previous Linux Commands for changing permissions and ownerships
You typically must select specific groups of applications to install as you install a Linux distribution. The exact list of applications on your Linux system depends on the choices you make during the installation.
It’s easy to install missing applications in Debian (and Debian-based distributions, such as Ubuntu) as long as you have a broadband (cable or DSL) connection to the Internet. For example, to see whether the K3b CD/DVD burner exists for Debian, type apt-cache search k3b. You get output similar to the following:
Next, type apt-get install k3b and a few moments later you’ll have K3b installed on your Debian system. This ease of installing (or upgrading) software is why Debian users swear by apt-get (even though it’s a commandline tool).
Introducing Office Applications and Tools
Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, calendar, calculator — these are some office staples. Most Linux distributions come with the OpenOffice.org (often shortened as OO.o or Ooo) suite of office applications and tools. You can try all of them one by one and see which one takes your fancy. Each application is fairly intuitive to use. Although some nuances of the user interface may be new to you, you’ll become comfortable with the interface after using it a few times. This section briefly introduces the following applications, as well as some other commercially available office applications for Linux:
OpenOffice.org office suite
Each Linux distribution comes with plenty of applications for all your diverse computing needs, as you can see by simply looking at the menus in the GUI desktops. Often, more than one application of the same type exists. Most distributions come with the OpenOffice.org office application suite with a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, and more. You’ll find many choices for CD players and multimedia players, plus games, utility programs, and other useful tools, such as a scanner and digital camera applications. Some commercial distributions come with commercial office suites such as StarOffice from Sun Microsystems.
When it comes to playing multimedia (audio and video in various formats, such as MP3, MPEG, and QuickTime), freely available Linux distributions rarely come with the appropriate decoders because of licensing restrictions; the multimedia application runs but cannot play the MP3 file or the DVD movie because it lacks a decoder. Commercial distributions, such as Xandros and SUSE, usually come with some of these decoders.
Taking Stock of Linux Applications
Table 5-1 shows a sampling of major Linux applications, organized by category. For the major applications, there is also a relevant Web site where you can get more information about that application. This list is by no means comprehensive. Each Linux distribution comes with many more applications and utilities than the ones shown in this table. If your system has both GNOME and KDE installed, most of these applications are already available from either GUI desktop.
| Table 5-1 | A Sampling of Linux Applications |
| Application | Description |
| Office Applications | |
| OpenOffice.org | Free open source office suite (compatible with Microsoft Office) that includes the Writer word processor, Calc spreadsheet, Impress presentation application, Draw drawing program, and Math equation editor (www.openoffice.org) |
| StarOffice | Commercial office suite from which OpenOffice.org was derived (www.sun.com/staroffice) |
| CrossOver Office | Commercial office suite that enables you to install and run Microsoft Office software on Linux (www.codeweavers.com/products/office) |
| AbiWord | Free word processing program similar to Microsoft Word (www.abisource.com) |
| Dia | Diagram drawing program, designed to be like Visio, the Windows application (http://live.gnome.org/dia) |
| Office Tools | |
| GNOME Calculator | Simple calculator for GNOME |
| KCalc | Calculator for KDE |
| KOrganizer | Calendar and scheduling program for KDE (http://userbase.kde.org/KOrganizer) |
| Kontact | Personal information management suite for KDE, includes applications for e-mail, scheduling, contacts, and time tracking (http://userbase.kde.org/Kontact) |
| Aspell | Text mode spell checker (http://aspell.net) |
| Dictionary | Provides definitions through a graphical client for the dict.org dictionary server |
| Text Editors | |
| emacs | Well-known text editor with both text and graphical nterfaces (www.gnu.org/software/emacs) |
| gedit | Text editor for GNOME (http://projects.gnome.rg/gedit/) |
| Office Applications | |
| KWrite | Text editor for KDE |
| Kate | Advanced text editor for KDE (http://kateeditor.org) |
| vim | Text editor with text mode interface and compatible with the well-known UNIX editor vi (www.vim.org) |
| Database | |
| PostgreSQL | Sophisticated object-relational database-management system (www.postgresql.org) that supports Structured Query Language (SQL) |
| MySQL | Popular relational database-management system that supports SQL (www.mysql.com) |
| Multimedia | |
| GNOME CD Player | Audio CD player (needs a working sound card) |
| KsCD | Audio CD player from KDE (needs a working sound card) |
