Ubuntu 10.10
Ubuntu 10.10 introduces several new features, as well as numerous smaller modifications. It is a short-term support release. The more dramatic changes include changes to the Ubuntu Software Center, Ubuntu One setup and configuration, a new photo manager called Shotwell, … Continue reading
Ubuntu Editions
Ubuntu is released in several editions, each designed for a distinct group of users or functions. Editions install different collections of software such as the GNOME desktop, the KDE desktop, servers, educational software, and multimedia applications. Table 1-2 lists the … Continue reading
Rescue a broken system
If you are not able to start up your system from your hard disk install, you can boot up with either the Ubuntu DVD or the Alternate CD and choose “Rescue a broken system” from the Start up menu.
Allocate drive space
You are then asked to designate the Linux partitions and hard disk configurations you want to use on your hard drives (see Figure 2-4). Ubuntu provides automatic partitioning that covers some situations, like using a blank or new hard drive … Continue reading
Configuring your personal information
To set up personal information, including the icon to be used for your graphical login, you use the About Me preferences tool. On the Ubuntu GNOME desktop, select the About Me entry in the System | Preferences menu (System | … Continue reading
The GNOME Display Manager: GDM
The graphical login interface displays a login window with box listing a menu of usernames. When you click a username, a login box replaces the listing of users, displaying the selected username and a text box where you then enter … Continue reading
Software Sources managed from Ubuntu Desktop
You can manage your repositories with the Software Sources dialog, allowing you to enable or disable repository sections, as well as add new entries. This dialog edits the /etc/apt/sources.list file directly. Choose System | Administration | Software Sources to open the Software Sources … Continue reading
Ubuntu Repository Configuration file: sources.list and sources.list.d
Repository configuration is managed by APT using configuration files in the /etc/apt directory. The /etc/apt/sources.list file holds repository entries. The main and restricted sections are enabled by default. An entry consists of a single line with the following format: format … Continue reading
KOffice
KOffice is an integrated office suite for the K Desktop Environment (KDE) consisting of several office applications, including a word processor, a spreadsheet, and graphics applications. You can download it from the Ubuntu Software Center | Office | KOffice, or … Continue reading
Running Microsoft Office on Linux: Wine and CrossOver
One of the concerns for new Linux users is what kind of access they will have to their Microsoft Office files, particularly Word files. The Linux operating system and many applications for it are designed to provide seamless access to … Continue reading
GNOME Graphics Tools
GNOME features several powerful and easy-to-use graphic tools. The gThumb application is an image viewer and browser that lets you browse images using thumbnails, display them, and organize them into catalogs for easy reference. The Eye of Gnome is the … Continue reading
Photo Management: Shotwell, F-Spot, and Cheese
The Shotwell Photo Manager provides an easy and powerful way to manage, display, and import, and publish your photos and images (http://www.yorba.org/shotwell/). It is the default photo manager for Ubuntu 10.10. See the Shotwell user manual for full details (Help … Continue reading
Mail Clients
Ubuntu supports a wide range of both electronic mail and news clients. Mail clients let you send and receive messages to and from other users on your system or users accessible from your network. News clients let you read articles … Continue reading
Thunderbird
Thunderbird is a full-featured stand-alone e-mail client provided by the Mozilla project (http://www.mozilla.org). It is designed to be easy to use, highly customizable, and heavily secure. It features advanced intelligent spam filtering, as well as security features like encryption, digital … Continue reading
Java for Linux
To develop Java applications, use Java tools, and run many Java products, you use the Java 2 Software Development Kit (SDK) and the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE). The SDK is a superset of the JRE, adding development tools like … Continue reading
Web Browsers
Popular browsers for Ubuntu include Firefox (Mozilla), Rekonq, Chromium (Google), Epiphany, and Lynx. Firefox is the default Web browser used on most Linux distributions, including Ubuntu. Rekonq is the KDE Web browser, accessible from the KDE desktop, and Epiphany is … Continue reading
Managing Process
Should you have to force a process or application to quit, you can use the Gnome System Monitor Processes tab to find, select, and stop the process. You should be sure of the process you want to stop. Ending a … Continue reading
System Setting and Scheduling
System Testing Ubuntu provides a hardware testing utility to check your hardware and report any problems. You are encouraged to set up an account at www.launchpad.net where you can send your results (System | Administration | System Testing). Each major … Continue reading
System Administration
Most administrative configurations tasks are performed for you automatically. Devices like printers, hard drive partitions, and graphics cards are detected and set up for you. There are cases where you may need to perform tasks manually like adding new users and installing … Continue reading
Controlled Administrative Access
To access administrative tools, you have to login as a user who has administrative permissions. The user that you created during installation is given administrative permissions automatically. Log in as that user. When you attempt to use an administrative tool, … Continue reading
DSL, Mobile Broadband and PPP Configuration
DSL Configuration To add or edit a direct DSL connection, you click the Add or Edit buttons on the Network Connections window’s DSL tab. The DSL connection window opens, showing tabs for DSL configuration and for wired, PPP, and IPv4 … Continue reading
Wired Configuration
To edit a wired connection, select the connection and click the Edit buttons on the Wired tab. This opens an Editing window as shown in Figure. The Add button is used to add a new connection and opens a similar … Continue reading
Editing Printer Configuration
To edit an installed printer, double click its icon in the Printer configuration window, or right-click and select the Properties entry. This opens a Printer Properties window for that printer. A sidebar lists configuration tabs. Click on one to display … Continue reading
Printer Classes
The Class entry in the Server | New menu lets you create a printer class. You can access the New menu from the Server menu or from the Add button. This feature lets you select a group of printers to … Continue reading
GNOME Desktop Menu
You can right-click anywhere on the empty desktop to display the GNOME desktop menu that includes entries for common tasks, such as creating an application launcher, creating a new folder, or organizing the icon display. Keep in mind that the … Continue reading
GNOME Help and Desktop
GNOME Help The GNOME Help browser (Yelp) provides a browser-like interface for displaying the GNOME user’s manual, Man pages, and info documents. You can select it from the System menu (System | Help and Support). It features a toolbar that … Continue reading
Leave KDE
To leave KDE, you first click the Leave tab on the KDE Kickoff menu. Here you will find options to logout, lock, switch user, sleep, hibernate, shutdown, and restart. There are Session and System sections. The Session section has entries … Continue reading
The KDE Help Center
The KDE Help Center provides a browser-like interface for accessing and displaying both KDE Help files and Linux Man and info files. You can start the Help Center by selecting its entry at the bottom of the Kickoff Applications menu. … Continue reading
Matching Multiple Characters
The asterisk (*) references files beginning or ending with a specific set of characters. You place the asterisk before or after a set of characters that form a pattern to be searched for in filenames. If the asterisk is placed … Continue reading
The Command Line
The shell is a command interpreter that provides a line-oriented interactive and non-interactive interface between the user and the operating system. You enter commands on a command line; they are interpreted by the shell and then sent as instructions to … Continue reading