Using and accessing MATE/MATE basic concepts

System Description

In this lesson we will present the MATE desktop environment and its main features. You will also learn how to recognize the graphic elements of the desktop.

MATE presentation

MATE (pronounced MAH-tay, like the South American infused herbal drink of the same name) is a desktop environment, that is, the set of programs running on top of a computer operating system that share a common graphical user interface. This is the part of the system that let you access and use all your programs, such as word processing and many others. It also gives you the possibility to change your computer's settings, such as the screen colors or the sound volume, and to organize your data within different folders. For example, it helps you to easily file the documents you have written with your word processor.

MATE is a graphical tool. All the programs, data files, folders or devices connected to your computer are displayed on the screen in the form of small pictures called icons. Once opened, files and folders are displayed inside rectangular areas, called windows.

The development of graphical environments has made computers much easier to use for the general public. But it also made their learning process more complex for people with visual impairments. However, several features that make them attractive to sighted people can also offer benefits for visually impaired people . For example, since the graphical aspect of the system is the same from one application window to another, you can use the same commands in all your applications. For example, the command to close an application is always the same, whether you are in your word processor or your e-mail program.

It is also important to know that this type of environment enables you to work with several applications at the same time: this feature is called multitasking. To achieve this, the system uses the available RAM. The more RAM your computer has, the greater the the number of programs you can run simultaneously.

MATE usually comes with all the basic communication tools. It enables you to access programs such as the Firefox browser, to view information on the Internet, or the Thunderbird email client, which uses also the Internet to exchange emails.

Office description

When you turn on your computer, MATE displays a screen called the Desktop. This basic graphical screen represents the top of a desk, on which are arranged the various accessories you need to work. You will now explore the graphical elements of the Desktop screen. Each graphical element will then be covered in more details in the following lessons.

At any time, you can return to the MATE Desktop screen by using the Ctrl-Alt-d key combination. This key combination minimizes all open application windows on your system: instead of occupying a large portion of the screen, they are then reduced to a single button to free up space on the screen.

We'll talk about the default graphical elements available after a MATE install. Even if your screen displays different ones or doesn't display some of them, it's important to follow this lesson using the screenshot below (see page 1 of the touch guide).

The MATE desktop - in this case on a Hypra universal access machine.

In the Lesson 3 of this module, we will cover the desktop display properties.

The dashboard, in one or two bars

The most important element of the desktop is the dashboard. By default, the MATE dashboard is the horizontal bar that occupies the top of the screen.

On the far left of the dashboard is the main menu, with an Apps button, a Locations button, and a System button. Located on the right of the dashboard are the quick launch icons, followed on the far right by an integrated clock.^[1]

The Applications button pulls down a menu that provides commands to launch applications and utilities installed on your computer. On MATE, a button is a graphical element (or widget) that contains a text describing its function and can be activated using the mouse or keyboard.

Between the two areas (left and right) that we have just presented, the dashboard can also includes icons to launch commonly used applications, as well as a special icon that allows you to display directly the desktop, with all application windows minimized.

We'll talk about the dashboard again in Lesson 3 of this module; however, be aware that another horizontal dashboard bar may be present at the bottom of the screen.

This bar contains in particular the taskbar, representing all the open applications (it is completely empty if no program has been launched). Indeed, when you start an application in MATE, it opens on the screen inside a window but it is also represented by a button in the bottom panel (starting from the left); it is also this button that enables you to find an application when its window has been minimized.

The dashboard at the bottom of the screen often ends, on the right, with a small rectangle of four boxes representing the virtual workspaces. We will talk more about this notion in lesson 4.

Note that the two panels, top and bottom, may have been merged in your installation, to make it easier for you to navigate between the desktop and these areas of your screen. This configuration is useful if you are blind, as it simplifies keyboard use by removing the bottom panel, which will not be useful to you when using only the keyboard.

The desktop and its icons

The MATE desktop includes also icons. By default, the icons are spread across the entire area of the screen. Let's cover the main ones.

The first icon on the desktop is the Trash. The application associated with this icon allows you to recover previously deleted files or to permanently erase them from your disk.

Another icon is called Home folder. This is a container in which you can store, within folders created by yourself or by default, files that you have created. We will be back on this notion of file storage organization in Module 3 about the file manager.

