Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks

Ravi writes "It is a fact that GNU/Linux has grown from a hackers operating system to be a viable alternative to any commercial proprietary operating system. And the plethora of books on Linux that are being published underlines the popularity of this OS. There are hundreds of flavors of Linux distributions — some of them more popular than the others. Ubuntu Linux is one such distribution which has caught the fancy of many Linux enthusiasts and which enjoys the number one position in the popularity rating chart." Read the rest of Ravi's review. Ubuntu Linux for non-geeks author Rickford Grant pages 360 publisher No Starch Press rating 9 reviewer Ravi ISBN 1-59327-118-2 summary A very good book targeted at newbies for installing and configuring Ubuntu Linux

I recently came across a very nice book titled "Ubuntu Linux for non-geeks" authored by Rickford Grant and published by No Starch Press. What attracted me to this book was the obvious title which makes no bones about the fact that this book is targeted at non-geeks.

The book is divided into 18 chapters and 3 appendices spanning over 300 pages. The author starts the narration by imparting a good understanding of the history of Linux and the relationship between Ubuntu and Linux. In this chapter, the author clears a few doubts arising in a lay person's mind about Linux such as the difference between a distribution and an OS, the hardware requirements for running Ubuntu and so on.

In the past, I have seen Linux books using well over 50 pages just to explain the installation process but Ubuntu is famed for its simple 6 step installation. The next chapter is a very short one which gives a good illustrated explanation of the steps needed to boot Ubuntu using the latest version of Ubuntu live CD (included with the book) and install the OS on the hard disk.

The third chapter explores many common features of the Gnome desktop which is the default desktop in Ubuntu. Here the readers are introduced to different aspects of the desktop from the panels, the menus, the applets to the steps for customizing.

One thing I really like about this book is the obvious way in which each task is split into separate chapters. For example, you have a chapter explaining the file and disk management , a chapter which explains how to set up the network and log on to the internet, another for setting up your printer and scanner, still another explaining different ways of downloading and installing software and so on.

I especially liked the 8th chapter titled "Getting to know the Linux terminal and command line", where the author introduces the shell and a number of command line tools to the readers. What I found really interesting was that at the end of the chapter, the author walks you through installing and configuring so you get to try out all the commands introduced earlier.

In the 11th chapter, the author explains how to make the fonts on the Ubuntu machine look prettier and the steps needed to install different kinds of additional fonts such as Microsoft true type fonts.

Ubuntu Linux bundles with it a rich set of applications which more than meets the need of an average home user. The 13th and 14th chapter introduces some of the most popular ones such as office suites, image viewers and so on.

The next three chapters deal exclusively in setting up and configuring audio and video in Ubuntu. Considering that some of the audio/video formats are patented, it is not possible to include support for them by default in Linux. Rather, it is up to the user to get these proprietary audio and video formats to work in Linux. And through these chapters, the author explains all that needs to be done to get all audio and video formats to work in Ubuntu.

The appendix also contain a section where the author gives a list of web resources where one can find more information related to Linux — more specifically Ubuntu Linux.

This very nice book on Ubuntu Linux is clearly targeted at the neophytes who wish to take their first steps in installing and using Ubuntu. The author explains in a step-by-step manner the solutions to the problems that one might face in installing, configuring and using Ubuntu Linux.

If you are a person who has installed and used Linux in the past, this book probably doesn't cover anything new to you. Having said that, it could be an ideal gift for your grandparents, parents or even friends who wish to learn to setup and use Linux. Another positive aspect of the book which attracted me was that the narration was surprisingly devoid of any slang. One of the common mistakes that authors make when writing a book targeted at newbies is treating them like idiots and introducing a lot of slang in the narration, but Rickford Grant has stayed clear of this and his language is clear and lucid.

Ravi Kumar is a Linux enthusiast who likes to share his thoughts on all things related to GNU/Linux through his blog All about Linux.

You can purchase Ubuntu Linux for non-geeks from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page

Comments

XOrg/Apache/Perl/BSD/GNU/Linux

[Speare]

Yeah, mod me how you feel instead of responding, I like that.

