SUSE LINUX comes with a wealth of applications. There is a Linux option for almost any purpose. Quite often, you even find more than one suitable application for your purpose. Chapter 2, Getting to Know Linux Software provides a comprehensive list of applications you might look for when converting from MS Windows. There, easily find the Linux analog of your MS Windows application.

There are three different ways to launch an application in Linux. The easiest and most prominent one is the main menu of your desktop environment. Click at the leftmost edge of the panel to fold out the menu. Select the appropriate category to fold out a submenu holding the actual application names and icons.

Some applications do not appear in the main menu even though they are installed. To launch one of them, open the main menu then select ‘Run Application’ (GNOME) or ‘Run Command’ (KDE) and enter the name of the application in lowercase letters. Alternatively, start this dialog using Alt-F2. The third way to launch an application is to open a shell and enter the command at the shell prompt, also known as command line.

	Missing Applications
If an application could not be started from the menu or the command line, you need to install it from your SUSE LINUX CD or DVD. See Section 1.7.1, “Installing New Applications” for details.