Note that you can also customize your desktop by creating shortcut icons, or launchers, representing the applications you use regularly. Launchers make it easier for you to access your favorite applications, because they will be placed in the location you choose. You will see how to create a launcher in Module 3 about the file manager.

Desktop Navigation

Note that, depending on the configuration, the desktop can have up to 5 areas:

the main menu area;
the quick launch icon area;
the button area representing open applications;
the system information area (Internet connection status, time, battery charge status in the case of a laptop);
the desktop icon area.

To move between the dashboards and the desktop icon area, you use the Ctrl-Alt-Tab keys. On the dashboards, you use the Tab key to move from one icon to another. Most often, you cannot access the icons of launched applications unless they are in the bottom bar.

Take a few moments to move your caret around the desktop. For example, start by positioning your caret on the desktop using Ctrl-Alt-Tab and explore the icons there using the arrow keys.

Now, move the caret to the top dashboard using Ctrl-Alt-Tab shortcut. Then, navigate through the icons using the Tab key.

Note that in the next lesson we will see how to take full benefit of the main menu, without going through the dashboard.

You have just taken your first step on MATE by exploring the desktop and its elements installed by default. In the next lesson, you will learn more about the graphical elements of MATE. If you are already familiar with Windows or another desktop on GNU/Linux, you can go directly to Lesson 3.

Graphical elements

MATE has several graphical elements. In this lesson, you will learn how to recognize icons, different types of windows, and menus.

Icons

Icons are pictograms or graphical symbols that represent components of your system, like software tools, function or data files.. They enable you to easily interact with your computer system:

with the mouse: by double-clicking on it
with the keyboard: by positioning the cursor over it, using the arrow keys or Tab, then pressing the Enter key.

They can be arranged on the desktop or within windows. Their footprints is usually a small square of about 1 to 2 centimeters and they appear on the screen with different looks. For example, the Draw application icon displays a sheet on which geometric shapes are juxtaposed, or the Writer application one displays a sheet in which a paragraph is represented. In addition, notably when the icons are arranged on the desktop, their names are written just below. Finally, at the top right of each icon, a colored indicator is present.

Refer to the desktop image (see page 2 of the touch guide if you are blind, to see the desktop elements as a drawing instead of text).

Window Basics

The notion of windows is very important on MATE. At all levels, except for the desktop, the information transmitted or the pages you are working on are framed, therefore presented inside windows.

A window is a rectangular area with a border. MATE enables you to open multiple windows at the same time and switch between them. Each window contains a different application or document.

Windows can be juxtaposed, that is, side by side, or superimposed, that is, one on top of the other. Superimposed windows can be thought of as a stack of documents, with the active window always on top. Refer to page 3 of the touch guide if you are blind.

Windows can vary in size. They can take up part or all of the screen. People with visual impairments are advised to maximize windows to avoid confusion with other elements on the screen. A maximized window takes up the entire screen.

Windows can be minimized as buttons, without closing the document or application permanently. Once minimized, windows no longer occupy the desktop space. In an application window, such as what you are reading now, the minimized window button is on the dashboard.

With MATE, there are four types of windows:

application windows;
document windows;
dialog boxes;
message boxes.

The next sections describe them in detail.

The Application Window

Each application opens in windows called application windows. For example, when you launch the Writer word processor, an application window appears on your screen. See page 4 of the Touch Guide if you are blind.

The application window has a title bar located horizontally at the top of the window. This title bar indicates in particular the name of the active application and the name of the document in which you are working.^[2]

The application window also has a system menu box located at the far left of the title bar. This is a small button that opens a system menu. This menu provides window management options such as Close, Maximize, and Minimize the window. We'll come back about using this menu at the end of this lesson. For now, you can see that the Alt-Spacebar keys open the system menu of an application window.

The application window also includes three small buttons at the right end of the title bar:

the Minimize button, represented by a minus sign,
the Restore button, represented by a small window,
the Close button, represented by a cross.

These buttons are used to resize or close the application window using the mouse.

The application window contains a menu bar located below the title bar that lists each menu available for a given application. These menus are used to perform tasks, which we'll come back about in a moment. For now, note the ten menu titles listed in the screenshot above (page 4 of the touch guide).

The Document Window

With MATE, the data you create, such as texts, drawings, spreadsheets, etc., are presented as documents. Each document is arranged in a document window. Note that the document window always appears as part of an application window. These two windows are twinned.

