Using and accessing MATE/System configuration
System menu description
[edit | edit source]MATE's System menu is used to adjust your computer's settings. Among many other things, you can change colors, contrast and font size.
In this lesson, we will introduce you to the important sections of this menu and their contents. We will explore them as we go along.
The Administration menu
[edit | edit source]The screenshot below shows how this menu looks like when scrolled down. Refer to page 10 of the touchscreen guide, or plug in the touchscreen module if you are blind.
To open the Administration section, first open the Applications main menu using the Alt+F1 shortcut. Then, using the Left arrow, select and open the System menu.
This menu contains several options, some of which we have already seen in this course. For this exercise, use the Up and Down arrows to select the Administration entry. Jump into its the sub-menu with the Right arrow navigation key and browse it using the Up and Down arrows.
Here you find various parameters you can set using this sub -menu. We suggest you don't open any of them for the moment. Commands may vary according to the system installed on your computer.
These commands are used to open application windows or dialog boxes, enabling you, for example, to install programs or manage the printers connected to your system.
The Preferences menu
[edit | edit source]The screenshot below shows how this menu looks like when scrolled down. Refer to page 11 of the touchscreen guide, or plug in the touchscreen module if you are blind. You will notice that it contains mainly other sub -menu commands that you will need to pull down.
The Preferences menu differs from the Administration menu in that all the settings you make here affect only your profile. They would not affect other users, and you can easily revert to the default profile.
Start by opening the Preferences menu. To do this, open the Applications main menu by pressing the Alt+F1 shortcut. Then move the cursor to the System menu using the Left arrow.
Now select the Preferences entry using the Down arrow. Jump into its sub-menu with the Right arrow navigation key and browse it using the Up and Down arrows.
Here are the various parameters you can set using this menu. We suggest you don't open any of them just yet:
- The various parameters defining the Look and Feel of your system;
- the software updates of your computer, using the Other sub-menu;
- the Internet and Network access;
- the automatic behavior of your desktop, using the Personal sub-menu;
- the behavior of your hardware, such as keyboard, screen or mouse.
These drop-down sub-menus display all available settings. To launch them, press the enter key. The following steps are executed within dialog boxes. Note that the commands inside the sub-menus may vary according to the programs and hardware installed on your computer.
Note that when you make a change via this menu, you don't need to confirm it. It applies automatically and immediately as soon as you request it. Some options allow you to preview or test the result before making your final choices.
Preferences menu settings
[edit | edit source]In this lesson, we will describe more precisely the commands that make up the sub-menus, and you will have the opportunity to carry out a sound-setting exercise.
Exploring some commands
[edit | edit source]Your cursor should be in the Preferences sub-menu of the System menu. To achieve this, if you're not already there, press the Alt+F1 shortcut to open the Main menu. Next, position your cursor in the System menu using the Left arrow, and then using the Down arrow choose the Preferences command. Jump into its sub-menu with the Right arrow navigation key.
Select the Look and Feel command and open up its sub-menu with the Right arrow. In this sub-menu, an Appearance command opens a dialog box for setting screen display properties. The dialog box is divided into several tabs. They allow you to define a theme, a background wallpaper, the system font characteristics and some properties of the Interface. The Theme and Fonts tabs offer interesting options, particularly for visually impaired users. For more information on this dialog box, please refer to Lesson 3.
Return to the System menu with the Left arrow key, pressed twice, and select the Administration command with the down arrow key. Enter its sub-menu using the Right arrow. Now, with the Down arrow key move to the Print Settings command. This command is used to install new printers. When you launch it, you'll see a series of dialog boxes guiding you through the printer installation process. Now move to the Synaptic Package Manager icon using again the Down arrow navigation key.
