Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
You should see the command-line prompt, where you can type commands and run programs.
In the next section, you're going to start the program that allows you to use the Raspberry Pi
graphically.
Starting the Graphical Desktop
If you are familiar with Windows or OS X, you are used to a friendly graphical desktop that is
loaded automatically with icons you can click. On the Raspberry Pi, however, in order to show
that a graphical desktop doesn't have to be integral to a computer, it isn't loaded automatically.
The X Server
The design of Linux means that the graphical desktop runs on top of the OS as a separate
program called the
X server
. This opens up additional possibilities, such as controlling one
computer with the display being shown on another computer over a network connection.
This means that you can control the Raspberry Pi without having a monitor plugged into it,
which is useful if you put it in a remote location (see Chapter 13, “Home Automation”).
To start the graphical display on the Raspberry Pi, type
startx
.
After a few seconds the X server will start, and you will be able to use a graphical desktop. If
you can see the Raspberry Pi logo in the background, then congratulations - you have suc-
cessfully connected your Raspberry Pi! he projects in this topic assume that you're starting
from here, with the desktop displayed.
Starting a Terminal under X
Linux makes greater use of the text-based command line, often known as a
terminal.
his can
be very powerful and quicker for some tasks than using a mouse. To start a terminal in a
window under X, double-click the LXTerminal icon on the desktop, or select it from the
menu by clicking Accessories and then clicking LXTerminal.
Troubleshooting
Hopefully, you'll never need this section, but even if you think you've followed all the instruc-
tions, you might discover that something doesn't work. Finding and debugging problems are
important aspects of computing. he general approach is to be logical and eliminate parts
