Chapter 8 Flashcards
Comparing GUIs
Outline the various GUI sections and functions.
A desktop environment provides a predetermined look and feel to the GUI. It has graphical sections, such as a favorites bar, launch areas, menus, panels, and a system tray. The GUI also has typical functions like desktop settings, a display manager, a file manager, icons to access programs, widgets, and a window manager.
Describe the various GUI desktop environments.
The primary desktop environments used for current Linux distributions include GNOME Shell, KDE Plasma, MATE, and Cinnamon.
Summarize available universal access utilities.
The distinct accessibility tools are located in menus or panels. These panels have various locations around the desktop environments and have names like Universal Access, Accessibility, Assistive Technologies, and so on. It is best to use a desktop environment’s search feature to locate them. The various access tools for vision-impaired users include cursor blinking, cursor size, contract modifications, text size enlargement, sound keys, zoom functions, and screen readers. For those individuals who need access to braille technologies, the brltty software is available. Displayed windows can be set to flash instead of providing a sound alert for those who are hearing impaired. When someone has trouble using the keyboard, there are many settings available, such as bounce keys, repeat keys, screen keyboard, slow keys, and sticky keys. For mouse use difficulties, the tools to explore are double-click delays, gestures, hover clicks, mouse keys, and simulated secondary clicks.
Explain the display servers’ role.
A display server is a program or program group that uses a communication protocol to convey information between the GUI and the operating system. The communication protocol is called the display server protocol and can operate over a network. One critical program used with the display server is the compositor. The compositor arranges display elements within a window to create a screen image. Two important display servers are Wayland and X11. X11 is an older display server, which has been around for a while. Wayland is a newer display server, which adds many needed security features and is easier to maintain.
Describe the available remote desktop software.
Remote desktop software provides a fully functioning desktop environment over the network from a remote server. It uses a client-server model, and there are several packages from which to choose. They include VNC, Xrdp, NX, and SPICE.
Summarize SSH port and X11 forwarding.
SSH port forwarding, sometimes called SSH tunneling, redirects a connection from one particular network port to the SSH service at port 22. This allows data traffic to move back and forth through a secure encrypted tunnel, similar to a virtual private network (VPN). SSH port forwarding has three distinct methods: local, remote, and dynamic. Besides SSH port forwarding, X11 forwarding is also available. It also provides a secure tunnel for GUI interactions. However, instead of a full desktop environment, you can start X11-based graphical utilities from the remote system’s command line.
Which of the following best describes a desktop environment?
A set of programs that allow a user to interact with the system via icons, windows, and various other visual elements A screen where you choose a username and enter a password to gain system access A series of components that work together to provide the graphical setting for the user interface A program that allows you to perform file maintenance activities graphically A set of programs that determine how the windows are presented on the desktop
C. A desktop environment is a series of components that work together to provide the graphical setting for the user interface. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. A graphical user interface (GUI) is a set of programs that allow a user to interact with the system via icons, windows, and various other visual elements. Thus, option A is a wrong answer. A display manager operates the screen where you choose a username and enter a password to gain system access. Therefore, option B is an incorrect choice. A file manager is the program that allows you to perform file maintenance activities graphically. Thus, option D is also a wrong choice. A window manager is a set of programs that determine how the windows are presented on the desktop. Therefore, option E is also an incorrect choice.
Which of the following are GUI components? (Choose all that apply.)
Favorites bar File manager Icons Command line System tray
A, B, C, E. A favorites bar, file manager, icons, and a system tray are all part of a graphical UI. Therefore, options A, B, C, and E are correct choices. A command line is a location to enter text-based commands, and while you can reach it from the GUI using a terminal emulator, it is not considered to be part of the graphical UI. Therefore, option D is the only incorrect choice.
Which of the following is not used by default within GNOME Shell?
SDDM Files Mutter GDM Dock
A. SDDM (Simple Desktop Display Manager) is the default display manager for the KDE Plasma desktop environment. Therefore, option A is the correct answer. Files, also called GNOME files, is the file manager within the GNOME Shell desktop environment. Therefore, option B is a wrong answer. Mutter is the GNOME shell window manager, and thus option C is an incorrect answer. GDM stands for the GNOME Display Manager. Therefore, option D is a wrong choice. Dock is another name for the GNOME Shell Dash, which is the favorites bar within GNOME Shell. Thus, option E is also an incorrect choice.
Which of the following is the KDE Plasma files manager?
