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== The Fedora GNOME Desktop ==
Once you have entered a valid username and password the login process will initiate and the Fedora GNOME Desktop will load. The amount of time it takes before the desktop appears will depend on a variety of factors, not the least of which are is processor speed and memory. The more memory installed in the system and the faster the processor, the quicker the desktop will appear. The following figure shows a new, unaltered Fedora desktop immediately after a successful log in. Do not worry if your background does not look the same as the one shown below. The Fedora Project team change changes the background with every release.
The desktop background constitutes the swirling graphics in the above figure. If you don't like the default desktop you can change it to either a selection of pre-installed images, or to a digital picture or image of your choosing. To find out more about customizing the background read [[Changing the Fedora GNOME Desktop Background]] chapter.
The desktop also provides a location for folders and applications for which quick access is required. A link to the users user's home folder is added to the desktop by default, as are the ''Computer'' and ''Trash'' icons. The former provides access to storage devices and the network. The latter contains any files that have been placed in the trash can. For more details on these desktop features refer to [[Browsing My Computer, Files and Folders on the Fedora Desktop]].
Clicking with the right mouse button on any area of the desktop background presents the following popup menu containing a number of useful options for changing or adding items to the Fedora GNOME desktop:
The ''Application'' menu provides access to the applications installed in the system. This menu also includes an option to add or remove additional applications.
The ''Places'' menu provides a list of locations which, when selected, are opened in file browser windows. Available locations include devices (such as disk or CD/DVD Drives), the current user's home folder and other systems on the network. The ''System'' menu provides options for configuring the system and desktop environment (including factors such as desktop theme and screen resolution).
The right hand side of the panel includes the name of the current user (which may be clicked to switch to a different user), the date and time and a volume control. Also present is an icon for indicating the current network connectivity status. Finally, the panel contains an icon indicating whether operating system updates are available. If updates are available, this icon is often accompanied by a notification dialog when the user first logs in. Click on the icon if it appears to list and apply the recent updates to the system.
The bottom desktop panel contains three items by default but may similarly be configured as described in [[Configuring the Fedora Desktop Panels]]. By default the panel appears as follows:
The icon on the far left of the panel is used to hide and show all windows on the desktop. The area containing squares controls the currently displayed virtual workspace. The Fedora GNOME desktop allows multiple workspaces to be active at any one time with different applications visible on different workspaces. To switch to a different desktop, simply click on one of the squares in the bottom toolbar. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, click on a workspace in the panel and then scroll back and forth through the workspaces. By default four workspaces are configured, though this number can be increased or decreased (see [[Configuring the Fedora Desktop Panels]]).
When applications are running on the desktop, a button will appear for each application located on the currently selected workspace. If the application’s windows are currently visible on the desktop, clicking the corresponding button in the panel will minimize the windows so that they are no longer visible. Clicking the button again will re-display the windows once again.
The final item on the bottom panel is the trash can. Items may be dragged and dropped into the trash can. Right click on the icon to access options to open or empty the trash can.