I would have to say that XFree86 and Apache, as well as components listed under Perl Artistic and BSD licenses, have as much to do with the usability and adoption of Linux as a platform. Why is GNU singled out for more attention than the other amazing personal contributions of self-motivated non-commercialized developers? Just because RMS' ego outscales his last decade of coding efforts doesn't mean that he should automatically be ignored, but neither does it mean his face should be on the proverbial wheaties box at the exclusion of the rest of the team.

Excellent

[Rendo]

The Ubuntu, and Linux community needs more pro-active members like the author of this book. God knows how many people have bought those "For dummies" books, but calling them non-geeks as opposed to dummies would make a user more willing to buy the book, and hopefully try Ubuntu. The more mainstream media attention that Ubuntu gets, the better it will become and we'll see more and more users adopting it. Good work.

Non-geeks?

[Klaidas]

Well, Ubuntu never seemed to be designed for geeks (I'm using it for about 8 months now) - it's one of the friendliest distros for beginners (as much as I've tested different distros)
But well, a book might be a good idea - making Ubuntu even more user friendly.

Non-geeks will never finish it

[LoverOfJoy]

What attracted me to this book was the obvious title which makes no bones about the fact that this book is targeted at non-geeks.
The book is divided into 18 chapters and 3 appendices spanning over 300 pages.

I've seen similar 300 page books to teach windows to non-geeks. I'm sure there are people who feel lost and buy the book thinking they'll learn. I have serious doubts that many actually make it through the book. They'll make it through the first chapter and, at best, pull it out occasionally to search for some answer (and probably not find it).

A lot of people have moments when they feel ambitious and decide they will learn linux. How many of the non-geeks actually do, though? Of those that do, I doubt it's from books like these but actually from geek friends walking them through it.

Re:Non-geeks will never finish it

[tclark]

For a typical non-geek, "learning Linux" is a lousy idea. So is "learning Windows". That's because they don't want to use an operating system. They want to send email, work with their digital pictures, write a novel, or whatever. Non-geeks need to learn how to do the tasks that interest them, and that is how geeks should present this information to them.

Ubuntu is for geeks too

[digitalderbs]

It's a great distro for both the non-technical and technical -- geek and non-geek. I had used Debian unstable for 4 years before switching to Ubuntu (64- and 32-bit versions) 6 months ago. All of the lovely configurability and software tools (like aptitude, apt-build and so on) from Debian are available.

The reasons I made the switch were because (1) I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and (2) I wanted a more frequent "stable" release cycle for my desktop system. However, I continue to use Debian stable for any servers and simulation clusters that I manage.

Since when did number of books == popularity?

[garcia]

And the plethora of books on Linux that are being published underlines the popularity of this OS.

There has always been a "plethora" of books on Linux and a variety of other subjects that no one in the general public gives a shit about. I'm interested in knowing just how this means anything significant.

Re:Huh?

[zurtle]

I'm going to be dumb enough to respond to your lame flamebait.

I guess you haven't installed an operating system before while being the owner of a sole computer on dialup. Some people just don't have internet access during the installation process.

What definition of "non-geek" is he working with??

[maidden]

I think the author missed a very basic point, which is that non-geeks don't wanna read books about computer stuff.

Re:Huh?

[suv4x4]

If you need help to install Ubuntu then you shouldn't be in front of a PC :P
Honestly, I believe that Ubuntu's online resources, wikis and forum, are extremely well maintained, which makes the book a little bit useless. I guess he's catering to those people who just can't do anything without having a hard book next to them to explain everything with pretty pictures.
1- download ISO. 2- Reboot from CD, and click on install 3- Run Automatix. The next time somebody tells you that they use Windows because it's easier to install, slap them with some humanity towards others :D

Well, I have a good news for you: you're not alone in thinking this. In fact most techies and linux users are firm believers that if you can't install, for example, Ubuntu alone, or do XYZ alone, you should never approach a computer.

I have also bad news for you: attitude like yours is one of the major reasons Linux is just about nowhere in desktop adoption right now.

Noob Who?

[HermMunster]

Linux, no matter how much you like it is still not ready for the masses. It lacks the ability to easily install programs such as the Macintosh and Windows has. Online repositories are not the answers as they are maintained by individuals who do not write the programs themselves. Repositories are specific to a distro and sometimes even a version of a distro.

Computers were never meant to be used solely by the likes of those who love to tear things apart. That is the second of two major roadblocks keeping Linux out of the main stream.

