Linux+: Linux X Window 04 – Terminals

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Jarret W. Buse

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Linux+: Linux X Window 04 – Terminals

Terminals, or sometimes called shells, can also be referred to as terminal applications, terminal emulator, term or tty. A terminal is a text-based system which allows a line-at-a-time entry to execute the typed command. Each of the various desktop environments use a different type of terminal shell. Each of the terminals offer features which may provide better ability for users.

The GNOME environment uses the GNOME Terminal. From the command-line, the GNOME Terminal can be started with the command 'gnome-terminal'. It is also possible to press ALT+F2 to provide a launcher to start the terminal.

Once the GNOME Terminal starts and there is no menu bar, right-click on the screen and select “Show Menubar”. To change the settings of the current profile, select “Edit” and “Profiles...”. A window similar to Figure 1 should appear to allow you change the preferences for the current profile or create a new one. To easily create a new profile, select “File” and then “New Profile...”. You will be prompted for a new profile name and then the profile to base it from. The settings from the “Based on” option will be the starting settings for the new profile.

Figure 4-1.jpg

FIGURE 1

Once a terminal is opened, you can right-click and then select “Profiles” and the select your desired profile setting.

In GNOME Terminal, profiles allow for the customization of:

  • Fonts
  • Colors
  • Sound (Bell)
  • Cursor Shape
  • Default Terminal size
  • Title of terminal
  • Background
  • Scroll bars
  • Keyboard key compatibility (Backspace and Delete)

Originally, terminals were command-line based using only the keyboard. The GNOME Terminal supports the mouse to copy and paste information to and from the terminal window.

Within the terminal, URLs and email addresses are recognized and can be clicked with the mouse to open an associated program.

When multiple sessions are required, the GNOME Terminal can allow for each session to be placed on a separate tab. To easily open a new tab, right-click on the terminal window and select “New Tab”. A Tab can also be opened by selecting “File”, “Open Tab” and then the required profile to use for the tab.

When the GNOME Terminal is attempted to be closed by pressing the close button, the user will be queried if the terminal should be closed. Any applications opened from the terminal which is still holding the shell open will be closed if the terminal is closed. The query is to help prevent the applications to be shut down if the close was an accident. If the shell command “exit” is entered in the terminal window, then the application is meant to manage this type of closing.

The KDE environment uses the Konsole terminal emulator as shown in Figure 2. From the command-line, the KDE Terminal can be started with the command 'konsole'. It is also possible to press ALT+F2 to provide a launcher to start the terminal by entering 'konsole'.

Figure 4-2.jpg

FIGURE 2

Similar to the GNOME Terminal, Konsole offers the use of profiles to manage various appearance settings. To change the current profile you can right-click on the terminal screen and either select “Switch Profile” or “Edit current Profile”. To create or edit profiles, you can also select “Settings” and the select “Manage Profiles”. A window, as shown in Figure 3, lets the user choose to create or edit a profile.

Figure 4-3.jpg

FIGURE 3

Konsole profiles allow the configuration of the following:

  • Terminal size
  • Tabs
  • Screen colors
  • Background
  • Text size
  • Scroll bars
  • Number of scrollable lines
  • Keyboard key compatibility
  • Mouse interaction with terminal
  • Cursor shape
  • Default character encoding

The Konsole Terminal supports copying and pasting with the mouse between the terminal window and other applications.

URLs and email addresses are recognized and can be clicked with the mouse to open an associated program within the Konsole terminal.

The Konsole Terminal can allow multiple sessions by placing each session on a separate tab. To easily open a new tab, select “File” from the menu and then select “New Tab”. A Tab can also be opened by using the key combination of “CTRL+Shift+T”. Once multiple tabs are open, the tabs appear at the bottom of the window. A tab can be right-clicked to allow for three options for the selected tab:

  1. Detach Tab
  2. Rename Tab
  3. Close Tab

To Detach the tab is to remove it as a tab and open it as its own Konsole window. Renaming the tab allows the user to rename the selected tab. Keep in mind that the Konsole window title reflects the tab name of the currently selected tab. Closing the tab will of course close the selected tab. If the Konsole window has only one tab and it is closed, then the Konsole window will close without asking the user for confirmation.

NOTE: As with any Linux+ Certification article, I cannot emphasize enough to try out the information by installing GNOME and KDE on your Linux OS or even a test OS to try the things mentioned. Usually, it is best to get hands-on experience instead of simply reading the information.
 

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