<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/"
      type="topic" style="reference"
      id="shell-terminology">

  <info>
    <link type="guide" xref="shell-overview#desktop" />
    
    <desc>An overview of terms used to describe different parts of the desktop.</desc>
    
    <revision pkgversion="3.2" date="2011-09-25" status="candidate"/>

    <credit type="author">
      <name>GNOME Documentation Project</name>
      <email>gnome-doc-list@gnome.org</email>
    </credit>

    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
  </info>

<title>Activities, dash, top bar... What are they?</title>

<!-- THIS SHOULD BE ALPHABETICALLY SORTED... it is. -->

<terms>
 <item>
  <title>Activities overview</title>
  <p>The <em>activities overview</em> is the screen that's displayed when you
 click on <gui>Activities</gui> at the top left of the screen.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Alt-Tab window switcher</title>
  <p>When you hold down the <key>Alt</key> key and then press <key>Tab</key>, a
 <em>window switcher</em> appears. This shows the icons of the applications you
 have currently open.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Dash</title>
  <p>The <em>dash</em> is the list of your favorite applications that is shown
 on the left-hand side of the activities overview. Applications that are
 currently running are also shown here. The dash is sometimes referred to as the
 <em>dock</em>.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Hot corner</title>
  <p>The <em>hot corner</em> is the corner at the top left of the screen. When
 you move the pointer to this corner, the activities overview opens.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Notifications</title>
  <p><em>Notifications</em> are messages that pop up at the bottom of the screen,
 telling you that something just happened. For example, when someone chatting
 with you sends a message, a notification will pop up to tell you. If you don't
 want to deal with a message right now, it is hidden in your messaging tray. Move
 your mouse to the bottom-right corner to see your messaging tray.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>System settings</title>
  <p>The <em>system settings</em> are where you can change preferences and so on,
 similar to the Control Panel in Windows or the System Preferences in Mac OS.
 Click your name on the top-right of the top bar and select
 <gui>System Settings</gui> to access them.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Top bar</title>
  <p>The <em>top bar</em> is the bar that runs along the very top of the screen.
 The <gui>Activities</gui> link is on one end of the top bar and your username
 is on the other.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Workspace</title>
  <p>You can put windows on different <em>workspaces</em>. They are a convenient
 way of grouping and separating windows.</p>
 </item>
 
 <item>
  <title>Workspace selector</title>
  <p>The <em>workspace selector</em> is the list of workspaces that is shown on
 the right-hand side of the <gui>Windows</gui> view in the activities overview.</p>
 </item>
 
</terms>

</page>
