Linux Quick Start - How to Use a Linux Desktop - To Run Linux Software Programs and Linux Commands

As a new Linux user, you can make it easier to work with Linux, by getting a version of Linux that has a desktop.
Using Linux with a desktop makes it much easier to run popular Linux software programs and get to the Linux command line prompt to run Linux commands.
Linux Tips: There are several different Linux desktops and two of the most popular are the KDE and GNOME desktops. All Linux desktops provide the same general functionality (menus, icons and organization), but they have a different “look and feel” when using them. Try working with a few different desktops to see which one(s) you like best!
Running Linux Software Programs from a Linux Desktop
There are thousands of amazing Linux software programs you can use!
To run a Linux software program from a desktop, you simply click on the icon for the program or select the program from a menu.
For example, on the KDE desktop, in SUSE Linux, you click on the Konqueror icon to run the Konqueror (web browser / file manager) program.
As another example, from the GNOME desktop, in Ubuntu Linux, you do the following steps to run the OpenOffice word processing program named Writer:
    Select the Applications menu ;  then select Office ; and then select Word Processor.
Running Linux Commands from a Linux Desktop
To learn how to work with Linux, such as do Linux system administration tasks, you need to learn how to run Linux commands.
To run commands from a desktop, you just open a terminal emulation window, also known as a Linux terminal or Linux console.
Once you have opened a terminal (emulation window), you can see the Linux command line prompt and you can run Linux commands.
Linux Tips: When you use a Linux desktop, you can open multiple Linux terminal / console windows and work as a “regular” (non-root) Linux user in some and work as the root (a.k.a. superuser, su) in others. You can also size and move Linux terminal emulation windows.
As part of your Linux training, remember that the best way to learn Linux - and learn to administer a Linux system, is to run Linux commands. Linux video tutorials are an excellent way to learn how to use Linux commands and concepts, so you can get easy Linux training!