A document window is created when you open an application, when you create a new document, or when you open an existing document. For example, if you launch the Writer application, a blank document window opens by default. In this case, the document is a blank page with a writing cursor in the upper-left corner. The document name appears on the title bar of the application window.

The application window menu bar is used to manage the active document window and its contents. Remember that the menu bar is located between the title bar and the document.

Browse the screenshot above again (page 4 of the touch guide).

The Dialog Box

Dialog boxes are another type of window in MATE. They occupy only a part of the screen area. Note that their dimensions are fixed and therefore it is not possible to enlarge or reduce them.

A dialog box appears after a command when you need to provide additional information to complete a task. For example, when you save your document for the first time, a dialog box appears asking for details, such as where you want to save the document. Refer to page 5 of the Touch Guide if you are blind.

The dialog box has a title bar, which indicates its name, and a Close button at its right end, in the form of a cross, which allows you to cancel the current operations. It presents various options in the form of check boxes or lists, as well as input boxes for entering text.

Some dialog boxes have several pages to provide you with additional options. These pages are presented in a stack, with a tab on top being the active one. Each page has a tab that allows you to select it. To move from one tab to another in a given direction, you press Ctrl-Tab, or in the opposite direction, Ctrl-Shift-Tab. You can also position the cursor on the tab name with Tab, and press the arrow keys to change tabs.^[2]

Finally, the dialog box has buttons to confirm the operation, to cancel it, or sometimes to get help. These buttons are arranged either side by side at the bottom of the box, or one above the other on the right side of the box.

In a dialog box, the Tab key is used to move from one element to another in a given direction.^[3]

When you select the OK or Cancel buttons, the dialog box disappears. You can cancel an operation without going through the Cancel button by simply pressing the Escape key.

The Message Box

The message box is another type of window in MATE. These are small windows that appear as needed to give you information. For example, if you try to quit the word processor without saving your document, a message box will inform you about this.

At the bottom of the message box, there are buttons that allow you to answer to messages, for example, cancel an operation.

The Main Menu

In MATE, the concept of menus is as important as that of windows. There are different types of menus:

the main menu;
application menus;
context menus.

When you select these menus, lists of commands appear. When you choose a command from an open menu, the command is executed and the menu closes.

The main menu is opened using the Alt-f1 shortcut or from the Menu Bar button on the dashboard. Some commands in the main menu are used to open a second menu. Graphically, this is another menu that appears next to the main menu. In addition, some commands in the submenu are used to open a third menu. This is called a menu cascade or nested menu. Refer to page 6 of the touch guide if you are blind.

You may notice that the commands in the Applications menu, i.e. Accessories, Universal Access, Other, Office, Education, Graphics, Internet, System Tools, Sound & Video have a triangle next to them, indicating that there is a submenu. To bring up the submenu, select the command and press the Right arrow or Enter key.

Also be aware that some commands are followed by three dots. These three little dots indicate that this command will bring up a dialog box with options that you will need to select before you can execute it.

You can find more information about the main menu in Lesson 4. For now, let's move on to a second type of menu.

Application Menus

Application menus drop down when you activate one of the menu bar items. Remember that in an application window, the menu bar is located below the title bar and has a name for each menu. These names are aligned from left to right on the bar and when you select one, its menu drops down. This menu is made up of commands used to perform tasks.

The main menu discussed above thus contains three menus: Applications, Locations and System. Being a menu like any other, we deduce that the menus of an application window can contain submenus. In the majority of MATE applications, the first menu is called File. Refer to page 7 of the touch guide if you are blind.

File:Writer-file.png

The File menu.

To select a menu, you need to press the f10 key. Then, you can choose the other menus by pressing the Right arrow key. Once the menu name is selected, you open it by pressing the Down arrow key. Another way to open a menu is to hold down the alt key while pressing the underlined character in the menu name. For example, for the File menu, the letter "f" is underlined. So to drop down the File menu, you need to press Alt-f.

Once the menu is open, you can select the commands displayed by pressing the Down arrow or the Up arrow. You can then activate the command by pressing the Enter key. In the case of a command with a submenu, prefer to use the Right arrow. Finally, there are shortcut keys that allow you to skip several commands available in the menus without opening them. Most of these shortcut keys begin with the ctrl key followed by a letter on the keyboard. They are indicated in the menus after the name of the command. For example, to save a document, you can press Ctrl-s instead of selecting the Save command from the File menu.^[4]

The Context Menu

The third type of menu in MATE is the context menu. This can appear in different places on the screen and its contents can vary, as it offers the most commonly used commands for a given graphic element. For example, in a document window, it offers commands related to typing. Refer to page 8 of the Touch Guide if you are blind.

