To open the command line, type C-t c. There is no automatic package management in the Ratpoison edition, so you will need to make regular manual checks for updates:

$su #change to root

#slapt-get --update #update the package list

#slapt-get --upgrade #upgrade to reflect any changes

Apart from the Vimprobable2 browser, the default applications include Mutt as the mail client and Gnome Commander as the file manager. Music On Console and Whaaw Media Player are the audio and video players, with GVim as text/code editor. apvlv can be used to view pdf files. As we have just seen, package management is console-based, using slapt-get and slapt-src. Further options are available in the repository. Firefox may be installed adding the pentadactyl or vimperator addon for mouse-free browsing, or alternatively Jumanji, XXXTerm or w3m, a browser for the command line. Thunderbird can be used with the Muttator addon while Claws-mail works almost entirely from the keyboard; Alpine is a friendly console email client.

No office suite is included, and in this as in other respects, the user is encouraged to tailor the system by installing their preferred applications. Flash is not included, but is available from the repositories. Screen for managing multiple consoles works well with Ratpoison. Sc is a console-based spreadsheet. For writers, PyRoom is an elegant choice for full-screen, distraction-free writing, and it might be complemented by Antiword to convert proprietary file formats into plain text.

Note that the Gslapt and Sourcery graphical package management tools (equivalent to slapt-get and slapt-src) may also be used mouse-lessly, though this is perhaps more awkward than working on the command line. In either case, regular manual upgrading will still be necessary.

As an example, we will install Alpine, derived from the classic Pine mail client.

#slapt-get -u

#slapt-get -i alpine

Note: To see how to edit Alpine's configuration file to access mail from one popular provider via smtp, see the page in the Salix wiki.

For Mutt, see this wiki entry.