Managing apps and restoring crashed apps in GNU/Linux

aero_z · 01-18-2009, 06:00 PM

Hi,

I'm using Linux for some years now (Fedora) and would like to know some tricks for Linux (especially KDE).

You know the overused task-manager (CTRL-ALT-DELETE) in Windows?
Sometimes it's quite helpful. But I don't know of any in Linux. (CTRL-ESC doesn't work if you are fullscreen)

I use Fedora 10 with KDE.

So far as I know, there is no global key combination in KDE that can minimize a full screen window. What do you do if you want to quickly switch from a full screen game to your browser or messenger to look up something? I never found out how to do that. I'm captured inside the game and have to quit. And what to do if the game crashes in full screen? I can't return to the desktop... What I do is press CTRL-ALT-F[#] to change to text mode. I log in, top, and kill the app. Is there an easier way?

Another thing that happens a lot with me is that games crash and the resolution does not change back to the desktop resolution. Maybe you know a fast command to reset instead of going to the System Settings and changing the resolution to something different and changing back.

Or how to reset the mouse? (when games crash the mouse is frozen sometimes)

Hope this questions are not too stupid...
Thank you very much!

aero_z

jhwilliams · 01-18-2009, 06:49 PM

use gnome-terminal

Code:

killall process_name

or

lookup the pid:

Code:

ps aux | grep process_name

and then kill:

Code:

kill -9 process_id

CTRL-ALT-BACKSPACE restarts X

aero_z · 01-19-2009, 11:14 AM

Thank you for the commands! (killall was something that I didn't know)

The thing that I want to know most of all is whether you can return to the desktop from a full screen app. As the OS is very stable it would be a pity if you had to restart X just because a full screen application hangs.

Thx

jiml8 · 01-19-2009, 11:35 AM

alt-tab should scroll through all windows even if a full screen window is up. Or you could just hit ctrl-alt-F1 to go to a command console then kill the app that has the full screen window.

aero_z · 01-19-2009, 02:28 PM

Alt-tab doens't work with me. It switches between apps when not on full screen.
But when a full screen game is open it has no effects. (is this KDE specific? I think in GNOME alt-tab doesn't work too)
The full-screen app has control over the alt-tab combination, hasn't it?
I don't want to kill the app, I just want do go back to the desktop...

Thank you nevertheless!

jiml8 · 01-19-2009, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aero_z

Alt-tab doens't work with me. It switches between apps when not on full screen.
But when a full screen game is open it has no effects. (is this KDE specific? I think in GNOME alt-tab doesn't work too)
The full-screen app has control over the alt-tab combination, hasn't it?
I don't want to kill the app, I just want do go back to the desktop...

Thank you nevertheless!

Whether you can go back to the desktop or not depends on how the game is written. if it takes over the entire raster, then you can't do that because it has effectively killed the desktop. If it cooperates with the windowing mechanisms of X then you should be able to get it to behave like a window.

Sadly, many game writers do not cooperate with windowing mechanisms because of the overhead associated with that.

vinnywrite · 01-19-2009, 03:43 PM

in KDE ctrl-tab will switch betwen desktops!

aero_z · 01-19-2009, 03:50 PM

If this is true then I changed the defaults... When I press Ctrl-Tab it switches to the next firefox tab.
But also a key for changing desktop (I configured it as Ctrl-Alt-Right/Left like in GNOME) doesn't has any effect when a program is full-screen...

vinnywrite · 01-19-2009, 04:06 PM

go to Kmenu>controle center>reganal&acsesabilty>keybord shortcuts

at the top of the list is navagation expand it if it's colapsed find -walk thrue desktop list-click it and set it.

I'm not into gaming to mutch but runing xine in full screen this still works...........for me.

jhwilliams · 01-19-2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

The thing that I want to know most of all is whether you can return to the desktop from a full screen app.

In gnome, for me, the "leave fullscreen" shortcut is <F11>. Could be with KDE, too - give 'er a try.

vinnywrite · 01-19-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhwilliams

In gnome, for me, the "leave fullscreen" shortcut is <F11>. Could be with KDE, too - give 'er a try.

is that a gnome swich or the apps?

eney app. I use fullscreen usualey has it's own switch
like in xine f togels betwen full or not.

even world of warcraft had it's own fulscreen togel?

aero_z · 01-20-2009, 02:10 PM

hi,

@vinnywrite: The "walk trough desktops" key is not working. Sorry if my question was unspecific all the time: in normal windows the desktop switch or Alt-Tab work, but in games it doesn't. (e.g. fullscreen firefox or gwenview => work, xmoto or TnL => don't work)

Well, it's not tragic if the keys don't work in games, but I would like to know the reason... Is SDL maybe the cause of this? That it takes all priority?

If a global key is not implemented yet, I would really like one for switching to the desktop... (global like Ctrl-Alt-Backspace)

@jhwilliams: as far as I know this is just app specific. Most applications have this shortcut, but this is nothing from the system or window manager or desktop environment.

Thank you for your help!
I would still be happy if somebody has more info on that...