Beginning Ubuntu Linux pot

THE EXPERT’S VOICE ® IN OPEN SOURCE Beginning Ubuntu Linux FIFTH EDITION Emilio Raggi, Keir Thomas,Trevor Parsons, Andy Channelle, and Sander van Vugt The complete introduction to Ubuntu Accompanying DVD includes full versions of Ubuntu 10.04, as well as Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Xubuntu, and PPC releases! Fully revised and updated for 10.04 www.it-ebooks.info www.it-ebooks.info Beginning Ubuntu Linux Fifth Edition ■ ■ ■ Emilio Raggi, Keir Thomas, Trevor Parsons, Andy Channelle, Sander van Vugt www.it-ebooks.info Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2010 by Emilio Raggi, Keir Thomas, Trevor Parsons, Andy Channelle, Sander van Vugt All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. 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President and Publisher: Paul Manning Lead Editor: Frank Pohlmann Technical Reviewers: Bruce Byfield, Richard Hillesley Editorial Board: Clay Andres, Steve Anglin, Mark Beckner, Ewan Buckingham, Gary Cornell, Jonathan Gennick, Jonathan Hassell, Michelle Lowman, Matthew Moodie, Duncan Parkes, Jeffrey Pepper, Frank Pohlmann, Douglas Pundick, Ben Renow-Clarke, Dominic Shakeshaft, Matt Wade, Tom Welsh Coordinating Editor: Tracy Brown Copy Editors: Corbin Collins, Damon Larson Compositor: Mary Sudul Indexer: John Collin Artist: April Milne Cover Designer: Anna Ishchenko Distributed to the book trade worldwide by Springer Science+Business Media, LLC., 233 Spring Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10013. Phone 1-800-SPRINGER, fax (201) 348-4505, e-mail orders-ny@springer-sbm.com, or visit www.springeronline.com. For information on translations, please e-mail rights@apress.com, or visit www.apress.com. 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The source code for this book is available to readers at www.apress.com. www.it-ebooks.info To my wife, Pim, and my two children, Camilo and Dante www.it-ebooks.info www.it-ebooks.info v Contents About the Authors xxi About the Technical Reviewers xxii Introduction xxiii Part 1: Introducing the World of Linux 1 ■ Chapter 1: Meet Ubuntu Linux 3 Ten Reasons to Try Ubuntu Linux 3 What Is Ubuntu Linux Anyway? 4 Ubuntu Linux Is an Operating System 4 Ubuntu Is a Distribution of Linux, Based on Debian 5 Ubuntu Linux Is a Full Desktop Solution 6 The Ubuntu Linux Experience 6 “Linux for Human Beings” 6 A Powerful yet Flexible Operating System 7 Continuous Improvements 8 The Product Family 9 The Ubuntu Linux Community 10 Praise for Ubuntu Linux 11 Should I Stop Using Windows? 11 Ubuntu Linux and its Strengths 12 Summary 12 www.it-ebooks.info ■ CONTENTS vi ■ Chapter 2: GNU "slash" Linux 13 UNIX 13 The Rise of the IBM PC… and of Microsoft 14 RMS on Free Software 14 Copyleft 15 The Quest for a UNIX-like Operating System 16 Linus Torvalds and His Little Project 16 GNU “slash” Linux 17 The Linux Diaspora 18 Open Source 20 The South African Factor 20 The Year of the Linux Desktop 21 Summary 22 Part 2: Installing Ubuntu 23 ■ Chapter 3: Pre-installation Steps 25 Understanding Partitioning 25 Freeing Up Space 28 Reclaiming Space 28 Removing Windows 29 Using Another Hard Disk 29 Backing Up Your Data 31 Backing Up E-Mail Files 33 Making Notes 33 Summary 34 ■ Chapter 4: Installing Ubuntu 35 An Overview of the Installation Process 35 www.it-ebooks.info ■ CONTENTS vii A Stage-by-Stage Installation Guide 37 Stage 1: Prepare the Windows Partition for Resizing 37 Stage 2: Boot from the DVD-ROM 39 Stage 3: Try or Install 40 Stage 4: Select Your Location and Time Zone 41 Stage 5: Confirm Your Keyboard Layout 42 Stage 6: Repartition Your Hard Disk 43 Stage 7: Set Up a User 54 Stage 8: Import Documents and Settings 56 Stage 9: Confirm Installation Choices 56 Stage 10: Perform Installation 57 Stage 11: Reboot and Enjoy Ubuntu! 58 Summary 61 ■ Chapter 5: Solving Installation Problems 63 A. Preinstallation Problems 63 The Disc Doesn’t Boot 63 The Computer Is Having a Kernel Panic 64 The DVD Starts to Boot, but the Screen Goes Blank or Corrupted 64 The Computer Freezes During Installation 65 Installer “Unrecoverable Error” Message 66 My Notebook Display Looks Corrupted During Installation 66 I’m Using a KVM, and the Screen Looks Wrong 66 B. Installation Problems 67 I’m Offered Only a Text Login 67 The Computer Can’t Find My Hard Disk 68 I See Lots of Hard Disks in the Partitioner 68 I Have Too Many Partitions 68 C. Postinstallation Problems 69 My Monitor Resolution Is Not Recognized 69 My Keyboard or Mouse Isn’t Working 69 www.it-ebooks.info ■ CONTENTS viii The Computer No Longer Boots 70 Ubuntu Is Working, but Windows Won’t Boot 70 I Can See Only a Text Login Prompt 71 Graphical Problems 71 Summary 74 Part 3: The No-Nonsense Getting Started Guide 75 ■ Chapter 6: Booting Ubuntu for the First Time 77 Starting Up 77 Logging In 79 Exploring the Desktop 80 First Impressions 81 Exploring the Panels 83 Shutting Down or Restarting Ubuntu 85 Quick Desktop Guides 86 Running Programs 90 Working with Virtual Desktops 90 Using the Mouse 92 Cutting and Pasting Text 93 Summary 93 ■ Chapter 7: Getting Everything Up and Running 95 Will Ubuntu Support My Hardware? 