A useable example desktop
This is an example for setting up a useable desktop. We have reproduced it step-by-step and checked that it allows you to:
- Play multimedia files, audio and video, and even those in the wmv video format
- Play DVDs, even those with DVD menues
- Surf the web, even watch and listen to youtube videos
- Write an essay, even save it as Word Document
... and much more, see the table of content.
Setup
For the distribution, this example uses SUSE Linux 11.3. Flash Player is included with firefox and works out of the box. For other pros and cons, see distro comparison. This has been tested with SUSE Linux 11.3.
- Install SUSE
- Test that your keyboard works
- Test that your mouse works
- connect to the net
Some useful settings
- You want an alias "lsdirs" that lists all directories in your cwd. Do this by adding
alias lsdirs=ls -d */
- to your /etc/profile.
- When doing ssh, you want the ability to do X11 forwarding with openSSH, so make sure your /etc/ssh/ssh_config contains a line
ForwardX11 yes
- You may want to switch off the system beep and enjoy the newly-gained silence in your office.
Check
Make sure sound works
- Test that your sound works: open a console and type
dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/dsp
- If it does not work, follow the instructions at sound troubleShooting.
Make sure the printer works
- Test that printing works. A printer is installed automatically during a default installation. This is valid for well-known printers. If yours is not installed automatically, call
yast2 printer
Make sure the scanner works
Do a test scan using the SUSE setup utility:
yast2 scanner
Make sure you can burn a DVD
See if you can burn a DVD, see CD/DVD burning.
UMTS
If you want to connect to the internet via UMTS, see UMTS.
Use
After installing Linux you will have to do some settings. You need to install mplayer to play music and videos and you need to install a scanner and check your printer is installed.
Play multimedia files
Main Article: mplayer
To play music and video files we choose the software mplayer.
- To install the software to download the mplayer source code, open a console as root and enter:
yast -i subversion
- Install the software to build mplayer:
yast -i gcc-c++ automake autoconf make yasm zlib-devel gtk2-devel xorg-x11-devel
- Download ("checkout") the mplayer sourcecode:
svn co svn://svn.mplayerhq.hu/mplayer/trunk mplayer
- Build mplayer:
cd mplayer ./configure --enable-gui && make -j8 && make install
Play DVDs
To play DVDs with or without menues, we use vlc. To install it, open a console and enter
yast2
choose Software -> Repositories -> add -> Community Repositories -> VideoLan Repository -> Import key -> Finish
Then, call
yast -i vlc
To play a DVD, create a user:
useradd -m kino passwd kino
Log out from your display session (CTRL_ALT_BACKSPACE), login as kino, open a console and enter
vlc
Choose File -> Open Disk
Surf the web
As you have installed SUSE Linux 11.3 by default, you can just start a browser by clicking on the firefox symbol. If you do not recognize it, you can also open a console and enter
firefox
You will be able to watch videos on youtube. Everything is all set.
Write an essay
As you have installed SUSE Linux 11.3 by default, you can just start a word processor, openOffIce, by opening a console and entering
soffice
Scanning
To be able to scan, you need to initialize your scanner:
yast2 scanner
After its test scan works, use the software xSane for scanning.
Calculator
If you need a calculator quickly, type ALT_F2 and enter
kcalc
Read PDF files
We choose Acrobat reader to view PDF files. To install it, enter
yast -i acroread
Packing and unpacking files
Main article: Packing and Unpacking Files
This article recommends ark.
Audio Volume control
This article recommends KMix.
Edit text
Main article: text editors
This article recommends kWrite.
Image viewer
This article recommends konqueror.
Use a digital camera
Main article: use a digital camera
To get your photos from your digital camera, use digikam.
Use a camcorder
Main article: use a camcorder
To get your videos via firewire from your camcorder, use kino. For other types of camcorders, see camcorder.
Talk to friends online
Main article: Talk to friends online
This article recommends pidGin for IM and IRC chat, skype for IP telephony with or without a webcam.
Listen to webradio
Follow the instructions at webradio.
Run Windows software
Main article: Running Windows SoftWare
Sometimes you may need to run Windows software, e.g. when WinZip brought out a new packing format that is only available with WinZip. To do this, use the Software wine.