The GNOME 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 contains the (the
stylized foot icon) which contains menu items for all of your
applications. The small applications (called
applets) allow you to run specific tasks or monitor
your system or services, like Red Hat Network, while remaining out of your way.
You can click on the GNOME Main Menu button to
expand it into a large set of menus that allows you to access the
applications on your system.
From here, you can start most applications included in
Red Hat Linux. You will notice that you may access KDE applications
under the entry (if KDE is
installed on your machine). These sub-menus give you access to
a full range of applications on your system. From the
, you can also log out, run
applications from a command line, and lock your screen, which
runs a password protected screen saver (the password being your
user password).
Applets are small applications that run on the panel. These
usually let you monitor things on your system or the Internet. Some
have more specific tasks while others are simply 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.
- GNOME Pager
The GNOME Pager is a simple
applet that allows you to see what applications you have open on
your desktop(s). GNOME gives you the ability to use multiple
desktops so you do not have to have all your running
applications crowding one workspace. The GNOME
Pager will represent each desktop in small squares
and show the applications running in each. You may click on one
of the squares with your mouse to move to that desktop. You can
also use the keyboard shortcut
[Shift]-[Meta]-[right-arrow]
or
[Shift]-[Meta]-[left-arrow]
to switch between desktops. (The [Meta] key is
usually the [Alt] key.)
- Taskbar
To the left of the GNOME Pager is the
GNOME Taskbar. The taskbar is an
applet which shows you the titles of running applications on
any desktop. This is very helpful if you decide to minimize an
application as it will seem to disappear from the
desktop. Once it disappears, you can bring it back by clicking
on its title in the GNOME Taskbar.
- Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool
The Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool provides you
with an easy way to make sure your system is up-to-date with
current errata and bug fixes from Red Hat. The applet shows you
different images that tell you whether your system is up to date
or needs an upgrade. If you click on the applet, the
Red Hat Update Agent will run so you can connect to
Red Hat Network. If you are not registered with Red Hat Network, it will launch the
registration application. Right-click on the applet icon and
select Help for details.
To make the panel fit your work environment, you may want to
add more applets and icons (or launchers).
To add an applet to the panel, click on the GNOME Main
Menu button and select
=> =>
and choose from the list of applets.
When you select an applet, it will appear on your panel as that
is the only place it will run.
To add a launcher (new icon) to the panel, click on the
GNOME Main Menu button and select
=> =>
. This will launch a dialog box
which allows you to enter the system command that will launch the
application.
 | Tip |
|---|
| | Another quick and easy way to add a launcher to the panel is to
click on the GNOME Main Menu button and
select => => . Then select an application that appears on the
Main Menu. This will automatically add a
launcher based on the properties of the item in the Main
Menu.
|
You can hide the panel automatically or manually, place it on any edge
of your desktop, change its size and color, and change the way it
behaves. To alter the default panel settings, click on the
GNOME Main Menu button and select
=> . Then
select to open a general
window for adjusting all panel settings, or any one of the specific
properties (, , ,
, and so on).
