Applications

An application is a type of computer program that allows you to perform a particular task. You might use applications to create text documents such as letters or reports; to work with spreadsheets; to listen to your favorite music; to navigate the Internet; or to create, edit, or view images and videos. For each of these tasks, you would use a different application.

To launch an application, open the Applications menu and choose the application you want from the submenus. For more on this, see Section 5.1 ― Applications Menu.

The applications that are part of GNOME include the following:

Gedit Text Editor can read, create, or modify any kind of simple text without any formatting.
Dictionary allows you to look up definitions of a word.
Image Viewer can display single image files, as well as large image collections.
Calculator performs basic, financial, and scientific calculations.
Character Map lets you choose letters and symbols from the Unicode character set and paste them into any application. If you are writing in several languages, not all of the characters you need will be on your keyboard.
Nautilus File Manager displays your folders and their contents. Use this to copy, move and classify your files, and to access CDs, USB flash drives, and any other removable media. When you choose an item from the Places menu, a Nautilus File Manager window opens showing that location.
Terminal gives you access to the system command line.

Further standard GNOME applications include games, music and video players, a web browser, software accessibility tools, and utilities to manage your system. Your distributor or vendor may have added other applications, such as a word processor and a graphics editor. They may also provide you with a way to install further applications.

All GNOME applications have many features in common, which makes it easier to learn how to work with a new GNOME application. The rest of this section describes some of these features.