Here are five GUI programs commonly used in Linux, along with the corresponding commands typically used behind them:
File Manager (e.g., Nautilus):
- Nautilus is the default file manager for the GNOME desktop environment in many Linux distributions. The
nautilus
command launches the Nautilus file manager, providing users with a graphical interface to navigate files and folders on their system. Behind the scenes, Nautilus interacts with the filesystem using system calls and various libraries to perform operations such as browsing directories, copying/moving files, creating/deleting folders, and more.
- Nautilus is the default file manager for the GNOME desktop environment in many Linux distributions. The
Text Editor (e.g., gedit):
- Gedit is a simple and lightweight text editor that comes pre-installed with many Linux distributions using the GNOME desktop environment. The
gedit
command opens the Gedit text editor, allowing users to create, edit, and save text-based files. Behind the scenes, Gedit utilizes GTK (GIMP Toolkit) libraries to create its graphical user interface and interacts with the underlying filesystem to read and write text files.
- Gedit is a simple and lightweight text editor that comes pre-installed with many Linux distributions using the GNOME desktop environment. The
Web Browser (e.g., Firefox):
- Firefox is a popular open-source web browser available for various platforms, including Linux. The
firefox
command launches the Firefox web browser, providing users with a graphical interface to browse the internet. Behind the scenes, Firefox uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages and communicates with network protocols such as HTTP and HTTPS to fetch and render web content.
- Firefox is a popular open-source web browser available for various platforms, including Linux. The
Image Viewer (e.g., Eye of GNOME):
- Eye of GNOME (EOG) is a lightweight image viewer for the GNOME desktop environment. The
eog
command opens the Eye of GNOME application, allowing users to view images stored on their system. Behind the scenes, EOG uses GTK libraries to create its user interface and interacts with the filesystem to load and display images in various formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF.
- Eye of GNOME (EOG) is a lightweight image viewer for the GNOME desktop environment. The
Terminal Emulator (e.g., GNOME Terminal):
- GNOME Terminal is a terminal emulation application that provides users with a command-line interface to interact with their Linux system. The
gnome-terminal
command launches the GNOME Terminal application, presenting users with a shell prompt where they can execute commands and perform various system tasks. Behind the scenes, GNOME Terminal emulates a terminal environment and communicates with the shell (e.g., Bash) running on the system, allowing users to run commands and receive their output interactively.
- GNOME Terminal is a terminal emulation application that provides users with a command-line interface to interact with their Linux system. The
In summary, each of these GUI programs in Linux has a corresponding command that directly launches the application and provides users with a graphical interface to perform various tasks, whether it's managing files, editing text, browsing the web, viewing images, or interacting with the command line.