X Windows/X11

Desktop

GNOME is the default, supported, desktop manager on damtp linux computers, Damtp unix computers not running linux or macosX default to FVWM.

On the Scientific Linux computers, KDE and FVWM are also available to use but are not supported. These can be selected from the "session" menu at the login screen.

GNOME Help

Help on using GNOME and KDE is available from the menu system. To find this, select the System menu. The Help application is listed below Preferences. The default window manager theme used in DAMTP is called BlueCurve.

Help on individual applications is available by selecting the Help menu in an application.

More help is available at

Linux : Two Screens / Dual Head

Driving two screens (two monitors, sometimes referred to as dual-head) can be done on most of the video cards we install, but the default is generally not set to do this. See Using two screens with Linux for more information..

Resolution

  • Monitor Resolution It is important to set this correctly. On most of our Linux machines the resolution is set automatically by querying the monitor to determine the best values. If the monitor is changed or you need a different resolution (e.g. lower because of eye problems) we can arrange to fix the defaults for you. Please contact help if you want permanent changes.

Using X applications on a remote machine

FVWM

FVWM was the default desktop in DAMTP up to Summer 2005, it is still available for use