Get programs to install as easily as they do on OSX and Windows and rid the community of the mentality that you are a noob and weak if you don't want to play the game at the lowest disassembled level.

Ubuntu is no where near as good as it could be. The developers have given up on the idea of making it simple and strong and capable for your grandmother to use and maintain by herself.

Drivers are still a problem. There's alot of proprietariness out there that the Linux community can't handle. Much of the video driver capabilities (for example) are left out of the generic drivers installed during the setup. Much of those left out capabilities will always be left out because they are precisely that, proprietary.

I've run Linux for 3 years and I can only say that I spend significantly more time maintaining it than I do any other OS (my OSX boxes and my Windows boxes). The online repository never worked and it relies on high bandwidth to do its job. The vast majority of people still are on dial-up. Some can't afford high speed and others can't get it. Those majority won't ever be able to use linux when the idea is that the updates should come from on line.

To expect, nay demand, that the users have a compiler on their computer is the worst notion in the idea of personal computers. Remember these are personal computers. You can't and should not be telling others what they can or should be doing with them. That's why they are called "personal". You do what your person wants to do.

The notion of insulting people because they choose one distro over another is ludicrious. Why is that? It is because most of you are noobs at virtually everything in life. You can't design your own refrigerator. You won't design your own home. You don't know the laws, regulations, and codes necessary to build anything. You won't put together your own car nor will you assemble your own TV. You can't make your own medicine. You don't know how to repair your plumbing, you can't figure out how to make electricty. You can't make paper, nor ink, nor most anything that you use regularly in life.

SO WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING OTHER NOOBS?

Most of the zealots can't even think through the above argument to give a solid reasonable applicable reply. I'm not insulting people. I'm trying to get across that you expect people to build their own OS, compile code, debug the issues, as a granny or a teenager. You don't even understand the fundamentals of most people's lives (marriage, children, education, transportation, etc are the primary concern of people's lives), allt he while you disrespect those that want to use their computer to do a task rather than making the computer the task.

If you can't get on the bandwagon and apply your own real-life issues and recognize others have their own, then you are a retard.

I know this post will get me some negative karma because alot of people really support linux here. I'm not saying linux is bad at all. I'm just saying it is not ready for mainstream use. Over the past couple of years there's been alot said about that. There's been this on-going debate abou whether Linux is desktop ready.

The kernel is a fine piece of work. It is a spectacular piece of work. It is at the top of the dog pile when it comes to stability. But the average user doesn't seen the kernel. They don't want to see the kernel. They just want the computer and their programs to work. They don't want to sit an

Re:Noob Who?

[HeavyAl]

First off, I've read /. for years and this is the first time I have ever been compelled to post. Chalk it up to this guys' troll actually pushing my buttons enough to get me ticked.

Number one, why are you going on about Linux in general when the topic is concerned with Ubuntu specifically? This is about a Distro-specific book, not Linux as a whole so stop your whining. Yeah, Linux as a whole has some issues, but this isn't the place to drag them out. The goal here is to get 'newbs' interested in a distro that has a lot going for it in hopes that they will eventually want to embrace Linux itself as a whole and finally come to realize that there is more to the computing experience than fighting with all the downfalls of proprietary operating systems.

Computers were never meant to be used solely by the likes of those who love to tear things apart. That is the second of two major roadblocks keeping Linux out of the main stream.

Well, I'd have to say that since Linux was initially put together by a guy working on a school project that it WAS built to be torn apart, but it's grown beyond that and Ubuntu shows us that just about anybody with a bit of sense and the ability to follow clear directions can get it to do what they desire.

Get programs to install as easily as they do on OSX and Windows and rid the community of the mentality that you are a noob and weak if you don't want to play the game at the lowest disassembled level.

Sounds to me like you are insulting the intelligence of 'newbs' here. Everyone was a newb once. I've spent over 15 years working with technology of various sorts but I had to start somewhere. If I had decided that as a newb it was beyond me I would never had made it this far. Don't insult peoples intelligence. Learn as a newb and then impart what you know to others. Don't spread this kind of FUD it just makes you look like a dogmatic wannabe.

Ubuntu is no where near as good as it could be. The developers have given up on the idea of making it simple and strong and capable for your grandmother to use and maintain by herself.

