Jargon File

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The Jargon File

Term	Explanation	read more
distro, distribution	A collection of software making up a compete operating system with desktop and applications. In car terms, this would be everything except the engine	Some Linux distros
live CD/DVD	A complete distribution on a CD/DVD. Allows you to try out a distro without installing. Can be run on Windows without installing anything at all on your hard drive. Safe but slow.	Some Live CD's
repo, repository	Collection of additional software, that can be downloaded and installed on your machine. See your distributions webpage for more info
terminal	the Linux command line . If you are told to enter text, this is where you enter it.	Open a console
Package manager	Application to browse repos, add, or remove software. Distros often have their own package managers. This is the preferred way to install, or remove software safely. Software installed this way will automatically be kept up to date with the latest safety upgrades and bug fixes.	Some Package Managers
root	The administrator of your machine. Even if you administer your own machine, it is still preferable to only log in as root when you absolutely must. Usually, if you want to do something that needs you to be root, a popup will simply ask for root's password, so you won't need to switch user. Root also designates the basis of the file hierarchy, signified by /
console	the Linux command line	Open a console
shell	the Linux command line	Konsole
su -	Shell command to switch user, usually to root. Used, when you need special rights to do something. You will be prompted for the root password before su takes effect. NB: remember to type exit when you are done. This gets you back to your regular user.
sudo	Like su, but it only grants root privileges for one command, so the command you want to run should immediately follow sudo. You will still be prompted for the root password but will not need to exit.
path	Full specification of a file giving its placing in the file system. For example /home/myUser/Documents/Greetings.txt (an absolute path), or Document/Greeting.txt (path relative to my home directory).
bug	anything that may be wrong with an application or the underlying framework.	Reporting bugs
bko	Short name for the KDE bug reporting site	bugs.kde.org
user	A user account. Most Linux system are set up with at least one ordinary user (you) and an administrator, root.
session	When you log in to your system, an application or some server you start a session, which lasts until you log out of it again.
logon	The act of starting a new session on a system. This usually requires a username and a password. Several users might be logged on to a system simultaneously, although only one would be active at a time.
logout	The act of ending a session on a system. The system will then wait for another logon rather that just shutting down.
desktop	The workspace you see, when you log in. It typically has a panel with a start menu and other widgets. The workspace itself can also hold various widgets.
activity		Activities
pager	A widget to switch between virtual desktops	Pager
task manager	A widget that you will often see in your desktops panel. It will contain a small button for each application you are currently running. You can use it to switch between those applications.
systray	A widget that you will often see in your desktops panel. It contains icons for some system services such as the clipboard and the Device Notifier.	System Tray
thumbnail	A small (often icon sized) preview of the content a file
screenshot	An image of what is on your screen at a particular time — sometimes required when you ask for help	KSnapshot
window
tab
window decorations	The edges around windows including the title line and its buttons, for example the close button.
theme	A set of settings for the visual appearance of an application giving it a distinctive look and feel
panel	A widget that holds other widgets. You can have one or more panels on your desktop. A panel is always placed along one of the edges of the screen.	Panels
widget	A self contained mini application that resides on (maybe integrate into) the desktop	Widget
kio slave		KIO
kpart		KPart
bookmark
virtual terminal	Command line console interface, usually Alt + Ctrl + F[1-6]
virtual console
Virtual desktop		Virtual Desktops
xko	where x is some letter. Abbreviation for some KDE web site. Examples: fko = forums.kde.org, bko = bugs.kde.org and so on.
Konvi	short for Konversation, the IRC client	Konversation
Nepomuk		Nepomuk
Akonadi		Akonadi
Strigi		Strigi
KDE	The community of contributors and users of KDE technologies	What is KDE
KDE SC	The periodic releases of the KDE frameworks and core utilities — the Software Collection
KDE Software	Besides the KDE SC a number of other software projects are developed under the KDE umbrella and actively supported by the community
Plasma	The KDE workspace and supporting technology. Plasma workspaces comes in several varieties, Plasma Desktop, Plasma Netbook and Plasma Active
Plasma Desktop	The KDE workspace variety designed for traditional computers, ie. systems with traditional input devices such as keyboard and mouse and with large displays
Plasma Netbook	The KDE workspace variety designed for devices with small screens such as notebooks
Plasma Active	The KDE workspace variety designed for smartphones and similar compact devices
Planet	Short for the planet.kde.org. The Planet aggregates blogs about all things KDE	planet.kde.org
Dot	Short for dot.kde.org. The Dot is the official news site for KDE	dot.kde.org
Get Hot New Stuff	Technology that allows applications to offer users the option to easily download and install plugins, artwork, scripts or similar additions using a unified interface	Get Hot New Stuff
tar ball	An archive format for distributing files. To use the files contained in a tar ball you need to unpack it (see Archive Management in Dolphin).
snapshot	Latest development version of an application. Not as polished and well tested as the stable version.
sources	Text files containing source code of some software. It has to be compiled and installed before it can be used.
build
Context menu	A menu with items relevant for a particular object. Typically, it pops up when you right click the object.
meta key	A special key used in combination with other keys. Often the Start key is used for this.
cli	command line interface
plasmoid	a native plasma widget
applet	A widget
ghns	See Get Hot New Stuff	Get Hot New Stuff
kdesu	console command use to start a gui application as a different user (usually root) that runs in the existing desktop
kdesudo	See kdesu
virtual console	See virtual terminal
fko	Short name for the KDE forums	forums.kde.org
hover	To place the mouse over some item and keep it still for a little while
Tooltip	Small info box that is displayed when you hover over an item
prefix	A piece of text at the beginning of a text string – the first few letters
postfix	A piece of text at the end of a text string – the last few letters
$HOME	The path to your home directory
Super key	A special key used in combination with other keys. Often the Start key is used for this.
Compose key	A special key used in combination with other keys – mostly to type accented characters and other non standard letters and symbols.	Compose Key