To display the context menu, you use the Shift-F10 keys once the graphic element is selected. If your keyboard has one, you can also use the Application key located to the left of the right Ctrl key.

If you are using the mouse, you can display the context menu by positioning the pointer over a graphic element and clicking the right mouse button. Once the menu is open, you use the arrow keys to select a command. You can close the menu without placing a command by pressing the Esc key.

This concludes this lesson about MATE graphics elements.

MATE Display Properties

MATE provides several ways to display desktop items. In this lesson, we'll cover how to change how desktop icons and main menu items are displayed. At the end of the lesson, we'll cover the display properties common to MATE menus and their accessibility.

Desktop Icons

The default layout of MATE's desktop icons is meant to be visually pleasing and visible. It is accessible, since the arrow keys allow you to navigate through the icons, but it can be confusing for novice users.

Users who prefer a straight, aligned layout can change how the icons are arranged. Here's how to do it.

Press Ctrl-Alt-d to open the desktop.
Press Ctrl-f10. The desktop context menu will open.
Using the down arrow, select the Keep Aligned icon. It appears as a checkbox. To check or uncheck this box, press the space bar and then exit the menu with the escape key. If you go around the desktop again with the arrow keys, and you have chosen to align your icons, you will see the icons distributed in columns of an equal number of icons, except the last one.

Additionally, it is possible to change the order in which the icons are displayed. In this case, they will be arranged in alphabetical order, from top to bottom and from left to right. If you are interested in this presentation, here is how to obtain it.

Press Ctrl-Alt-d to make sure you are on the MATE desktop.
Press Ctrl-f10. The desktop menu will open.
Using the Down arrow key, select the Sort by Name icon.

Finally, if you use the mouse, you can move the icons on the desktop to any location. However, keep in mind that the more you spread the icons out, the less effective their identification by the directional arrows will be.

Finally, remember that if you put more icons on the desktop than the screen can display, some of them may overlap. If you reach two icons that are in this case using the arrow keys, you will move from one to the other without being able to move to the others. You will then have to press the home key to place your cursor at the top left of the desktop and get out of the impasse.

Application Window Properties

In this section, we'll cover the common display properties of the application windows that come with MATE and how to access them. We'll talk about the Application menu, the toolbars that are present, and the panes. Remember that the things we'll talk about in this lesson apply to all the application windows that come with MATE. However, there are variations in word processing and Internet applications, which we'll talk about later.

Affected applications include the Trash, Home Folder, text editor, word processor, web browser, and email software.

The next practice is to launch the trash in order to follow the description of its graphic elements. You will find its icon in the form of a trash, on the desktop. It enables you to recover files that you have previously deleted. Now, make sure to minimize the open applications using the Ctrl-Alt-d keys.

Now select the Trash on the desktop. Using the keyboard, start by positioning your caret on the first item on the desktop, using the Home key. Then, select the Trash icon using the arrow keys or type the first three characters of the word.

Once the caret is over the icon, you can launch the application by pressing the enter key.

Using the mouse: Position the mouse pointer over the trash icon and double-click it to open this application.

The Trash window should be displayed. If it is not full screen, you can maximize it. To do this, open the system menu with the Alt-Spacebar keyboard shortcut. Select the Maximize command using the Down arrow. If the command does not appear, the application window is already full screen. In this case, press Esc to close the system menu.

The Menu Bar

$$$The Trash application window has a menu bar. The File, Edit, View, and Help menus are commonly found in all application windows. These menus may have different names in some applications, but their display logic remains the same. For example, File may be called Media, but it contains the same types of commands.

Other menus in apps like the Recycle Bin include Go to and Favorites. The Go to menu lets you quickly move to specific locations in your folders or to places you visit most often.

