The login session (Web page design) As you log in, Red
The login session As you log in, Red Hat Linux starts up a user environment that is unique to your user account. Various attributes are set that remain active during your login session until they are changed. Some of the features that make up your user environment are: A home directory The home directory identifies a location on the computer s hard disk where you can save and protect the files that you need. You can organize your files any way you like and assign permissions to those files to prevent or allow access to them by others. The root user s home directory in Linux is usually /root. Other users typically have home directories in the /home directory. For example, if your user name were johnq, your home directory would probably be /home/johnq. A shell configuration There are several shells available for use with Linux, with each having slightly different features. The bash shell (which stands for Bourne Again SHell) is most commonly used with Linux. (In this chapter, bash is used to show how to work with the shell.) Within your home directory are several configuration files that set up properties for your shell login session. These files may identify the path (where programs are located that you can use), contain environment variables and aliases (described later), and define functions that make your work more efficient. Note Configuration files usually begin with a dot (.), so they do not appear by default when you list the contents of the directory (type ls -a to see dot files). Examples of these files and descriptions of how to configure them are discussed later in this chapter. A graphical configuration If you are set up to use Linux through a GUI, there are many ways you can configure how that GUI behaves. Most GUIs used with Linux are based on the X Window System (often referred to simply as X). While X provides a framework for a GUI that lets you run applications, it enables you to choose from many different desktop environments. For Red Hat Linux, the Gnome and KDE desktop environments are available to provide a cohesive interface to the applications, menus, and windows of your GUI. Different window managers can be used as well, to provide a specific look and feel of the GUI. (Window managers can define the colors, fonts, mouse behavior, window controls, menus, and other surface features of your desktop.) Besides choosing a desktop environment, you can set up your own desktop properties. These properties can change such things as colors, locations of icons, application menus, and other attributes to make your GUI efficient and, if you like, attractive to the eye. When the login process is complete, either a shell or a GUI is started automatically. This chapter goes into detail about how to use the shell. Cross-Reference Chapter 4 describes how to use the Gnome and KDE desktop environments, as well as the X Window System itself. The shell interface If your Red Hat Linux system has no GUI (or one that isn t working at the moment), you must enter commands from the shell. If you are using a shell interface, the first thing you see is the shell prompt. The default prompt for a user is simply a dollar sign:
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