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6. Configuring your desktop

If you do not like something about the way the desktop looks or operates, you can probably change it. KDE is very configurable and you can change almost every aspect of the appearance and the behavior of your desktop. Unlike many other Unix desktop environments, you do not have to edit cryptic configuration files, either! You use the KDE Control Center, a special program for configuring your desktop.

6.1 Using the KDE Control Center

Launch the Control Center from the Application Starter. A window with two panes appears, displaying a list of modules in the left pane. Open a module by clicking the "plus" sign next to the module or by double-clicking the module name. Then, click one of the module category names to edit its configuration in the right pane.

Changing the configuration is fairly straightforward. A help button is available on each configuration panel to explain settings that are not obvious. Each panel has buttons labeled Ok, Apply, and Cancel, which work as follows:

• Ok applies configuration changes and closes the configuration panel.
• Apply applies configuration changes and leaves the current panel open so you can make other changes.
• Cancel closes the current panel without applying changes.

Note: If you make changes on one configuration panel and move to a different module without clicking Ok or Apply first, your changes will be lost.

6.2 Configuration Modules

Here is a brief overview of the configuration modules:

• Applications - contains settings for the Desktop Manager and the Panel (which includes virtual desktop configuration).

• Desktop - contains settings related to the appearance of the desktop, such as background color/image, window colors, screen saver, fonts, and language.

• Information - displays information about memory usage and the system CPU.

• Input Devices - contains settings for the keyboard and mouse.

• Network - contains network-related settings.

• Sound - contains system sound settings.

• Windows - contains settings governing window appearance and behavior, such as the focus policy, titlebar buttons, and window animation.

Go ahead! Explore the configuration possibilities and discover the flexibility of KDE.

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