Linux: The Ultimate Guide

67
• Installing KDE Plasma
• Once the tasksel is installed, our next step is to install the KDE 
Plasma Desktop Environment in our Ubuntu system. There are 
two types of Plasma available for installation – small and full. The 
smaller version will end up with the Plasma Desktop environment. 
No other apps are installed, and users can install whatever they want 
later. This version is very useful if users do not want to use most of 
their memory or if users want to stick to the default Ubuntu apps.
• To install this version, enter the following command at the terminal:
$ sudo tasksel install kde-Plasma-desktop
• The full version comes with a full KDE package, with all the main 
applications and desktop space of Plasma. For users who want to 
experience the full KDE, this version will be more suitable than 
their counterparts.
• To install this version, enter the following command at the 
terminal:
$ sudo tasksel install kubuntu-desktop
• During installation, it will display information that asks you to edit 
sddm, which is KDE’s display manager. After complete installation, 
you need to restart your system and a login screen will appear.
Login screen of KDE Neon.

---

68
◾
Linux 
• Enter your username and password to access your system, and a 
black screen will appear with the following icon.
• The first screen of the KDE desktop is as given below,
First screen of KDE.PNG.
APPLICATION
Application
Description
KSysGuard icon
System Monitor
K3b
Disk Burning
KolourPaint
Paint Program
KWrite
Text Editor
KColorChooser
Color Chooser
KFind
Find Files/Folders
KRuler
Screen Ruler
KCalc
cientific Calculator
Discover
Software Center
Plasma System Monitor
System Monitor
KBlocks
Falling Blocks Game
KNetWalk
Network Construction Game
Kigo
Go Board Game
Palapeli
Jigsaw puzzle game
KSquares
Connect the dots to create squares
Kubrick
3-D Game based on Rubik’s Cube
KAtomic
Sokoban-like Logic Game
KBounce
Ball Bouncing Game

---

KDE Plasma Desktop Environment 
◾
69
FEATURES OF KDE
KDE Plasma has recently been flooded with features, some of which even 
long-term Plasma users may not be aware of. Here is a list of KDE Plasma 
features that you may not know.
KRunner
It is a fantastic feature of Plasma and one of my favorites, but it is not known 
if it exists. There are ways to make it work but a quick keyboard shortcut. 
The default shortcut is Alt + Space, and once activated, you can do all sorts 
of things. You can launch apps, search for files, run commands, and more.
Quickly Move the Window
When you press and hold the Super key down, click on your mouse any-
where in the window and drag it to rotate the window very quickly. For 
this, you do not need to use the title bar or worry about accidentally click-
ing something because it only takes you to Cheat Window Mode.
Resize Window Quickly
If you press and hold the Super key down and right-click on your mouse 
near the edge of the window and drag it around, you can change the size 
of the window very quickly. Gone are the days of finding your mouse right 
on the edge of a window. As long as you are near the edge, this will work.
Zoom In and Out
Another nice feature of KDE Plasma is zooming in and out on your desk-
top. It is also an easy-to-use feature for those with visual impairments. 
Press and hold the Super button and use the Equals (=) button to zoom in 
on the image or the Minus (-) button to zoom out of your desktop.
Visible Desktops
Virtual Desktop is a fantastic feature common in the Linux ecosystem, 
although you may have heard of it called Workspaces elsewhere. By 
default, KDE Plasma comes with one Virtual Desktop. If you go to System 
Settings -
> Workplace Conduct -> Visual Desktops, you can add as many 
as you want.
Desktop Grid Effect
Once you have a few visual desktops, you can look at the very cool effect 
of Desktop Grid. It does the same thing as Present Windows but instead 

---

70
◾
Linux 
does it for your visual desktops. You can open the Desktop Grid with the 
keyboard shortcut Ctrl + F8.
Small Desktop Menu
There is a feature that most people usually like in the Openbox window 
manager where you can right-click the desktop and have quick access to 
your Main Menu. To open this quick app menu, right-click your desk-
top and select “Fix desktop and background image.” In the sidebar of the 
download window, select “Mouse Actions.” Next, in the drop-down menu 
next to the Middle Button option, change that to “Application Launcher,” 
You will now have a small desktop menu similar to Openbox.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
In this chapter, we have introduced KDE Plasma and its features along 
with history, core projects, applications, and development. We provided 
a separate section for beginners so they can develop an understanding of 
KDE version history.