To view the menus present, press the f10 key to move the cursor to the menu bar of the Recycle Bin window and use the Right and Left arrows to move from one menu to another. To view the menu commands, unroll it by pressing the Down arrow. To activate a command, you must select it and press Enter. We recommend that you do not activate any commands at this time. To close the menu, press Esc. You will then find yourself in the list of items present in your Recycle Bin. If you prefer the mouse, place the pointer on the menu bar and click once on the File menu for example. This will unfold and you will be able to explore it by moving your pointer down. If you move your pointer back to the File menu header, and move it to the right on the Edit menu, it will open in turn and the File menu will close. To activate a command, you must move your pointer there and click on it once. We recommend that you do not activate any commands at this time. To close a menu, click outside of it with your mouse, or press Esc.

Note that for the Home Folder and Recycle Bin tools, there are two modes for displaying folder contents: list mode and icon mode. Icon view presents the different files and folders according to the space available on the screen. They are therefore distributed from top to bottom and from left to right. List view concentrates the icons on the left side of the screen. This is the most accessible mode, because you only need to press the up and down arrows to select items. In icon mode, you should use all the arrow keys to be sure not to skip an icon.

If you haven't already, we recommend that you enable List mode. To do this, pull down the View menu using Alt-a. Select the List or Compact command and press Enter. If one of these commands is already selected, press Esc to return to the list of items in your Trash. Using the mouse, pull down the View menu by clicking on it with your pointer. Click on the List or Compact command. If one of these commands is already selected, press Esc or click outside the menu to close it.

Toolbars

In the windows of applications provided with MATE, you can display several toolbars below the menu bar:

the main toolbar;
the side panel;
the location bar;
the status bar;
the additional panel.

When they appear, these bars have several buttons that allow you to place commands using the mouse. The commands associated with the buttons are found in the various menus on the menu bar.

The buttons on the other bars are difficult to access with a screen reader. We recommend that you disable the display of these bars. To do this, first pull down the View menu using the Alt-a hotkeys. Select one of the bars and, if it is checked, press the Enter key to make it disappear. The View menu will close each time and you will have to repeat the procedure for each bar. If the box is already unchecked, the bars in question are not enabled. Simply press Esc to exit the menu.

The Location Bar has an input box where you can type the path to an item on your computer directly. To display the Location Bar, pull down the View menu using the Alt-a hotkeys. Select the Location Bar, and if it is not checked, press Enter to make it appear. The View menu will close. If the box is already checked, the Location Bar is already enabled. Simply press Esc to exit the menu.

To access the location bar's input area, press Ctrl-l. By default, the trash address will be displayed as "trash:///". To view the items in the drop-down list associated with the address bar, press Alt-l. To close the list, press Esc.

The side flaps

Word processing and Internet browser windows can display panes. These are exploration tools that allow you to display both the content of the current application and a browsing history, a list of bookmarks or bookmarks, in the same window. When this pane is displayed, the window is divided into two rectangles. The left frame contains the pane and the right frame contains the content of the application window. You can decide whether or not to display certain elements of the pane. This depends on the type of display chosen, the pane appearing as long as an element must be displayed.

To view an item, use the Alt-a keys to scroll down the View menu. Then, select the item you want. We do not provide an exercise in this section to avoid having to learn a new application. In addition, this pane is often difficult to access with a screen reader. We therefore recommend that you avoid viewing it.

This completes this lesson on display properties. To close the trash, press Alt-f4.

The Main Menu and Dashboard

The main menu is undoubtedly the most important to know. Indeed, it is the path through which you can, for example, launch your applications and access your computer's files.

This lesson introduces the basic commands of the main menu and gives you exercises using the keyboard and mouse.

Main Menu Commands

To explore the main menu, press Alt-f1 and navigate using the arrow keys. Then, close it using the escape key. This will take you back to the desktop or the last application window you were in.

Now that you have explored the main menu, let's briefly describe its three menus.

The Applications menu contains all the software on your computer, organized into categories. This is where the Alt-f1 key takes you by default. This menu is essentially made up of submenus leading to commands to launch applications.

The Places menu, to the right of the Applications menu, contains commands that let you quickly access key locations on your computer, such as File Search, Home Folder, or My Computer.

The System menu, to the right of the Locations menu, gives you access to more advanced commands for managing your computer.

Now that you know the menus in the Main Menu, you will explore the commands specific to each menu.

The Applications Menu

Let's go back to the exercises. First, make sure you have unfolded the main menu with the Alt-f1 keys. By default, the cursor arrives in the Applications menu, which you then only have to unfold using the Down arrow key.

