<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="3.6.0" version="0.2" date="2012-11-03" status="review"/>

    <credit type="author">
      <name>GNOME Documentation Project</name>
      <email>gnome-doc-list@gnome.org</email>
    </credit>
    <credit type="editor">
      <name>Michael Hill</name>
      <email>mdhillca@gmail.com</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>Lock screen</title>
  <p>The <em>lock screen</em> displays an image on the screen while your
 computer is locked. It provides useful information about what has been
 happening while you have been away, and allows you to control media playback
 without having to unlock.</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 (or press
 <keyseq><key xref="windows-key">Super</key><key>M</key></keyseq>) 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>