---

71
C h a p t e r
3
GNOME Desktop 
Environment
IN THIS CHAPTER
¾
Introduction
¾
Gnome
¾
GNOME-based linux distributions
¾
History of GNOME
¾
Pros and cons
We have already learned about Kool Desktop Environment (KDE) Plasma. 
In this chapter, we will briefly discuss one of the best flavors of Ubuntu 
named GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment). Primarily, 
it is an official flavor of Ubuntu and features the GNOME desktop envi-
ronment. The Ubuntu flavor GNOME is a mostly pure GNOME desktop 
experience built from the Ubuntu repositories. Its first (unofficial) release 
was 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal), released in October 2012. The Ubuntu 
GNOME team announced their first official release Ubuntu Derivative: 
Ubuntu GNOME 13.04 in April 2013.
INTRODUCTION
To understand the concept of Ubuntu GNOME, let’s begin with Ubuntu 
and then we will discuss the desktop environment GNOME.
Linux
GNOME Desktop Environment
DOI: 10.1201/9781003308676-3
10.1201/9781003308676-3

---

72
◾
Linux 
We will cover basic terms before going deep into the GNOME desk-
top environments, including GNU/Linux, Open Source, Free Software, 
Graphical User Interface (GUI), Terminal User Interface (TUI), and CLI.
What Is Distribution?
The term “distribution” refers to the combination of kernel packages with 
the GNU libraries and applications. Ubuntu is one such distribution. It 
contains the Linux kernel, GNU tools, and many other applications and 
libraries.
Open-Source Linux Desktop Environment
The phrase “Open Source” is attributed to the Linux community which 
brought it into existence along with the introduction of Linux. “Linux” 
came into existence based on kernel. Many people and communities have 
contributed toward making Linux a complete Operating System which 
could replace UNIX.
Free Software
“Free software” is a software that respects users’ freedom and community. 
It means that the users have freedom to do anything such as run, copy, 
distribute, study, change, or improve the software. Therefore, “free soft-
ware” is a topic of liberty, not price. A free software program is on that 
adequately gives users all of those freedoms. Otherwise it is not free.
Key Points
• The freedom to run the program as per your wish
• Free software can be commercial
• The freedom to get the source code and make changes
• Legal considerations
• Contract-based licenses
Next, we will discuss the terms which are also related to the Ubuntu desk-
top environment KDE: GUI, CLI, and TUI.
The following section examines the GUI and the significant compo-
nents of the Linux GUI. You will learn about standard window managers 
and desktop environments used with Linux.

---

GNOME Desktop Environment 
◾
73
Graphical User Interface
GNOME is the default GUI for most Ubuntu installations and is (loosely) 
based on the Apple ecosystem. A GUI, or graphical application, is any-
thing you can interact with using your mouse, touchpad, or touch screen. 
There are various icons and other visual prompts that you can activate 
with a mouse pointer to access the functionalities. DE provides the GUI 
to interact with your system. You can use GUI applications such as GIMP, 
VLC, Firefox, LibreOffice, and file manager for various tasks.
Features of Linux GUI
The interface allows users to interact with the system visually with icons, 
windows, or graphics in a GUI. The kernel is the heart of Linux, whereas 
the GUI is the face of the operating system provided by the X Window 
System or X.
The product of the X.Org Foundation, an open-source organization, X 
Window System, is a protocol that allows links to be built on their X Server. 
You can use the X in one of the many window managers or desktop envi-
ronments, such as the GNOME or the KDE. The desktop space includes 
a window manager and is a much more integrated system than a window 
manager. Built on a window manager, it requires both X Windows and a 
window manager.
Features of GUI
There are unique features and tools to interact with the software to make 
the GUI easy to use:
• Button: A graphical representation that acts as a program when 
pressed.
• Dialog box: A window type that displays additional information 
and asks the user for input.
• Thumbnail: A small representation of a program image, feature, or 
file.
• Menu: A list of commands or options provided by the user through 
the menu bar.
• Menu bar: A small, horizontal bar containing menu labels.
• Ribbon: Set up a file menu and toolbar that integrates program 
functions.

---