Slashdot Mirror
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
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
After 2-3 years as a die hard gentoo user, I just wanted simple and easy home administration. ubuntu is just that.
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.
[
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.
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.
I've been waiting to say this for a long time:
My mother uses Ubuntu (6.06 Desktop) and she is not computer savvy at all!
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.
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.
called Noobuntu?
A goal is a dream with a deadline
The book that I need, and I haven't yet found, is a beginner's Ubuntu guide which doesn't focus on installation, and instead devotes most or all of its space to basic use of the desktop and common applications (Nautilus, Firefox, OOo Writer, etc.).
I suspect my situation is not unique: I install Ubuntu for parents and other non-techies; no matter how good the book, they're not going to be able to install it themselves. Then I bugger off and leave them with it. What they need is a straightforward and thorough user guide for basic use of the system. (And I mean basic: things like "you can move windows by dragging the title bar", and "if your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can use it to scroll through a window").
Any recommendations?
For starters, we can stop calling versions "flavors" when the word "version" will do just fine. "Flavors" are for suckers. Who wants to lick an OS anyway? Especially one called "Warty Warthog"?
Where were you when the voynix came?
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.
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.
Couldn't stand the weather
i remember in the 90's when getting linux installed made you a geek god. ubuntu is a breeze to set up and pretty much just works right out of the box. customizing the kernel for your processor and everything is super easy as well. thanks ubuntu for ruining linux for elitist pricks like me :-(
sarcasm:
-noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
For lower-end computers, it's recommended that you use the plain install CD. The LiveCD uses quite a bit of RAM, and installing from it uses even more. (Also, if you want it to run smoother on an older box, I'd recommend checking out the Xubuntu variant.)
I'm not a Linux expert, but I'm no noob either. I started using Unix in 1982 and I've used Red Hat, SUSE, Mandrake, and Gentoo over the years. I use Red Hat every day at work. I just installed a Ubuntu machine and although my install is much more complicated and more difficult than the standard 6 step install, it is still far and away the best experience I've ever hand with Linux. (Gentoo was far and away the worst. I've got better things to do with my time than recompile code that has already be compiled thousands of times before.) I've actually been enjoying using it, at least when things go well. I'll probably pick up the book and I'm sure I'll learn some stuff.
Here is *MY* deal with Ubuntu...
My wife is horribly bad at downloading and installing crap and malware, visiting crappy, malicious pages with internet exploder, etc.
Her machine used to run slackware that I had set up for her, no problems at all.
However, updating things usually meant me sitting there for a few hours to do so.
I tossed Ubuntu onto a cd, told her to install this, and she did it.
She loves it.
She can install things she wants with the GUI, it keeps itself up to date...
The layman can do it... it is painless.
I was skeptical at first but, I saw, I believed.
Why flame it or call it crap?
For what it is, and it is actually quite good, it just works.
I am not a fanboy, by any means.
I have Gentoo and Debian machines all over, for my use.
Remember the target audience for Ubuntu: people that are not computer savvy.
(like my wife)
It works for her, I would ask everyone to at least LOOK at it before you flame it.
As someone who has never used Linux but has been intrigued (and intimidated) by the prospect, this book sounds like it would be right up my alley. Not mentioned in the review is whether the book discusses how to set up a dual-boot system, as I (and I suspect most Linux neophytes) don't want to forgo Windows straight away.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am master of my fate and captain of my soul.
I think the author missed a very basic point, which is that non-geeks don't wanna read books about computer stuff.
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.
I've been using Linux since 1995, and I have spent a lot of time learning system administration of Linux boxes. Before I switched to Ubuntu, I was using Gentoo, so I've compiled my share of apps and kernels. After a while, though, the novelty of manually editing configuration files wore off. Professionally, I am an X11 driver developer and graphics chip designer. Academically, I've done web programming, AI, high-performance computing, and many other things. There's nothing wrong with wanting to manually configure your Linux box, but my interests and needs have shifted to where what I need and want to do has nothing to do with Linux system admin. If I want to install an OS, I want to just install it. If I want a new app, I want to just install it. I do lots of coding, but little of it has anything to do with hacking other people's open source software. So I have chosen Ubuntu so that I can get the system to do all of the low-level stuff for me so I can think about other things.
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.
A goal is a dream with a deadline
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.
After reformatting my Windows box more times than you can shake a mouse at, due to security issues (I didn't know you needed it!), about two years ago I decided to check out Linux. A true n00b in Geekland. Still am. After going through dozens of distros, I finally landed on one that didn't make me want to put my fist through a wall. When Dapper came out, I was actually licking my chops. My wife just pointed and laughed -- she thought I had become a convert. To Linux, yes, but not to Geekdom. I take no pride in saying I am still ham-fisted at the command line. I'm a writer, not a hacker. And I got all the books, the usual suspects, the O'Reilly tomes, et al. With all due respect, I really did not need to read what kind of shirts Richard Stallman wears and whether pigs have wings. I just wanted MP3 capability. So I skip to those pages, via the index. Now that I actually know what a forum and a wiki are, I go there. Books are nice. I hope to publish many some day. But tapping into the friendly minds of Those Who Know has proven to me much more effective and efficient. I'm sure it's a fine book. But n00bs who just want to know how to put tab A into slot B are better off asking legitimate, bona fide geeks. Who knows -- I might even be one some day. And look at me now -- I read /.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
As was pointed out to me very recently, Amazon.com gives more money to the Republican party and B&N only gives money to the Democrat party. Maybe it doesn't matter to you, in which case feel free to buy it wherever. And maybe that's not the reason Rob picked B&N instead of Amazon.com, I don't know. But it does matter to me, so I personally like the B&N links better.
Or if you're looking for the best price on a new copy from a well-known and reputable online retailer, get it from Bookpool.com instead. (It's only $21.95 there.)
How much RAM does the LiveCD actually need? last month our LUG installed Ubuntu 6.current on a P3-700 with 256mb RAM, and it did okay -- 6.x loads the live CD by default (or at least some significant portion of it), THEN gives you the install option.
The main problem we had was that it got stuck at 640x480 video; apparently didn't recognise or had no driver for the middle-aged Intel onboard video chip.
I had U5 here, then put U6 on the same machine, and noticed it was significantly faster than U5 -- maybe because U6 seems to load less needless junk.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
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.
im in ur
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.
For a moment, i shall pretend i am my grandmother and you have just uttered this sentance to me.
i think she would have understood 4 words. and they are: from, on and run.
but she wants to check her email, look at gootube, play music and movies and use amsn.
do you really think we should discriminate against her because she doesn't speak our language?