The Taskbar

The taskbar displays all running applications — both minimized and on the desktop (see Figure 3-7).

You can keep the taskbar running in a separate location from the panel or you can have them both located in the same place on the desktop. The default configuration places the taskbar at the top of the desktop while the panel runs at the bottom of the desktop. Right-click on the panel and select Settings to open the Kpanel Control Module. Make your placement selection under Panel Location on the General tab.

You can maximize running applications or bring them to the front of your working windows by clicking on the associated item on the taskbar.

Switch Tasks Quickly

Another way to bring minimized or background windows to the front is to use the [Alt] and [Tab] keys. To pick an item from the taskbar, hold down [Alt]-[Tab]. To scroll through the tasks, hold down the [Alt] key, while pressing the [Tab] key in succession. When you've found the task you want to maximize and bring to the front, release both keys. This procedure works only on your current desktop, so if you've got applications running on other desktops, you'll have to switch to that desktop in order to maximize it with these keys.