| amaroK | Multimedia audio player (http://amarok.kde.org) that can play several sound formats, including MP3 files if the MP3 decoders are installed |
| Rhythmbox | Multimedia audio player http://projects.gnome.org/rhythmbox) designed for the GNOME desktop that can play several sound formats, including MP3 files if the proper plug-ins have been downloaded |
| XMMS | X Multimedia System: a multimedia audio player www.xmms.org) that can play many different sound formats, including MP3 files. (For some distributions, you have to download a plug-in to play MP3.) |
| xine | Free multimedia player (http://xine-project.org) that can play CDs, DVDs, and video CDs (VCDs) and also decode multimedia files such as AVI, MOV, WMV, and MP3, provided you have the appropriate decoders |
| Kaffeine | KDE media player based on xine; Kaffeine’s capabilities are similar to those of xine (http://kaffeine.kde.org) |
| Totem | GNOME movie player that is based on xine; Totem’s apabilities are similar to those of xine (http://projects.gnome.org/totem) |
| Pitivi | Video editor for GNOME that allows for video clip manipulation, audio editing, and more (www.pitivi.org) |
| Multimedia | |
| cdrdao | Command-line application that can burn audio or data CD-Rs in disk-at-once (DAO) mode based on the descriptions of the CD’s content in a text file (http://cdrdao.sourceforge.net) |
| cdrecord | Command-line application that can burn audio and data CD-Rs as well as DVD-Rs http://cdrecord.berlios.de/old/private/cdrecord.html) |
| growisofs | Command-line application that uses the mkisofs ommand to append data to an ISO 9660 file system used in CD-Rs and DVD-Rs http://fy.chalmers.se/~appro/linux/DVD+RW) |
| X-CD-Roast | GUI front-end for cdrecord and cdrdao that makes burning data and audio CD-Rs easy (www.xcdroast.org) |
| K3b | KDE-based GUI front-end for cdrecord, cdrdao, and growisofs for burning CD-Rs and DVD-Rs (www.k3b.org) |
| digiKam | Digital camera and photo management application that supports all the digital cameras supported by gPhoto2 (www.digikam.org) |
| Graphics and Imaging | |
| The GIMP | The GNU Image Manipulation Program: an application suitable for tasks such as photo retouching, image composition,and image authoring (www.gimp.org) |
| GQview | Powerful image viewer (http://gqview.sourceforge.net) |
| KFax | Fax viewer for KDE |
| KView | Simple image viewer for KDE |
| GGv | Gnome Ghostview (GGv): a PostScript document viewer (www.directory.fsf.org/project/ggv/) |
| Xpdf | Adobe PDF document viewer (www.foolabs.com/xpdf/) |
| XSane | Graphical front-end for accessing scanners with the SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) library (www.xsane.org) |
| KSnapshot | Screen-capture program |
| Kooka | Scanner program for KDE that uses the SANE library (http://kooka.kde.org) |
| xscanimage | Graphical front-end for controlling a scanner |
| Internet | |
| Evolution | Personal information management application that integrates e-mail, calendar, contact management, and online task lists (http://projects.gnome.org/evolution/) |
| gFTP | Graphical FTP client for downloading files from the Internet |
| Pidgin | Instant messenger client compatible with multiple GUIs (www.pidgin.im) |
| Kopete | KDE instant messenger client (http://kopete.kde.org) |
| Empathy | Instant-messaging program that supports text, voice, and video chat over multiple protocols (http://live.gnome.org/Empathy) |
| Gwibber | Microblogging client for GNOME (http://launchpad.net/gwibber) |
| Mozilla | Well-known open source Web browser that started with source code from Netscape (www.mozilla.org) |
| Firefox | New and improved Web browser from the Mozilla Project (www.mozilla.org/products/firefox) |
| Thunderbird | E-mail client from the Mozilla Project (www.mozilla messaging.com) |
| Epiphany | Mozilla-based open source Web browser for GNOME (http://projects.gnome.org/epiphany/) |
| Lynx | Text mode Web browser (http://lynx.browser.org) |
| KNode | GUI newsreader for KDE (http://userbase.kde.org/KNode) |
| Pan | GUI newsreader for GNOME (http://pan.rebelbase.com) |
| Akregator | RSS feed aggregator and reader for KDE (http://akregator.kde.org) |
| KPhone | Internet telephony application that supports the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) (http://sourceforge.net/projects/kphone) |
| Linphone | Internet telephony application that supports the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) (www.linphone.org) |
| Internet | |
| Skype | Internet telephony application for using voice over IP (VOIP) to make voice phone calls (www.skype.com) |
| XChat | Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client (www.xchat.org) |
| Konqueror | Web browser and file manager in KDE (www.konqueror.org) |
| KMail | E-mail client for KDE (http://userbase.kde.org/Kmail) |
| Games | |
| Kapman | New version of an old classic; eat delicious pills while avoiding pesky ghosts |
| Kolf | Virtual minigolf game |
| Konquest Battle | Game of intergalactic takeover |
| Mines | Safer than crossing a real minefield but still nerve wracking |
| Solitaire | Classic prescription for chronic boredom |
| Sudoku | Puzzles with different levels |
Not all Linux distributions come with all the applications shown in Table 5-1, although you can often download and install all these applications in any distribution.
