The ECN No Name Newsletter is no longer being published. This is an archived issue.

Using The Common Desktop Environment

George Bailey

The Common Desktop Environment (CDE) is a graphical user interface that makes applications running on UNIX systems portable and easy to use. Developed by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, SunSoft, and Novell, CDE is becoming a standard in the UNIX marketplace because it unites different platforms under a single user interface.

When starting a desktop session, CDE provides a login screen displayed by the Login Manager; this is your gateway to the desktop.

To Log In To The CDE

1. Type your login name and press "Return" or click "OK".
2. Type your password and press "Return or click "OK" .

If Login Manager does not recognize your name or password, click "Start Over" and start the log in process over again.

Once you have logged in, Session Manager starts a session:

• If this is the first time you have logged in, you will get a new session.
• If you have logged in before, your previous session will be restored.

To Log Out Of The CDE

• Click the "Exit" control in the Front Panel.
• Or, choose "Log out" from the Workspace menu by pressing the right mouse button.

When you log out of a regular desktop session, Session Manager saves information about your current session so that it can be restored the next time you log in. Note: Information about non-desktop applications may not be saved.

Getting Help
Online help is available for each of the standard applications in the Common Desktop Environment. Whether you are using File Manager, Calendar, or Mailer for example, you request and display help topics in the same way.

3 Requesting Help
Here are the ways you can request help:

• Press "F1" also known as the "help key".
• Choose a command from an application's Help menu.
• Open Help Manager from the Front Panel to browse help on your system.
• Open the Help subpanel to choose help about the desktop or to choose On Item Help.

The Common Desktop Environment is like most Window Managing Systems in that it can be striped down or customized to fit your individual needs. Since it would be impossible to mention everything about the CDE in this article, feel free to send me e-mail with questions.

HTML