Explore the commands offered by pressing the Down and Up arrow keys and stop on the Accessories command. Then scroll down the corresponding submenu using the Right arrow or Enter. With the mouse, point it to make the submenu appear. The Accessories submenu offers you other commands like Screenshot, Text Editor, Archive Manager, etc.

For now, close the menu by pressing the Left arrow, and move to the right menu with the Right arrow key, which you will press twice.

The Locations Menu

You should now be in the Locations menu. To navigate through the commands in this menu, use the arrow keys. In particular, the Recent Documents submenu contains the titles of the last ten documents you have worked on. Another command gives direct access to your personal folder. To view documents that you may have filed in this folder, you must select Personal Folder and press Enter to open the window in which you will find the files and folders that you may have placed there.

For now, explore the list of commands and files in the Documents submenu using the arrow keys. We recommend that you do not open any documents at this time.

Finally, an important command in this menu is MATE Search Tool. This tool allows you to search for a file, folder, or any other item installed on your computer based on extracts of the file name or its modification or creation date. For more information about this command, see Module 3 titled File Manager.

The System Menu

The System menu is where you will find the preferences for your computer and its components. As with the Applications menu, this menu is essentially composed of submenus leading to commands for launching applications. In the Administration category, you will find the Software and Printer Manager. For more information on preferences, refer to module 5 on configuration options.

The Log Off command lets you log off a custom work session. You can set up a profile on your computer for multiple users, each with their own files, display settings, and desktop behavior. For example, you might have a session that doesn't automatically launch the screen reader or zoom at startup, while yours does have those tools enabled.

Finally, the Shutdown command offers to shut down the computer while exiting MATE, or to restart it. It is strongly recommended to shut down your computer using this command. On a laptop, its shortcut is to press the Power button for 2 seconds. This command allows you to properly close all applications necessary for the proper functioning of MATE for the next startup.

The desktop finally offers a shortcut that allows you to open an application, folder, document or web page in another way. This is Alt-f2. With this command, you can launch any application as long as you know the exact spelling of its name and its path. If this is not the case, the predictive function will help you. For example, pluma launches the text editor. In the input field of the Start an application dialog box, you enter: pluma and then press the enter key. This is also the command that you can use directly to start viewing a website.

Note that since the main menu is structured in three menus, if you press the Right arrow key when there is no submenu to scroll through or the Left arrow key when you have already closed a submenu, your cursor will be placed on the first item in the right or left menu. Thus, the Left arrow key allows you to navigate the menus from right to left.

The Dashboard

The dashboard allows you to access the main menu and switch between applications to multitask. It is accessible from the desktop or from any application where you are working. The main menu and the dashboard are therefore accessible at all times. This section offers you to perform exercises on these concepts.

Switching between application windows

To do the exercises in this lesson, you need to open two applications. Start by opening the text editor. Remember that to do this, you need to open the main menu. Select the Accessories command and expand the submenu. Now, select Pluma Text Editor and press the enter key to launch the application.

Now launch another application like the file manager. To do this, open the main menu and select the Location command. Then press the Down arrow key to drop down the menu.

Now select Home Folder and press the Enter key to launch this application. You should now have two applications open: the Pluma text editor and the File Manager. To switch between the application windows, press the Alt-Tab keys. Holding down the Alt key will switch between the applications each time you press the Tab key. Release the keys when you reach the Pluma application.

Note that if you press Alt-Tab, release, and then press Alt-Tab again, release, you switch between the two most recently used application windows. This avoids having to cycle through all the application windows when you switch between two windows you are using simultaneously. However, remember that these are not necessarily the only windows, so the full cycle is done by holding down the Alt key and pressing Tab.

Switching between buttons on the dashboard

When an application is open, a button representing it appears on the Dashboard, even if the application window is onscreen or minimized. When multiple applications are open, you can use the Dashboard to switch between them. Additionally, you can minimize all open applications at once and access the desktop. You can minimize them one by one using each application's system menu, or you can minimize all of them at once by pressing Ctrl-Alt-d.

The screen now shows the MATE desktop and both applications are minimized to the dashboard. As you learned in Lesson 1, you can reach the dashboard using the Ctrl-Alt-Tab keys. Go to the bottom one. Now press Tab to go through the icons on the dashboard. Among the buttons, you will find those for Home Folder and Pluma. You will also find the other icons on the dashboard as well as the one for the software you are reading this course with. Note that the button refers to the inscription on the title bar of the application window shown. Also note that the more icons there are on the dashboard, the smaller the buttons will be.

