Table of Contents

Foreword to the First Edition xxv

Preface xxxi

Acknowledgments xxxiii

About the Authors xxxv

Introduction xxxix

Chapter 1: Introducing Ubuntu 1

A Wild Ride 2

Free Software, Open Source, and GNU/Linux 3

A Brief History of Ubuntu 7

What Is Ubuntu? 12

Ubuntu Promises and Goals 18

Canonical and the Ubuntu Foundation 25

Ubuntu Subprojects, Derivatives, and Spin-offs 30

Summary 31

Choosing Your Ubuntu Version 34

Getting Ubuntu 36

Installing from the Desktop CD 38

Installing from the Alternate Install CD 48

Summary 55

Taking Your Desktop for a Ride 59

Using Your Applications 68

The Ubuntu File Chooser and Bookmarks 102

Ubuntu in Your Language 104

Customizing Ubuntu's Look and Feel 104

Managing Your Files 107

Ubuntu and Multimedia 112

Summary 119

Adding and Removing Programs and Packages 122

Keeping Your Computer Updated 128

Moving to the Next Ubuntu Release 131

Using and Abusing Devices and Media 132

Configuring a Printer in Ubuntu 135

Graphically Accessing Remote Files 142

The Terminal 143

Working with Windows 147

Summary 149

What Is Ubuntu Server? 152

Installing Ubuntu Server 154

Ubuntu Package Management 165

Ubuntu Server Security 175

Summary 182

The System 186

Applications 200

Multimedia 205

Networking 211

Hardware 216

System Administration 227

Other 239

Summary 245

Introduction to Kubuntu 248

Installing Kubuntu 251

Navigating in Kubuntu 256

Customizing the Desktop 259

System Administration 263

Managing Files with Kubuntu 285

Common Applications 289

Finding Help and Giving Back to the Community 305

Summary 306

Venues 311

Teams, Processes, and Community Governance 326

Getting Involved 334

Summary 337

Partner Projects 340

Derived Distributions 342

Launchpad 346

Bazaar 352

Summary 352

Introduction to Edubuntu 356

What Is LTSP? 358

Installing Edubuntu 371

Managing Your Edubuntu Clients 391

Controlling and Managing the Users' Desktops 393

Troubleshooting LTSP 397

Finding Help and Giving Back to the Community 399

Summary 402

Appendix A: Welcome to the Command Line 403

Appendix B: Ubuntu Foundation Documents 413

Appendix C: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Open Publication License 425

Appendix D: Ubuntu Equivalents to Windows Programs 435

Index 439

Promotional Information

Ubuntu is tremendously popular. It is considered the #1 Linux distribution at DistroWatch.com. This new edition covers such topics as installation, desktop applications, troubleshooting advice, the Ubuntu community structure, Kubuntu, Ubuntu server installation and basic administration. Ubuntu is entirely committed to the principles of free software development. When the reader finishes an Ubuntu installation the system is immediately usable with a full set of business productivity applications, internet applications, drawing and graphics applications, and games. The accompanying DVD provides a very good desktop environment out of the box, with many applications for business, home, and personal computer users installed by default. There are thousands of additional pieces of software that are just a few clicks away, but the hard work to get the basics in place easily and effectively has already been done.

About the Author

Benjamin Mako Hill serves on Ubuntu's Community Council governance board, which helps advise the Ubuntu Foundation. He works at the MIT Media Lab and on the One Laptop Per Child project.

Jono Bacon, Ubuntu community manager, was formerly an open source consultant in the United Kingdom. He is the author of Practical PHP and MySQL(R).

Ivan Krstic, Ubuntu Server Team administrator, develops software architecture for the One Laptop Per Child project

David J. Murphy recently jointed Canonical as a developer for Launchpad.

Jonathan Jesse serves on the Ubuntu Documentation Team, contributes to the Kubuntu documentatiation, and tests for the Ubuntu Laptop Testing Team.

Peter Savage, developer of the Edubuntu's Thin Client Manager software, created the Edubuntu Schools Advocacy documentation.

Corey Burger serves on Ubuntu's Documentation and Laptop Testing Teams, and is deploying Ubuntu at non governmental organizations across Vancouver Island.