95 Using Proprietary vs. Open Source Drivers 97 Installing Device Manager 98 Configuring Ubuntu 99 Configuring Input Devices 100 Configuring Mouse Options 100 Changing Keyboard Settings 103 Creating Keyboard Shortcuts 106 www.it-ebooks.info [...]... better one Welcome to Ubuntu Linux Ubuntu Is a Distribution of Linux, Based on Debian Ubuntu, as an OS, is part of the larger family of Linux distributions You’ll find out more about that in Chapter 2 For now, suffice it to say that Ubuntu uses Linux as its kernel The kernel3 is the portion of the OS that performs the most basic functions, such as memory and process management Linux is an open and free... glossary of Linux terms used not only in this book but also in the Linux and UNIX worlds The third appendix explains how to get further help when using Ubuntu, and the fourth explains how to use the DVD and the differences between the various versions of Ubuntu What’s New in the Fifth Edition The original edition of Beginning Ubuntu Linux was the first English-language book to provide a guide to using Ubuntu, ... could go on; we all have good reasons to try Ubuntu Linux on our PCs More reasons will occur to you once you get to know it Of course, if you’re already using an older version of Ubuntu (and taking into account that, in Ubuntu s terminology, “older” means six months), you don’t need us to point out its virtues, right? What Is Ubuntu Linux Anyway? Ubuntu Linux can be defined in many ways and from different... editor at Linux. com, and his articles have appeared on the Datamation, LWN, Linux Developer Network, Linux Journal, and LinuxPlanet sites He also writes a monthly column for the Linux Journal web site and a weekly blog called “Off the Beat” about the free software community for Linux Pro magazine In addition to his online publications, he has published in such magazines as Linux Journal, Linux Pro... computer in a Brazilian favela Ubuntu is built around one of the most established versions of Linux: Debian (http://www.debian.org) The Debian Project was started back in 1993, shortly after the very first version of the Linux software was released, and has become one of the pioneering varieties of Linux Ubuntu and Debian Linux both share common goals and are closely allied, but Ubuntu focuses largely on... You are a hardcore Linux user who wants to figure out why Ubuntu has been chosen the best Linux desktop distribution so many times • You have been asked by your boss to evaluate Ubuntu Linux as a replacement for Windows on your organization’s desktop computers Or maybe you are the boss and want to motivate your crew with a great project 3 www.it-ebooks.info CHAPTER 1 ■ MEET UBUNTU LINUX This list could... and upgrade as easy as possible Ubuntu Linux Is a Full Desktop Solution But to talk about Ubuntu Linux as just an OS would be unfair It is much more than that Ubuntu Linux is built upon the sound foundation of Debian, and by all standards they are very much alike; however, they do differ in their approaches Although supremely flexible, Debian is mostly used on servers Ubuntu, on the other hand, is primarily... CHAPTER 1 ■ MEET UBUNTU LINUX Linux forms an open source bundle collectively known as LAMP, which is a free alternative to proprietary (and expensive) solutions And LAMP is not just for low-traffic web sites: the mighty Wikipedia runs on Linux on Ubuntu Linux, in fact12) Linux is also hard to beat when it comes to flexibility It not only runs huge servers hidden in datacenters; many Linux derivatives found... official release of Ubuntu 10.04, including not only the main Ubuntu release, but also Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and releases for servers and Netbooks By booting from Side A of the DVD-ROM you can opt to install Ubuntu or run in “live” mode, which means that the entire operating system boots from the disc and doesn’t touch your hard disk This can be useful for those who want to “try out” Ubuntu The contents... part to Ubuntu Linux Because Linux is just a kernel, it usually needs other programs to run as a full OS Different Linux distributions (or distros for short) package all the other software needed to make an OS, each with a different philosophy in mind More often than not, there are organizations behind each distribution, and these organizations often drive the development of new packages Ubuntu Linux . of Linux 1 ■ Chapter 1: Meet Ubuntu Linux 3 Ten Reasons to Try Ubuntu Linux 3 What Is Ubuntu Linux Anyway? 4 Ubuntu Linux Is an Operating System 4 Ubuntu. Ubuntu Is a Distribution of Linux, Based on Debian 5 Ubuntu Linux Is a Full Desktop Solution 6 The Ubuntu Linux Experience 6 Linux for Human Beings” 6