Ubuntu Linux

I just installed the latest Ubuntu Linux, and thought I'd write a post for people new to Linux, who are curious but have kept their distance.

Ubuntu Linux is a complete free operating system - a competitor to Windows and Mac build with a philosophy of openness rather than a proprietary model. Linux alone (the "kernel") provides the bare essentials of an operating system, so people package it into readily usable forms - together with many open source applications and components. These are called distributions. Presently, Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution. It makes Linux simple for anyone to set up and use.


Getting Started

To install Ubuntu, download the latest version, burn it to a CD, and boot to the CD. You can try it out without installing or risking anything. This gives you an impression of the look and feel, and lets you try preinstalled applications, but is much slower than normal because it's running directly off the CD. You can install Ubuntu alongside an existing Windows installation, as a "dual boot" setup where you can choose when you start the computer which system to use. This is the default setting in the installer.

Once you have it installed, you can figure out what everything is by clicking or right clicking on it. You can customize the panels as much as you want - delete things, add things by dragging and dropping.


Installing Programs

One of the most different things from Windows is the way in which software is installed and managed. In Ubuntu, there is an entire body of software dedicated to installing, updating, and uninstalling applications in the form of "packages". This is called a package manager. Ubuntu's package manager is APT - Advanced Packaging Tool.

Ubuntu maintains a huge list of applications that can be automatically installed by the package manager. To install or remove programs, you can go to Applications -> Add/Remove, which lets you browse and search packages. To install or uninstall something, check or uncheck the box next to the package, then hit "Apply Changes." After a program is installed, it will appear in the "Applications" menu, filed in the right place.

Another program besides Ubuntu's "Add/Remove Programs" which lets you graphically manage packages is Synaptic - it also uses APT under the hood.


Standard Tools

Ubuntu comes preinstalled with open source alternatives for most tools most people use already:

• Office -> OpenOffice
• Photoshop -> GIMP
• Internet Explorer, Safari -> Firefox
• AIM (or any IM client) -> Pidgin
• Skype -> Egika Softphone
• Outlook -> Evolution Mail and Calendar

Keyboard Shortcuts
There are numerous standard keyboard shortcuts which make working in Ubuntu very efficient:

• Alt+tab - switch between windows
• Control+alt+ left/right arrow keys - switch between desktops
• Alt+F4 - close the current window
• F11 - fullscreen mode
• F2 - rename a file

The Terminal

The terminal is very powerful. It allows you to enter commands to the operating system directly. Most stuff that you can do in Ubuntu with menus, windows, and buttons can probably also be done by entering a command in the terminal. It can be found under Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal.

One common use for the terminal is to install programs. For example, to install Wine, a system which lets you run most Windows programs in Linux, can be installed with one command:
sudo apt-get install wine

"sudo" gives you the power to change system files (you must manually enter your password - this is one reason why Linux is so secure)
"apt-get install" is the command to access the installation mechanism of Ubuntu's package manager APT (Advanced Packaging Tool)
"wine" is the name of the Ubuntu package you want APT to install. There are thousands of Ubuntu packages available.

You could also install any package from Applications -> Add/Remove (in fact, that program uses the apt-get install command), but once you know the package names of the programs you use often, you'll find it's faster to use the terminal.

Graphics Drivers

Ubuntu can readily install proprietary graphics drivers for you (NVidia, ATI), but you need to explicitly do it: System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers -> click the one you want -> Activate (restart probably required). These drivers are not automatically installed because they are not open source - they are packages containing propreitary software.


Desktop The Infamous Desktop Cube

If you have a decent graphics card, and drivers installed, then some desktop effects should be enabled by default:

• Window key+ e - show all desktops
• Shift+alt+up arrow - show all windows
• Window key+n - invert the colors of the current window

To get the desktop cube, you'll need to install the settings manager for the desktop effects, which is actually it's own project called compiz. Enter the following command in the terminal to install the settings manager:
sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

Now open System -> Preferences -> CompizConfig Settings Manager. There, under "Desktop" check the box next to "Desktop Cube" (click yes, disable Desktop Wall) and also check "Rotate Cube" (Effects -> 3D Windows is cool too). Now try control+alt+arrows to switch between desktops. Control+alt+drag mouse lets you rotate the cube.

I hope you enjoy Ubuntu!

Please comment on this post if you have questions (such as "how do I do xyz that's really easy in Windows?"), comments, or suggestions for this introduction.