To open an app on the dashboard, press the Enter key when you have selected it using the Tab key.

Workspaces

As seen in Lesson 1, on the far right is the workspace area. A workspace is a unit of organization for your application windows, or even documents.

The dashboard icon is a square divided into four smaller squares, arranged like this: one at the top left, one at the bottom left, one at the top right, one at the bottom right. Each of these smaller squares allows you to create thematic spaces on your desktop. So, when you have a large number of windows open, instead of the Alt-Tab key cycling through all the open windows, it will only cycle through the windows belonging to a workspace.

So, right now you have three windows open on your desktop: this course, the file manager whose title is your first name, and Pluma. Here's how to send the file manager and Pluma windows to another workspace, so that Alt-Tab here never leaves the course. Conversely, on workspace 2, Alt-Tab will cycle through Pluma and the file manager but never through this course.

Each workspace is represented, once inside, as a desktop. You will therefore find exactly the same icons and the dashboard, according to settings strictly identical to those used in your session. The only variations are the open windows.

Start by going through the workspaces, using the Ctrl-Alt-arrow keys. You will then notice that, as on the dashboard, each space has a place on the square. Also note that each space tells you that it is on the desktop, which is normal since none of them contain an application window. This is not the case for workspace 1, at the top left, where we are working.

You are now in the file manager window, on the workspace located at the top left. To move this application window to another workspace, first open the system menu with the Alt-Spacebar keys. Then, using the Down arrow, select the Move to another workspace command. Expand the submenu using the Right arrow. Finally, choose 2, which is the workspace located at the top right. Press Enter. Your cursor will switch to the other application window open on the workspace and the file manager window will no longer appear. To see it, you must first change workspaces using the Ctrl-Alt-Right arrow keys, then make it appear using the Alt-Tab keys.

Now move the application window back to workspace 1. To do this, open the system menu using Alt-Spacebar. Using the arrow keys, select the Move to another workspace command. Expand its submenu using the Right arrow key. Finally, choose Workspace 1. The window returns to its place and you are now on the desktop of workspace 2, since it no longer contains any application windows. Switch back to workspace 1 using Ctrl-Alt-Left arrow keys.

The advantage of workspaces, since we can distribute windows there, is that we can therefore classify our windows by theme and speed up the path to switch between applications linked to an activity, a domain, etc.

Now you will close the Pluma and File Manager applications. To do this, press the Alt-Tab keys to switch between the two applications open on the workspace1.

Once you reach the file manager, close the application by pressing Alt-f4. The cursor will move to the Pluma text editor. To close it, press Alt-f4.

When you complete this exercise, your cursor will be on the desktop or dashboard, or the cursor will return to this course.

Comparison of MATE with its counterparts

In this lesson, you will learn the main differences between MATE and a command-line interface or other desktop-based interfaces. You will also learn the differences between MATE and the Microsoft Windows world.

Comparison between MATE and GNU/Linux in command line

MATE is a system designed on the basis of a GNU/Linux distribution. This one has the reputation of being usable mainly by professionals or enthusiasts, because it would require commands to be manipulated. This historical truth has changed a lot and you will not need the command line.

The command line preceded graphical desktops. There are many differences between it and desktops. This section presents some of them.

The main difference between MATE and the command line is in the presentation of information. In the command line, information is transmitted in text form and commands are executed exclusively using the keyboard. On the other hand, the MATE environment is a graphical environment, that is, icons, windows, menus are displayed on the screen in addition to the text.

In MATE, you can issue commands by clicking on a graphical element such as an icon using a mouse. Similarly, from a command line environment, you can issue commands using the keyboard.

A second difference between MATE and the command line is the use of screen real estate. With the command line, by default, each application occupies the entire screen. On the other hand, MATE uses a concept of windows framing applications that can occupy only a part of the screen.

Finally, another feature of MATE is the ability to use the computer without a keyboard. In the command line, each program must be named and the command that launches it must be the subject of options with a particular syntax. With MATE, you just have to click to activate an application or one of its commands.

The next sections present the main differences between MATE and other desktops and with a Microsoft Windows system. If you are new to computers, we recommend you skip the following.

