Chapter 1. Introducing Nautilus

Table of Contents
The Nautilus Window
The Nautilus Desktop
Adding Nautilus to the GNOME Panel
About GNOME

Nautilus is a core component of the GNOME desktop environment. Nautilus provides an easy way to view, manage, and customize your own files and folders, as well as browse the Web.

Nautilus integrates your access to files, applications, media, Internet-based resources, and the Web, making it easy and fast for you to locate and use all the resources available to you.

The Nautilus Window

Figure 1-1. The Nautilus Window

Menu Bar

The eight menus contain options for most file and folder management tasks, and let you personalize your view of all the applications, folders, and files on your hard disk. The Preferences menu, represented by the symbol to the right of the Help menu, lets you choose your level of Linux and GNOME experience.

Tool Bar

The tool bar gives you one-click browsing and searching of your computer's directories, as well as locations on the Web. Click the Services button for quick access to Easel Services, a suite of services specially designed to address the needs of Linux users.

Location Bar

Use the location bar to enter path names, web addresses (URLs), or other types of addresses. The pop-up menu on the right end of the bar lets you choose different views - for instance, view as icons or as a list. Click the plus and minus signs to enlarge or reduce icons in any view. Click the magnifying glass to return to normal size. (If you've changed your theme, the magnifying glass may be replaced by a different symbol.)

Sidebar

The sidebar displays information about the current file or folder. Each of the four tabs at the bottom of the sidebar provide additional information or help:

Note: If your user level is set to beginner, or if you've changed your sidebar preferences, you may not see all four sidebar tabs.

Main Panel

The main panel in the Nautilus window is where you do most of your browsing. Files, folders, and applications are displayed here. There are several options for modifying and customizing your views.