The Desktop page: How to use our GNU/Linux box as a standalone Desktop.



Bringing up a *nix host as a standalone Desktop Computer.


This page is best viewed after reading GraphMe page.

Standalone Desktop Computer means a system that is being operated by the user locally and has all the prequisites to run locally too (kernel, libraries, programs).

Since this use of a GNU/Linux box is the most common one for the average user, all modern distros are primarily oriented to this role and have exceled in making this task easy.

So, instead of talking "how to", this page refers to "what is there" to be run a Unix-Compatible box and is relevant to *BSD boxes also.

All descriptions refer to Graphics applications.
Terminal programs are described in the HelpMe    page
Software Emulation is described in the EmulateMe page


Underlined Applications are depended on the mentioned suites but not necessarily included in them.

a) Office Applications: Kde apps Gnome apps X apps Openoffice.org
Word Processing KWord
abiword

Writer
Spreadsheet KSpread
gnumeric

Calc
Presentation KPresenter


Impress
2d vector graphics Kontour


Draw
Formula Editor KFormula


Math
Scalable Graphics Karbon



Chart designer KChart



Flowcharting & Diagraming Kivio



Report Designer Kugar



Database Frontends
knoda kmysqladmin


Base


b) Useful Utilities: Kde apps Gnome apps X apps
File Manager
Konqueror Krusader
Nautilus
xfm
Organizer KOrganizer

Adress manager KAdressBook

Text Editor Kedit Kwrite Kate gedit xedit nedit
Calculator kcalc
gcalctool xcalc
Fax Utility
KdeprintFax


Notes
knotes


Palmtop Tool
kpalm


Camera Utility


xcam
Online Dictionary - Thesaurus
KDict KThesaurus
gnome-dictionary





c) Multimedia Apps: Kde apps Gnome apps X apps
Cd Audio Player
KsCD
gnome-cd

Dvd Movie & Video Player
Noatun Kaboodle
gxine
Mplayer Xine
Mp3-Ogg player Noatun Kaboodle
XMMS gqmpeg
Midi Player
kmidi kmid

xplaymidi
Notation
NoteEdit


Midi/Audio recording system - Sequencer
Rosegarden MusE

Sound Editors
KWave
Wired
Audacity
CD Burning
K3B
Gnome Toaster XCDRoast CDRToaster
Video Processing


Cinelerra




d) Computer Graphics Applications
Kde apps Gnome apps X apps
Image Viewer
kview kuickshow
gthumb eog
xv
Postscript & PDF Viewer
KGhostView
ggv
gv xpdf
Fax Viewer
KFax


DVI Viewer
KDvi

xdvi
Image Processor

GIMP

3d


Blender Wings 3D
Desktop Publishing
Scribus


Scanner Application
Kooka

XSane




e) Games - See PlayMe page





gcalctool is often soft-linked to gnome-calculator.

XSane & Kooka are in reality frontends to the Sane (Scanner Access Now Easy) backend mechanism.

MPlayer & Xine are in reality libraries (think mechanisms or backends), therefore need frontends like gmplayer, kaffeine, Xine-ui, gxine  etc.

Gqmpeg is a frontend to mpg321 terminal application.

Gnome Toaster (gtoaster) is a Gtk frontend
XCdRoast is an X frontend
cdrtoaster is a tcl/tk script!

All three are frontends to various terminal cdrtools like cdrecord, cdda2wav, mkisofs etc.

eog is often called "Eye Of Gnome" in the application menus.


e) Internet Client Apps WWW Ftp
Mail
News
D/L Manager IRC
Messenger
Kde Suite
Konqueror

KMail
KNode
KGet
KSirc
Licq Kit
Gnome Suite
Nautilus Galeon
gftp
pan

x
GnomeICU Gaim
Netscape Suite
v

v
v
v
x
v (AIM)
Mozilla Suite
v

v
v
v
chatzilla
v (AIM)
Opera Suite
v

v
v dunno x

X apps





xchat



All www browsers can view-d/l from ftp sites.
Opera is qt (think Kde) depended.
Netscape & Mozilla suites are X depended and include html composers.

Underlined apps are not included in the suites, but are depended on them instead.



This page does not contain all the applications created for GNU/Linux or *BSD.

The applications referred in this page are the ones I have personally tested or use regularely.

Many more can be installed or found in various GNU/Linux Distros.

Next to come: Programming suites & Sound Editors.