You typically must select specific groups of applications to install as you install a Linux distribution. The exact list of applications on your Linux system depends on the choices you make during the installation.
It’s easy to install missing applications in Debian (and Debian-based distributions, such as Ubuntu) as long as you have a broadband (cable or DSL) connection to the Internet. For example, to see whether the K3b CD/DVD burner exists for Debian, type apt-cache search k3b. You get output similar to the following:
k3b - A sophisticated KDE cd burning application
k3b-i18n - Internationalized (i18n) files for k3b
k3blibs - The KDE cd burning application library - runtime files
k3blibs-dev - The KDE cd burning application library - development files
k3b-i18n - Internationalized (i18n) files for k3b
k3blibs - The KDE cd burning application library - runtime files
k3blibs-dev - The KDE cd burning application library - development files
Next, type apt-get install k3b and a few moments later you’ll have K3b installed on your Debian system. This ease of installing (or upgrading) software is why Debian users swear by apt-get (even though it’s a commandline tool).
Introducing Office Applications and Tools
Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, calendar, calculator — these are some office staples. Most Linux distributions come with the OpenOffice.org (often shortened as OO.o or Ooo) suite of office applications and tools. You can try all of them one by one and see which one takes your fancy. Each application is fairly intuitive to use. Although some nuances of the user interface may be new to you, you’ll become comfortable with the interface after using it a few times. This section briefly introduces the following applications, as well as some other commercially available office applications for Linux:
- OpenOffice.org Office Suite: A Microsoft Office–like office suite with the Writer word processor, the Calc spreadsheet program, the Impress presentation program, the Draw drawing and illustration application, and Math, a mathematical formula editor
- Kontact: A personal information management application in KDE
- Calculators: A GNOME calculator and KDE calculator
- Aspell: A spelling checker
OpenOffice.org is an office suite developed by the OpenOffice.org project (www.openoffice.org). OpenOffice.org is similar to major office suites such as Microsoft Office. Its main components are the Writer word processor, the Calc spreadsheet, and the Impress presentation program.
You can easily start OpenOffice.org — either the overall suite or an individual application — from most GUI desktops by clicking a panel icon or by making a choice from the main menu. For example, in SUSE, you can click a desktop icon to open the initial window of the OpenOffice.org suite. You can create new Open Office documents or open existing documents (which can be Microsoft Office files as well) from the main window of the OpenOffice.org.
Writer
Choosing File➪New➪Text Document from any OpenOffice.org window starts OpenOffice.org Writer with a blank document in its main window. Using Writer is simple — if you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, you should have no trouble finding your way around Writer. You can type text into the blank document, format text, and save text.
You can also open documents that you have prepared with Microsoft Word on a Windows machine. Figure 5-1 shows a Microsoft Word document opened in OpenOffice.org Writer.
Figure 5-1: You can prepare documents in OpenOffice.org Writer.
When you save a document, by default, Writer saves it in OpenDocument text format in a file with the .odt extension.
OpenOffice.org version 2.0 and later uses the standard OASIS OpenDocument XML format as the default file format (the file extension is .odt). The OASIS OpenDocument format is not tied to any vendor or any specific office suite software. For more information on OpenDocument format, see
http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office
If you need to share OpenOffice.org Writer documents with Microsoft Word, you can save the documents in several formats, including Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP and Rich Text Format (.rtf). For exchanging files with users of OpenOffice.org versions before 2.0, save the file in StarOffice text document format with an .odt extension.
