Beginning Ubuntu Linux

If you’re an avid computer user, there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Linux. You might have read about it or perhaps heard about it in the media.

Linux is more than just software. It’s an entire community of users, and as such, there’s a detailed social history behind it. In this chapter, you’ll look at the origins of Linux, both in terms of where it came from and the people who make it.

So now that you’ve learned about the politics, history, and personalities behind Linux and Ubuntu, only one question remains: what’s Linux actually like when used day to day? What should the average user expect from the experience?

The first part of this book discussed using Linux as part of your day-to-day life. It was intended to help you evaluate Linux and understand what you’re buying into should you decide to make it your operating system of choice. Now we move on to actually installing Linux and, specifically, Ubuntu, which is included with this book on a DVD-ROM.

It’s now time to install Ubuntu. In the dim and distant past, installation was sometimes difficult, but the developers now have it down to a fine art, so it should take only 30 minutes or so on a modern PC. It’s also relatively simple, with very few decisions to make throughout, and lots of hand-holding.

It’s unlikely that you’ll encounter any problems during your Ubuntu installation, and you’ll find yourself with a first-rate operating system up and running within just a few minutes. However, sometimes issues do arise, so we’ve drawn together a list of possible problems alongside their solutions, which should get you out of any tight spot. These problems are organized by the time that they occur: before you start Ubuntu’s live distro mode; while running the installation program; and after the installation, when you boot for the first time. The final section of the chapter describes how to configure the graphical subsystem with the X.org configuration utility, which can be useful if graphical glitches arise. The latest version of Ubuntu has an all-encompassing recovery mode, which should assist in solving any problems.

Now that Ubuntu is installed, you’ll no doubt want to get started immediately, and that’s what Part 3 of this book is all about. In later chapters, we’ll present specific details of using Ubuntu and getting essential hardware up and running. We’ll also show you how to personalize the desktop so it works in a way that’s best for you on a day-to-day basis. But right now, the goal of this chapter is to get you doing the same things you did under Windows as quickly as possible.

This chapter guides you through setting up all the essential components of your Ubuntu installation. This includes hardware configuration, as well as setting up e-mail. It covers the postinstallation steps necessary to get your system up and running efficiently.

Linux is widely considered one of the most secure operating systems available. On a basic level, Linux is built from the ground up to be fundamentally sound, and it forces users to work with security in mind. For instance, it enforces the system of ordinary users who are limited in what they can do, thus making it harder for security breaches such as virus infections to occur.

If you’ve read this book from Chapter 1, by this stage you no doubt have become comfortable with Ubuntu. You’ve started to realize its advantages and are on the way to making it your operating system of choice.

Ubuntu is a thoroughly modern operating system and, as such, includes a comprehensive selection of software for just about every day-to-day task. Regardless of whether you want to write letters, edit images, or listen to music, Ubuntu offers something for you.

Files are what make the world of Linux go round. They’re the currency of any kind of operating system, because every time you use your computer, you generate new files, even if they’re only temporary.

As you learned in Chapter 1, strictly speaking, the word

Linux

refers to just the kernel, which is the fundamental, invisible program that runs your PC and lets everything happen. However, on its own, the kernel is completely useless. It needs programs to let users interact with the PC and do cool stuff, and it needs a lot of system files (also referred to as

libraries

) to provide vital functions.

Most of us are used to dealing with files—the things that live on our hard disks, floppies, and DVD-ROMs, and contain data and program code. It should come as no surprise that Linux has its own file structure, which is different from Windows in terms of where data is stored and also the underlying technology.

Windows views text files as just another file type, but to Ubuntu, they can be essential components that make the system work. Configuration files are stored as plain text, and program documentation is also stored as text. This is clearly different from Windows, where any information you’re supposed to read will likely be contained in a Windows help file, a rich text format (RTF) file, or even a Microsoft Word document.

By now, you should be starting to realize that the shell offers an enormous amount of power when it comes to administering your PC. The BASH shell commands give you quick and efficient control over most aspects of your Linux setup. However, the shell truly excels in one area: controlling the processes on your system.

The BASH shell is the product of many years of development work by a lot of people. It’s directly descended from software used in the old days of Unix and was an important step in computer software evolution. It’s a program that retains complete logical simplicity yet packs in more features than most users could ever hope to use.

Today’s PC is a multimedia powerhouse, and it’s hard to come across a home computer that doesn’t have at least a set of speakers attached. Some people take this to extremes and have surround-sound speakers on their computers, as well as large widescreen monitors for crystal-clear, high-definition video playback.

