applications that you chose will be downloaded and
installed.
Handling Ubuntu desktop
 Adding an Application
launcher
• To add an application to the dash for easy access:
• Open the Activities overview by clicking Activities at the top left of the
screen
• Click the grid button in the dash and find the application you want to add.
• Right-click the application icon and select Add to Favorites.
• Alternatively, you can click-and-drag the icon into the dash.
 Manage files and folders

Managing files and folders with Nautilus

To move, copy, delete, rename, and otherwise organize files and folders in
GNOME 4, you can use the Nautilus file manager.
 Using Tools

Using Graphical Administration Tools

• Switch to another TTY using the key combination Ctrl+Alt+F2

and log in. Note that consoles are available by default with F2
through F6.
• Identify the X session you want to target. The DISPLAY variable
is always an integer preceded by a colon, and will be :0 in most
cases. Check the arguments of the currently running X process
to verify the value. The command below shows both the
DISPLAY variable as well as the TTY that X is running on, tty1.
• Specify the DISPLAY variable when executing the program.
• Switch back to the TTY the graphical session is running on. Since
the example above shows X running on vt1, pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1
will return to the desktop environment.