Writer is simple and intuitive to use. If you need help, online help is available by choosing Help➪OpenOffice.org Help from the Writer menu (or pressing F1 in newer versions). This brings up the OpenOffice.org Help window with help information on Writer. You can then click the links to view specific help information.
Calc
Calc is the spreadsheet program in the OpenOffice.org application suite. To start Calc, choose Spreadsheet from the Office category in the main menu or choose File➪New➪Spreadsheet from any OpenOffice.org window. Calc displays its main window, which looks similar to Windows-based spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel. (Calc can read and write Microsoft Excel format spreadsheet files.)
Use Calc in the same way you use Microsoft Excel. You can type entries in cells, use formulas, and format the cells. (For example, you can specify the type of value and the number of digits after the decimal point.) Figure 5-2 shows a typical spreadsheet in Calc.
Figure 5-2:Prepare your spreadsheets with OpenOffice.org Calc.
When preparing the spreadsheet, use formulas in the same format that you would in Microsoft Excel. For example, use the formula SUM(D2:D6) to add the entries from cell D2 to D6. To set cell D2 as the product of the entries A2 and C2, type =A2*C2 in cell D2. To find out more about the functions available in OpenOffice.org Calc, choose Help➪OpenOffice.org Help from the menu (or press F1 in newer versions). This opens the OpenOffice.org Help window, from which you can browse the functions by category and click a function to read more about it.
To save the spreadsheet, choose File➪Save As. A dialog box appears, from which you can specify the file format, the directory location, and the name of the file. When you save a document, Calc saves it in OpenDocument spreadsheet format in a file with the .ods extension by default.
OpenOffice.org Calc can save the file in several other formats, including Microsoft Excel 5.0/95/97/2000/XP, as well as text file with comma-separated values (CSV).
If you want to exchange files with Microsoft Excel, save the spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel format (choose an appropriate version of Excel). Then you can transfer that file to a Windows system and open it in Microsoft Excel.
Impress
Impress is similar to Microsoft PowerPoint, in that it allows you to create unique and creative slide presentations for a variety of purposes. To run Impress, choose Presentation from the Office category in the main menu or choose File»New»Presentation from any OpenOffice.org window.
When you first open Impress, the program prompts you for the presentation style and template. To begin working, select Empty presentation and click Create. To open an existing document, select the appropriate option from the Presentation Wizard and click Open. Then select the presentation file you want to open. You can open Microsoft PowerPoint files in Impress. Figure 5-3 shows a typical slide presentation in Impress.
The Impress window shows the first slide together with an outline view of the slides along the left side. The exact appearance depends on the document type and template you select. You can begin adding text and other graphic objects such as images, text, and lines to the slide.
To insert a new slide, choose Insert➪Slide from the menu. A blank slide appears. You can then add text and graphics to that new slide.
To save a presentation, choose File➪Save. For new documents, you have to provide a filename and select the directory where you want to save the file.
If you want to share the slides with someone who uses Microsoft PowerPoint, save the presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint 97/2000/XP format.
Figure 5-3: You can prepare presentations in OpenOffice.org Impress.
Calendars
KDE comes with Kontact — an application that integrates existing KDE applications such as KMail mail reader and KOrganizer calendar program in a single graphical personal information manager. You can start Kontact from panel icons or the main menu. (The location of the menu entry depends on the Linux distribution.)
When Kontact starts, it usually displays a summary window with information about new e-mail messages, upcoming scheduled events, and more. You can explore each application individually by clicking the icons in the left pane of the Kontact window. For example, Figure 5-4 shows the Kontact window after you click the Calendar icon. In this case, Kontact displays the output of KOrganizer. The KOrganizer program displays a calendar view, in which you can click a date to set or view that day’s schedule.
To add events or appointments for a specific date and time, select the date from the calendar, double-click the time, and type a brief description of the appointment in the New Event dialog box that appears. Click OK when you’re finished.
Figure 5-4: Store your appointments and view your calendar in KOrganizer.
Calculators
You have a choice of the GNOME calculator or the KDE calculator. Both are scientific calculators, and you can do the typical scientific calculations, such as square root and inverse, as well as trigonometric functions, such as sine, cosine, and tangent.
Figure 5-5: Do your calculations in the KDE calculator.
You can display additional buttons by selecting options from the Settings menu. For example, choose Settings»Statistic Buttons to show buttons that enable you to perform statistical calculations with the calculator.
next Checking out Multimedia Applications in Linux
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