Movie playback is becoming increasingly popular on computers. Most PCs now ship with hardware capable of playing back DVDs, and web sites such as YouTube and Vimeo provide thousands of clips for viewing via your web browser.

The PC has become a vital tool in the field of photography. In fact, you’re unlikely to find any photographer—professional or amateur—who doesn’t use a PC somewhere in his or her work.

You might be willing to believe that you can get a complete operating system for no cost. You might even be able to accept that this offers everything Windows does and much more. But one stumbling block many people have is in believing that a Microsoft Officecompatible office suite comes as part of the zero-cost bundle. It’s a step too far. Office costs hundreds of dollars—are they expecting us to believe that there’s a rival product that is free?

All the programs in the OpenOffice.org suite rely on a common interface, and therefore look and operate in a similar way. They are also configured in an identical way, and all rely on central concepts such as wizards, which guide you through the creation of particular types of documents. In addition, many components within the suite are shared across the various programs. For example, the automatic chart creation tool within Calc can also be used within Writer.

The word processor is arguably the most popular element within any office suite. That said, you’ll be happy to know that OpenOffice.org’s Writer component doesn’t skimp on features. It offers full text-editing and formatting functionality, along with powerful higher-level features such as mail merge.

Calc is the spreadsheet component of OpenOffice.org. Like most modern spreadsheet programs, it contains hundreds of features, many of which few average users will ever use. However, it doesn’t abandon its user-friendliness in the process and remains very simple for those who want to work on modest calculations, such as home finances or mortgage interest payments. In terms of features, Calc is in many regards practically a clone of Excel, and anyone who has used Microsoft’s spreadsheet program will be able to get started with Calc immediately.

Impress is the presentation package within OpenOffice.org. At first glance, it appears to be the simplest of the key OpenOffice.org components, and also the one that most borrows the look and feel of some versions of Microsoft Office. However, delving into its feature set reveals more than a few surprises, including sophisticated animation effects and drawing tools. Impress can also export presentations as Adobe Flash-compatible files, which means that many Internet-enabled desktop computers around the world will be able to display the files, even if they don’t have Impress or even Microsoft PowerPoint installed.

The various OpenOffice.org applications include a number of tools to both interface with database servers and perform tasks such as entering and editing data. However, for most day-to-day users who have humble needs, creating such a setup is rather complicated. It requires some knowledge of how databases work on a technical level. For this reason, a new component was added to OpenOffice.org with the 2.0 release: Base.

Although I’ve included it in the “Office” section of this book, the Evolution program isn’t part of the OpenOffice.org suite. However, although it’s not explicitly described as such by its developers, Evolution is considered the “official” GNOME desktop e-mail program, and the Evolution interface retains the same look and feel as many elements of the Ubuntu desktop.

One of the fun things about running any operating system is the ability to expand it—to add in new software over time to improve your workflow or just enhance entertainment value.

Linux was designed from the ground up to be a multiuser system. When powerful Linux machines are deployed in huge data centers, they are capable of serving hundreds, if not thousands, of users at the same time. In a more domestic setting, such as when Ubuntu is installed on a desktop PC,

multiuser

means that several family members can have their own login on the PC. They’ll get their own desktop environment that is separate from that of the other users and their own file storage area away from the eyes of everyone else (except the root user).

Ubuntu should prove to be as responsive in day-to-day operation as Windows, if not more so. But if you run into any performance issues, or if you simply want to get the most out of your system, this chapter is for you. The chapter doesn’t cover essential knowledge, so you can skip it if you’re satisfied with how your system runs. More often than not, it discusses hacks—clever methods of making things work in a nonstandard fashion. But as your experience of Ubuntu might have already taught you, such hacks are the lifeblood of Linux. One of the strengths of Linux is the ability to delve under the hood and change absolutely any aspect of the way it works.

Every computer user knows that backing up data is vital. This is usually because every computer user has lost data at some point, perhaps because of a corrupted file or an accidental deletion.

In this book, you’ve learned about various tasks you can perform to keep Ubuntu running smoothly. Although some of these tasks require human intervention, many—such as backing up your important files or clearing the clutter from the folder to ensure that you always have enough free disk space—can be automated relatively easily by using the methods in this chapter. This will give you more time to do other stuff and will also ensure that those vital tasks are carried out regularly and without fail. They can be run either periodically or as one-time tasks.

One area where Linux particularly excels is in its support for networking, including across the Internet. If you wish to learn about how networks operate on a fundamental level, Linux is an ideal choice, because it puts you in direct contact with the technology.