Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks 245
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 switched from gentoo (Score:2, Informative)
Re:XOrg/Apache/Perl/BSD/GNU/Linux (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Tried Ubuntu, didn't work for me. (Score:2, Informative)
Ubuntu works for me (Score:3, Informative)
Why all the flaming? (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:Ubuntu books that don't focus on installation? (Score:2, Informative)
Ubuntu is great for experienced engineers (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Ubuntu books that don't focus on installation? (Score:4, Informative)
"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. "
Re:"for Non-Geeks" (Score:2, Informative)
Application/device integration, installation, selection all make a big difference. The interface level of the system through Gnome or KDE is similar for most distros. But, take it a step further to make the use of the applications easier and you have the winning combination. If you make it so that the average person can set up their system because the device support is really there and works without having to install special drivers, then you make the initial experience better. I recently installed Ubuntu on several systems, some new hardware and some old. It handled (almost) everything in all the boxes. I have loaded the live Knoppix 5 as well as the live Ubuntu 6 on the same hardware. The Ubuntu beat in terms of hardware support, including better SCSI and SATA RAID support. The only thing that I found lacking in the Ubuntu release was the ability to easily write to an NTFS partition from the live CD. Otherwise the everything from the installation to the hardware support to the application support, everything, was better on Ubuntu. My 12 year old daughter loves Ubuntu more then Windows (I gave her the choice, and guess which one she picked?).
I always had issues with the Fedora releases. There was always something that was broken that made me mad. It isn't production quality, it is their "test bed" platform, so things will be broken. I'd rather have Ubuntu that is stable and easy than Fedora that is buggy and has only slightly better application support (read this as "more commercial-type applications," not more applications in general).
I used to use SUSE though version 10, but I had hardware issues. The newer releases may be better, but I am totally satisfied with the hardware support of Ubuntu. I have some obscure "windows" hardware that now even works with Ubuntu Dapper.
At work I have a windows system as my desktop. But, to make me feel more at home I have Ubuntu Dapper running in VMware player. I'd still rather use a Linux distro than windows any day.
Re:Maybe they can make an easier distribution (Score:1, Informative)
I take you haven't install Ubuntu lately? It Couldn't be easier. Easier than Windows and miles faster (esp if you need to format a new hard drive). I have installed both many times.
Better yet, Bookpool.com (Score:3, Informative)
As was pointed out to me very recently, Amazon.com gives more money to the Republican party [buyblue.org] and B&N only gives money to the Democrat party [buyblue.org]. 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 [bookpool.com] instead. (It's only $21.95 there.)
Re:Tried Ubuntu, didn't work for me. (Score:3, Informative)
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.
Re:Maybe they can make an easier distribution (Score:3, Informative)
By comparison, even Slackware recognizes all my hardware out of the box on that same machine, and that's not even a "user friendly" distro like Ubuntu.
Re:Maybe they can make an easier distribution (Score:2, Informative)