Nautilus Plasmoid Dolphin Kwin Nemo
C. The KDE Plasma’s file manager is named Dolphin. Therefore, option C is the correct answer. Nautilus is the file manager on the Unity desktop environment, and therefore, option A is a wrong answer. Plasmoid is another name for a KDE Plasma widget. Thus, option B is an incorrect answer. Kwin is the KDE Plasma’s window manager, and therefore option D is a wrong choice. Nemo is the default file manager on the Cinnamon desktop environment. Thus, option E is an incorrect choice.
Which of the following is true concerning the MATE desktop environment? (Choose all that apply.)
MATE is a GNOME Shell fork. MATE uses Metacity as its window manager. MATE's display manager is LightDM. MATE's file manager is Caja. MATE is no longer being developed.
C, D. MATE’s display manager is LightDM, and its file manager is Caja. Therefore, options C and D are correct answers. MATE was a fork of the GNOME 2 desktop environment and not GNOME Shell, so option A is a wrong answer. MATE uses a fork of Metacity, called Marco, as its window manager, so option B is also a wrong choice. At the time this book was being written, MATE was being actively developed, so option E is an incorrect choice.
Which of the following describes the sound keys accessibility setting?
Sounds are made when the Caps Lock or Num Lock key is turned on or off. A program that reads the GUI aloud, such as Orca. A cursor blink rate modification to make it easier to locate the cursor on the screen. Output to a refreshable braille display that is provided by the Orca screen reader. The screen or a screen portion is amplified to different magnification levels.
A. The sound keys accessibility setting provides beeps whenever the Caps Lock or Num Lock key is turned on or off. Therefore, option A is the correct answer. A program that reads the GUI aloud, such as Orca, is a screen reader. Thus, option B is a wrong answer. The cursor blinking setting modifies the cursor blink rate to make it easier to locate the cursor on the screen. Therefore, option C is also an incorrect answer. Output to a refreshable braille display is provided by the Orca screen reader, which is a screen reader. Thus, option D is a wrong choice. Zoom settings allow the screen or a screen portion to be amplified to different magnification levels. Therefore, option E is also an incorrect choice.
A blind coworker who is programming on the Linux server is suddenly having odd problems with his braille display device. You determine that you need to restart the braille service. Assuming the appropriate systemd unit file is available, which command would you use?
systemctl restart braille systemctl reload braille systemctl restart brailled systemctl restart brltty systemctl reload brltty
D. The braille display device would be using the brltty service. The proper systemctl command to restart the services is in option D. Options A, B, and C all use incorrect names for the braille service. The command in option E would reload any modified brltty configuration files but not restart the service. Therefore, option E is also an incorrect choice.
Which of the following best describes the slow keys accessibility setting?
A keyboard option that modifies how long a key must be pressed down to acknowledge the key A keyboard option that sets keyboard modifier keys, such as Ctrl and Shift, to maintain their pressed status until a subsequent key is pressed A keyboard option that modifies how long a key must be pressed down and that defines a delay to acknowledge the key repeat A keyboard option that sets a primary key to be pressed along with a mouse click to emulate secondary mouse clicks A keyboard option that displays a visual keyboard on the UI that can be manipulated by a mouse or other pointing device to emulate keystrokes
A. Slow keys are a keyboard option that modifies how long a key must be pressed down to acknowledge the key. Therefore, option A is the correct answer. Sticky keys are a keyboard option that sets keyboard modifier keys, such as Ctrl and Shift, to maintain their pressed status until a subsequent key is pressed. Thus, option B is a wrong answer. Repeat keys are a keyboard option that modifies how long a key must be pressed down and that defines a delay to acknowledge the key repeat. Therefore, option C is also a wrong choice. Simulated secondary click is actually a mouse option, and it sets a primary key to be pressed along with a mouse click to emulate secondary mouse clicks. Thus, option D is an incorrect answer. A screen keyboard is a keyboard option that displays a visual keyboard on the UI that can be manipulated by a mouse or other pointing device to emulate keystrokes. Therefore, option E is also an incorrect choice.
Which of the following communicates with the Linux operating system to transmit the UI wants and needs?
Window manager Display manager Desktop environment Windows server Display server
E. The display server uses a communication protocol to transmit the desires of the UI to the operating system, and vice versa. Therefore, option E is the correct answer. A window manager is a program that communicates with the display server on behalf of the UI. Thus, option A is a wrong answer. A display manager controls the desktop environment’s login screen, where you choose a username and enter a password to gain system access. Therefore, option B is also a wrong choice. A desktop environment is a user environment that provides a predetermined look and feel to a GUI, but it does not transmit the desires of the UI to the operating system, so option C is a wrong answer. A window server is another name for a window manager, and thus, option D is also an incorrect answer.