The Synaptic Package Manager command launches a dialog box allowing you to install a new program or uninstall one of the programs supplied with your distribution. An input field lets you search for a program by name or description. This tool does not allow you to install external tools, which is a protection against possible malware. Installing programs outside the catalog requires more advanced skills. Note that a program installation not only installs the requested tool, but also a series of other pieces of software, usually bundled into libraries, on which the requested tool depends in order to work properly. Programs can be retrieved from online catalogs on the Internet, or from DVDs if you have the installation DVDs for your distribution.
In the Look and Feel sub-menu you will also find a Compiz Settings Manager command, which opens a dialog box allowing visually impaired users to configure certain functions related to the screen and keyboard interfaces.
This dialog box allows you to modify default keyboard or mouse shortcuts, or freeze magnification size, invert colors on start-up, etc.
Description of some additional commands
[edit | edit source]We will now go on to comment on the properties of a few parameters relevant to a visually impaired user.
Once again, depending on your configuration, you might not find some commands where indicated below. We then suggest you look in the Control Center of the System menu, which regroups nicely most of the useful system commands.
The Keyboard command in the Hardware menu lets you adjust the character repetition delay when a key is held down, and the frequency of cursor blinking. It also lets you change the type and language of the keyboard used. Finally, below the Keyboard command in the Hardware menu you will find the Keyboard Shortcuts command which lets you edit, add or remove your keyboard shortcuts.
The Date and Time manager command, in the Administration menu, lets you adjust your system's internal clock to suit your time zone. Remember that the date and time can also be set in the dashboard [1].
The Users and Groups command in the Administration menu is used to manage passwords and user profiles. User profiles are very useful when several people are using the same computer. Each person can customize their desktop according to their preferences (colors, contrasts, objects placed on the desktop, etc.). They can then retrieve their configuration settings when they enter their password to open MATE. The password command lets you change a password at a later date.
The Mouse command in the Hardware menu of the Preferences sub-menu lets you change the gestures applicable to a laptop's touch-pad, for example. This is particularly useful for visually impaired users of a mouse. It is also possible to reverse the behavior of buttons for left-handed users. Note that the effect of these options depends on your mouse.
The Sound command in the Hardware menu of the Preferences sub-menu is used to adjust your computer's sound settings and activate sound warnings when certain events occur on your computer. For example, you can decide that a barking sound will be heard every time you try to move to the next or previous item when you're at the bottom of a list. Activating such a sound can be very useful, as it allows you to test your computer's working order even if the voice feedback no longer works.
Changing the alert sound
[edit | edit source]To change the alert sound when you try to go beyond the limits of a window or input area, select the Sound item in the Hardware menu of the Preferences sub-menu. Then press Enter.
The Sound dialog box should be open. By default, the cursor is on the volume slider. Press the Tab key until you reach the drop-down list entitled Sound theme. By default, it contains two items: No sounds and Default. You can therefore activate or deactivate alerts. We recommend that you leave it as it is. Now press the Tab key.
Here you can use the Down arrow key to select the sound that will be played when an alert occurs. MATE offers five sounds by default, and others are possible. Once you've selected the sound you want, press Tab to reach the Close button [2].
To test your setting, press Alt+F2, and then Backspace. Your alert sound should be played [2].
If you would like to learn how to configure the display parameters, continue with lesson 3. If you prefer to learn how to set the dashboard parameters, jump to lesson 4.
Screen configuration
[edit | edit source]In this lesson, we will explore the Appearance command in the Preferences menu and the Compiz configuration manager in the Preferences menu. This lesson is particularly aimed at people with partial vision who would like to change the font size, for example, to make their work easier.
Shortcuts to change the basic appearance
[edit | edit source]Temporarily, for example to resolve a particular situation or test a setting, you can change some display parameters on the fly.
First of all, you can adjust the zoom level on the screen. To do this, simply use the Super key and combine it with your mouse wheel or the Up and Down arrows. The setting will not be saved the next time you start up, but you can adjust the zoom to suit your needs. The super key, which is also known as the Windows key, is usually located to the left of the Alt key.