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 Table of Contents
The links below go directly to the actual pages.
- User Guide - Introduction
- User Guide - The Fedora Desktops
- User Guide - Logging in
- User Guide - Tour of the GNOME Desktop
- User Guide - Tour of the KDE Desktop
- User Guide - Tour of the Xfce Desktop
- User Guide - Media
- User Guide - Connecting to the Internet
- User Guide - Accessing the Web
- User Guide - Communications
- User Guide - Office Tools
- User Guide - Financial Software
- User Guide - Playing Multimedia
- User Guide - Multimedia Production
- User Guide - Playing Games
- User Guide - Managing Photos
- User Guide - Sharing Your Desktop
- User Guide - Customizing the Desktop
- User Guide - Managing Software
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