Is there a task manager type thing in ubuntu?

i was wondering this, cause on some very rare occasions, some programs will freeze up. not only that, but sometimes i just wanna see what my cpu is doing. is there any type of task manager thing for ubuntu, or am i blindly operating?

 

There is a "System Monitor" under system-->administration. It has the functionality you're looking for.

You can even set it to pop up with CTRL-ALT-DELETE just like in windows. Either install this functionality using Automatix2, or type the following commands into a terminal:

gconftool-2 -t str --set /apps/metacity/global_keybindings/run_command_9 "<Control><Alt>Delete"

gconftool-2 -t str --set /apps/metacity/keybinding_commands/command_9 "gnome-system-monitor"

I personally just used Automatix2, but those commands should do the same thing if the forum I got them from gave correct instructions.

 

In addition to zephyr's reply, I will add that you generally shouldn't need to use the System Monitor to end frozen programs. If you click the close button ("x"), you should get a dialog box that pops up and allows you to force quit the program. This has worked for me every time; I don't think I've ever had to use System Monitor to shut down an application.

 

zephyrus offers good advise on getting Cntrl+Alt+Del to look like Windows.

I would have to agree with notebook_ftw, though. There isn't a need to force quit apps or processes the way you had to under Windows. The dialog box is enough...and very, very rare. The only time I have to force quit is when I use my favorite (but buggy) music program, Banshee. Of course, if I didn't like the features enough, I could use a far more stable program for media playing...

 

Yeah, I really like Banshee too, but it's just a bit too buggy for me to use often. I end up using Rythmbox (sp?) instead most of the time. Firefox also occasionally locks up, but it does so in Windows too. I haven't found any Firefox version to be as stable as 1.0.7, but that's me.

 

I have yet to try out Banshee, but I am currently using Exaile! which I like better than Rhythmbox. It's basically a GTK version of Amarok. I don't believe it's in the main repositories, but it can easily be downloaded from here if you'd like to try it out:

http://www.exaile.org/trac/wiki/Releases

 

Thanks! I'll probably try that out at some point. I've heard good things about Amarok, but haven't used it much considering I don't run KDE and hate running KDE apps in Gnome (they look weird IMO).

 

If you use an iPod, AmaroK is well worth it.

And it's a good idea to switch away from Gnome anyway I hate using software that is built on such a horribly designed base (GTK+), especially when it won't let me configure it to work the way I want it to. Ever notice how things like Beryl are integrated with KDE much sooner than with Gnome? That's not because Gnome users are cautious, but because it's much harder and less elegant to integrate the systems.

 

Haha let's not start one of those infamous gnome vs kde debates Let's just say each has it's advantages/disadvantages and it's a good thing both exist so that they can continually push each other to improve. We'll leave it at that

 

I'll just use Xfce. HA! In your face!

 

At least Xfce has being light-weight going for it...

 

I must say I love the speed of XFCE

 

To remain a bit on topic, if you use KDE, KSysGuard is the Task Manager-like utility you'd seek.

- Trip