Comparison between MATE and other desktop environments

On your computer, you could install a different distribution than the one recommended to follow this course. Especially since some of them are known to be specifically oriented towards accessibility for visually impaired people. The Vinux, Slint, F123 or AccessDVLinux distributions are based on other ways of presenting information. This means that the keyboard shortcuts are different and do not necessarily correspond to those used under Microsoft Windows. The icons may be arranged differently and the settings may be different.

For classic distributions, the only accessible desktop different from MATE is Gnome. The main difference lies in the way you interact with your computer. MATE is mainly keyboard and menu-based, while Gnome was first designed to be used with a mouse. Although it can be used with a keyboard, it does not operate in a menu-based manner. It is more like a succession of bars with drawers that can be activated. To launch an application, the simplest solution is to enter keywords corresponding to the program you are looking for: its name or its function. The computer then searches your hard drive for software, files, folders, or even your Internet searches, which correspond to it. This working method is effective, but requires a certain ability to work with an environment where you have to be agile and handle a certain amount of information.

Finally, let's point out that MATE is the only system offering this level of flexibility in display settings. Installed with the Compiz window manager, it includes a magnifier and a screen reader, as well as the ability to work with screen colors. Other distributions do not include the magnifier (Vinux), or have difficulty including a speech synthetizer which has specific shortcuts.

Now that you know what sets MATE apart from other GNU/Linux systems, here's what sets it apart from Windows PCs.

Comparison with Windows

MATE can easily be opposed to the systems sold by Microsoft on most commercial PCs. First, MATE does not have the same license to use. It is free and allows you to reproduce it, study it and see its manufacturing principles. Microsoft has protected Windows by preventing any reproduction with legal locks. The consequence is that Microsoft's approach is based on the consumption of a disposable product, while MATE is based on the idea of a sustainable system.

Then, while updates are imposed on Windows, they are not with MATE. You alone can decide whether to apply them or not, depending on the known accessibility status of the applications. If you apply them, which is generally free, you will not experience any fundamental ergonomic changes in MATE. Microsoft seeks to innovate by always inventing new ergonomic principles, as illustrated by its Windows 7, 8, and 10 products. MATE, over the versions, adds functions and ways of working with the computer, but it does not challenge your benchmarks.

Finally, the current ergonomics proposed by Microsoft, without deviating from standard keyboard shortcuts, has become very visual. It is based on ribbon or tile representations, which can make it complex to use. MATE is based on a much more sober and old interface, which allows you to discover the use of a PC with precise markers. On the other hand, MATE has not yet provided the possibility of interacting with the computer by the touch keyboard where you only need manual gestures to control your computer. Windows allows for gesture-based control and by directly touching the screen. It includes a voice synthesis and a magnifying glass as standard, which are however limited.

This completes this module on MATE basics. You can complete it by practicing a 5-question quiz. If you are not interested, you can move on to the next module.

Questions and Answers

This lesson features a five-question multiple-choice quiz. The answers are in the Quiz Answers section. For added interaction, the reason why the other answers are incorrect is in this area.

Multiple Choice Questions

What type of window has a menu bar?
1. The dialog box
2. The message box
3. The application window
4. The Document Window
How many menus are there on the main menu?
1. Only one
2. Three
3. five
4. Eight
What shortcut can be used to launch an application or open a document by typing its path or name?
1. Alt-f2
2. Alt-f1
3. Ctrl-Alt-d
4. Ctrl-Alt-Tab
What can you check at any time to see which applications are open?
1. The workstation
2. The dashboard
3. The bottom of the office
4. The main menu
What should you do before turning off your computer?
1. Close screen
2. Close speakers
3. Unplug the USB drive
4. Quit MATE

Quiz Answers

Answer 3. It is the application window that contains a menu bar. This is used to manage all open documents. None of the other windows contain menu bars.
Answer 2. The main menu contains three menus: Applications, Location, and System. The other menu bars in application windows contain more menus.
Answer 1. The other choices launch the main menu or access the desktop and dashboard respectively.
Answer 2. Open applications are represented on the dashboard by icons.
Answer 4. It is very important to exit MATE from the Shutdown command in the main menu system menu. This properly exits the applications needed for the PAU to function for the next boot. The other actions are useful, but can be done after turning off the computer. On a laptop, closing the display puts it to sleep.

Notes and references

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