This chapter contains information on:
To install applications that came from your system's manufacturer, use the Software Manager. Refer to the Software Manager Help button for details on using Software Manager. To install software from other vendors, see the instructions that came with the software.find_apps
See “Finding Applications” in Chapter 6 for information on accessing applications on your system and see “Accessing Applications On Remote Systems” for information on accessing applications on other systems on your network.
This section lists three techniques for running applications: double-clicking icons, using the selected menu, and dragging and dropping icons. Also see “Saving Your Desktop Layout” in Chapter 11. It describes how to make applications start up automatically when you log in.
The easiest way to start an application is to place the cursor over the application icon and double-click with the left mouse button.
 | Tip: If you use an application frequently, drag the icon onto the desktop so it is easily accessible. See also “Giving Yourself Easy Access to Icons ” in Chapter 4. |
You can start an application by using the Open command on the Selected menu.
Place the cursor over the icon, then click the left mouse button to select the icon. The icon turns yellow when it is selected.
Do one of the following:
If the icon is in a window, such as an Icon View, choose Open from the Selected menu on the window that contains the icon.
If the icon is on the desktop, choose Open from the Selected toolchest.
Tip: Use the right mouse button to select the Selected menu. Select the icon, then hold down the right mouse menu button.
Dragging and dropping icons allows you to simultaneously launch both the file and the application that you want to open.
Place the cursor over the icon of the file you want to view or edit. The icon brightens slightly when the cursor is above it.
Press and hold down the left mouse button. The icon turns yellow.
Drag the cursor and icon until they are over the application icon. The icon travels with the cursor, leaving behind a gray outline.
When the application icon turns blue, release the mouse button.
The icon you dragged returns to its original location. The application runs and the file opens.
Note: If the application icon does not turn blue when you drag an icon on top of it, click once on the application icon, then try dragging and dropping again. If the icon still does not turn blue, the system cannot perform the operation. For example, a folder icon will not turn blue if you drag a file onto it but do not have permission to alter to that directory.
Some applications let you specify the mode in which you want them to run. You do so by specifying a command line option. You usually type command line options into a shell window. This section describes how you can specify a command line option without using a shell window.
For example, to run IRIS Showcase, the drawing and presentation package that came with your system, in view-only mode:
Select the IRIS Showcase icon, press the Alt key, and double-click the left mouse button.
A form appears. The text that appears is the IRIX command required to run the application.
Type the command line option after the text, then press Enter. In the following example, you add -v to the end of the line, so the complete command line would be:
/usr/sbin/showcase -v fl
Many applications offer command line options. To find out available command line options for a particular command, refer to the man pages (in InfoSearch).
If your workstation is part of a network, you can use applications that are installed on another workstation. To do this, use the Access Desktop form or use a shell window, as described in:
You can use the Access Desktop panel to access an application on another host and display it on your screen.
To open the Access Desktop tool from the Toolchest, choose Desktop > Access Files > By Remote Login.
Type in the name of the remote workstation.
Type in the login name and password.
You can type in the login name of a user who has a login account on the remote system. Or, if you do not have an account on the remote system, or do not know an account name on the system, try guest.
Do one of the following:
If you do not know what directory the application is in, click Toolchest, then Apply, and then choose Find > Icon Catalog from the remote Toolchest that appears.
If you know the directory that the application is in, click Directory to open an Icon View of that directory. Then, type in the pathname for the directory that contains the application. Click Apply.
Use the newly launched remote Icon Catalog or Icon View to locate the application icon.
Double-click the application icon to open the application.
The application window appears on your desktop.
If your workstation is part of a network, you can use applications that are stored on another workstation. To do this, you can log in to the other workstation, then tell the application to display its windows on your workstation screen.
Before using rlogin to log into the remote system, make sure that Enable Remote Display is turned on. This ensures that you can display remote applications on your screen. To do this, open the Desktop Settings control panel by selecting Desktop from the Customize menu in the Desktop toolchest. A checkmark should appear in the box next to Enable Remote Display. If a checkmark does not appear, click the box to enable remote display.
To use rlogin to access applications on another system:
Open a shell window by selecting Desktop > Open Unix Shell from the Toolchest.
Place the cursor in the shell window, then type:
rlogin workstationname -l guest
Then press Enter.
After a few seconds, you see a message in the shell window that tells you the name of the workstation you logged in to, the version of software it is running, and some copyright information.
Note: If the workstation you are logging in to is in a different domain, you need to specify the domain name. For example, if you are logging in to a workstation named ambrosia, and it is part of a domain named bldg2, you need to type ambrosia.bldg2. Set the DISPLAY environment variable by typing:
setenv DISPLAY yourworkstationname:0.0
The DISPLAY environment variable specifies which workstation screen will display the program.
Type printenv to make sure DISPLAY is set properly.
You should see a line similar to this:
DISPLAY=yourworkstationame:0.0
Type the program name into the shell window, then press Enter.
Note: The command you type may be different from the full program name. For example, to run IRIS Showcase you type: showcase The program should appear on your screen.
When you are finished working with the application and want to log out of the other workstation, type exit in the same shell window, then press Enter.
Note that Enable Remote Display makes your own desktop remote display open to all remote hosts, so you may want to turn it off when you are not using it.
When your system starts getting low on disk space, you may want to review the list of software products that are currently installed.You may no longer need certain products, or you may discover that some products include large, optional subsystems that you can remove without removing the core product. Use the Software Manager to do this. From the Toolchest, choose System > Software Manager. Refer to the Software Manager Help menu for details on using Software Manager.
The Icon Catalog shows collections of applications and tools that are available on your system. You can also use the Icon Catalog to create your own collection of icons. For example, suppose you use a suite of tools to create 3D models. You can place them all on a page in the Icon Catalog so they are easily accessible.
To open the Icon Catalog, click the words Icon Catalog now, or select the Find menu from the Toolchest and choose an item from the Icon Catalog menu. See the Help menu on the Icon Catalog for details on creating a new catalog page.
Some applications support a global copy and paste mechanism. This means you can copy and paste text, sound, images, and more from one application to another. For example, suppose you want to copy an image from an IRIS Showcase page and place it onto the InPerson whiteboard. You can do so using the Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu or the middle mouse button.
To use the Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu:
Select the image on the IRIS Showcase page.
The image is surrounded by green selection boxes when it is selected.
Choose Copy from the Edit menu in IRIS Showcase.
Choose Paste from the Edit menu in the InPerson window.
The image appears on the whiteboard.
To copy the image using the middle mouse button:
Select the image on the IRIS Showcase page.
The image is surrounded by green selection boxes when it is selected. This object is called the primary selection because it is the most recent selection.
Before clicking the left mouse button or making another selection, place the cursor over the InPerson whiteboard, then click the middle mouse button.
The image appears on the whiteboard.