Official Ubuntu Book, The

Ubuntu is a complete, free operating system that emphasizes community, support, and ease of use while also enhancing speed, power, and flexibility. It is Linux for human beings, designed for everyone from computer novices to experts. Ubuntu 12.04 is the latest release--more powerful, more forward-looking, and friendlier than ever. The Official Ubuntu Book, Seventh Edition, will get you up and running quickly. This title serves a wide audience: Ubuntu novices, intermediate users, ,those who just want to test the waters and give Ubuntu a try, and those who want to take the next step toward becoming power users. It is not intended as a guide to highly technical uses like professional systems administration or programming, although there is some technical material here. The focus is on learning the landscape, starting from little to no experience with Ubuntu or Linux and maturing through proficiency and power use as a regular, everyday home or business user. Written by expert, leading Ubuntu community members, this book covers all you need to know to make the most of Ubuntu 12.04, whether you're a home user, small business user, server administrator, programmer, or novice.
The authors explain Ubuntu 12.04 from start to finish: installation, configuration, desktop productivity, games, management, support, and much more. A new focus in this edition is deep coverage of the groundbreaking, user-experience-focused Unity desktop, an innovative new style of human--computer interaction that has undergone extensive development and testing to provide powerful, industry-leading usability. This complete guide also covers standard desktop applications, from word processing, spreadsheets, Web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, music, video, and games, to software development, databases, and server applications.
In addition, you will * Learn how to customize Ubuntu for home, small business, school, government, and enterprise environments * Learn how to quickly update Ubuntu to new release versions with upgraded applications * Find up-to-the-minute troubleshooting advice from Ubuntu users worldwide to get the help you need quickly * Learn Ubuntu Server installation and administration, including LVM and RAID implementation * Learn how to use Ubuntu One to buy legal music from your favorite artists and how to use cloud storage to back up or share your important files * Learn how you can be a part of the community that creates Ubuntu The DVD includes the complete Ubuntu Linux operating system for installation on PC platforms. The disk is preconfigured with an outstanding desktop environment for both home and business computing, for novices and advanced users.

List of contents

Foreword to the Sixth Edition xix Foreword to the First Edition xxi
Preface xxvii
Acknowledgments xxxi
About the Authors xxxiii
Introduction xxxv
 
Chapter 1: The Ubuntu Story         1
The Vision   2
Free Software, Open Source, and GNU/Linux   3
How the Vision Became Ubuntu   7
What Is Ubuntu?   12
Ubuntu Promises and Goals   17
Sustaining the Vision: Canonical and the Ubuntu Foundation   25
Beyond the Vision: Ubuntu Subprojects, Derivatives, and Spin-Offs   30
Summary   32
 
Chapter2: Installing Ubuntu         33
Choosing Your Ubuntu Version   34
Getting Ubuntu   36
Booting and Installing   40
Installing from the Alternate Install CD   53
Installing from within Windows   59
Summary   59
 
Chapter 3: Getting Started with Ubuntu         61
Getting Acquainted with Unity   63
Using Applications   74
Using Ubuntu in Your Language   84
Configuring a Printer   84
Keeping Your Computer Updated   88
Adding and Removing Programs and Packages   90
Upgrading to the Next Ubuntu Release   93
Ubuntu and Multimedia   95
Backing Up   102
Customizing Ubuntu's Look and Feel   104
Summary   104
 
Chapter 4: Becoming an Ubuntu Power User         105
Administering System and User Settings 106
Understanding How Linux Stores and Organizes Files   111
Learning Unity Keyboard Shortcuts   115
Using the Terminal   118
Working with Windows Programs   119
Installing Software from PPAs   120
Compiling Software from Source   121
Summary   122
 
Chapter 5: Finding and Installing Ubuntu Applications         123
Using Ubuntu Software Center   124
Learning Terminology and Foundations   131
Using Synaptic   132
Useful Software Packages to Explore   135
Playing to Learn with Educational Programs   154
Summary   161
 
Chapter 6: Customizing Ubuntu for Performance, Accessibility, and Fun         163
Unity Terminology   164
Appearance Tool   169
MyUnity   171
Compiz Config Settings Manager   174
Unity Lenses and Scopes  181
Additional Resources   181
Summary   182
 
Chapter 7: Welcome to the Command Line         183
Starting Up the Terminal   184
Getting Started   185
Building Pipelines   186
Running Commands as Superuser   187
Finding Help   188
Moving around the Filesystem   189
Manipulating Files and Folders   190
System Information Commands   191
Searching and Editing Text Files   192
Dealing with Users and Groups   193
Getting Help on the Command Line   194
Searching for Man Files   195
Using Wildcards   195
Executing Multiple Commands   196
Moving to More Advanced Uses of the Command Line  198
 
Chapter 8: The Ubuntu Server         199
What Is Ubuntu Server?   200
Installing Ubuntu Server   202
Ubuntu Package Management   214
Ubuntu Server Security   225
Advanced Topics   232
Summary   238
 
Chapter 9: Ubuntu-Related Projects and Derivatives         241
Recognized Derivatives  242
Editions   253
Remixes   254
Other Distributions   256
Launchpad   258
Bazaar   267
Ubuntu One   268
Summary   273
 
Chapter 10: The Ubuntu Community         275
Venues   277
Teams, Processes, and Community Governance   293
Getting Involved   306
Submitting Apps to the Ubuntu Software Center   310
Summary   310
 
Index          313

 

About the author

Matthew Helmke first used Unix in 1987 and has been an Ubuntu user since April 2005. He has been an active member of the Ubuntu community since that time, including leadership roles in the Ubuntu Forums and one of the Ubuntu membership boards. He is also the author of Ubuntu Unleashed (SAMS, 2012), intended for more technical and advanced users.  
Amber Graner is an active Ubuntu community member whose path to Ubuntu activism started as she blogged about her transition to Ubuntu in 2009. She contributes to the Ubuntu News Team, Ubuntu Women Project, and much more.
 

Summary

Ubuntu is a complete, free operating system that emphasizes community, support, and ease of use while also enhancing speed, power, and flexibility. It is Linux for human beings, designed for everyone from computer novices to experts. Ubuntu 12.04 is the latest release-more powerful, more forward-looking, and friendlier than ever. The Official Ubuntu Book, Seventh Edition, will get readers up and running quickly.

Product details

• Authors: Jono Bacon, Grane, Graner, Amber Graner, Helmk, Helmke, Matthew Helmke, Benjamin Mako Hill, Kyle Rankin, Rankin et al
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2012
• EAN: 9780133017601
• ISBN: 978-0-13-301760-1
• No. of pages: 432
• Weight: 650 g
• Series: Prentice Hall; Prentice Hall
• Subject: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > Operating systems, user interfaces