So you're in bed with the dev's now, eh? I'd bet they look at it differently. And aside from Ubuntu the whole Linux community has taken strides and is continuing to do so on all useability fronts. You are making your opinion sound as if its some kind of law.

I've run Linux for 3 years and I can only say that I spend significantly more time maintaining it than I do any other OS

Sounds like you need to go back and run Ubuntu itself for a bit longer. Upgrading Ubuntu is painless. There has been only one major issue with the update system regarding a broken X server installation and though this was admittedly a bad thing the whole community pulled together to help fix it in only a few hours of time after it happened - and no one tried to pull the wool over anyones eyes about it. A mistake was made, it was addressed and rectified. Other than this I have personally not had ANY update issues with Ubuntu.

To expect, nay demand, that the users have a compiler on their computer is the worst notion in the idea of personal computers.

Where do you get this notion? Last install I did of Ubuntu (Dapper on a friends machine) The dev tools weren't installed by default. Just the basics, and even if you need more synaptics does it all auto-magically. Get your facts straight.

I could go on and on, but I think the bottom line here is that you have some personal issues that you seem to be venting to the general public that are not even in line with the context of this particular discussion. Your talk of demands, universalness, etc sounds more like spreading FUD than it does any kind of productive contribution. If any of us 'zealots' felt the way that you portray us to feel then none of the ground that has been covered thus far with Linux would ever have been made.

Bring on the Noobs, I say. We want them. We need them. We welcome them. If we didn't this wouldn't be a battle worth fighting.

Re:Noob Who?

[Darundal]

WTF? Have you EVER used Ubuntu? The Ubuntu Community is possibly the most understanding community out there, with even the most noobish questions being answered nicely sans condecension. You state that updates online are a bad idea. Neither windows or OSX update any other way, normally. OSX I have no idea about (not talking about new os versions) and Microsoft will, if you send them money, send you a CD with all the updates UP TO A CERTAIN DATE. They do not make this readily apparent to any end user, so they might as well not do this at all. You state that installing any linux software requires you to compile any software you want yourself. Yet again, not true. Apt-get? Synaptic? Hello? And a myriad of other programs that come compiled when you download them. The only semi-valid point you have is the one about the drivers. I myself had to download the FGLRX drivers before I could even get X to work...

for the record...

[StressGuy]

I use Ubuntu at home and have for a while now. It has become my primary OS. I tested a few of them and it ultmately came down to SuSE and Ubuntu. While a strong argument can be made for either one, Ubuntu finally go the nod - not only for all the reasons you mentioned, but because of its relatively small footprint.

I wouldn't call myself a zealot, but I am a tinkerer. However, I also have a wife and kids who need a computer that just works the way they think it will. Ubuntu fits that bill nicely. In fact, my 5-year old son developed a decided fondness for penguins as a result of exposure to things like gcomris, Tux Raxer, Tux Paint, Pingus, etc.

Re:Huh?

[bigpat]

I have also bad news for you: attitude like yours is one of the major reasons Linux is just about nowhere in desktop adoption right now.

No this is a myth. That the geek elitist attitude has anything to do with linux adoption misses the mark by a wide margin. That linux adoption even has anything to do with how easy or difficult to install misses the mark also. The fact that you have to install it at all is the issue. It is simple, if Dell, HP and/or Gateway offered Linux preinstalled on their consumer desktops right now, then Linux would have a much wider adoption as long as the expense was the same or less than Windows.

Re:Ubuntu Linux is ALREADY for Non-Geeks

[It'sYerMam]

You said it in the title. Ubuntu linux is for non-geeks; that's the big deal. Linux has always possessed a geeky userbase and geek connotations. Ubuntu is project that successfully provides a reason for linux to shed that mantle. I, personally, prefer debian for non-release updates (ubuntu-backports notwithstanding) but that doesn't mean I don't recognise what Ubuntu does.

Re:Ubuntu's new slogan

[IHateAllofYou]

I'd have mod'ed that up if you hadn't posted AC and I had some points. Its important that there be an easy starting point just to keep it moving forward.

Maybe out of 1000 people trying Ubuntu only 340 move on to something more advanced like Slackware and maybe out of that 340 only 50 or even just 5 contribute something to an open source project it's still new blood and fresh meat which is never bad for creativity.

I'm sure this will get mod'ed redundant too. Such is life.