Newbies! Over Here!!

So you’ve clicked on this site because you’re a newbie, and want help? This section is for you!

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution. This means that it is an operating system for your computer, just like Windows, that contains the Linux kernel. Many different operating systems contain the Linux kernel as their core, and this is why there are many different distributions, Ubuntu is generally considered the most user friendly and easy to install distribution.

Where can I get Ubuntu?

The best place is, surprisingly enough, ubuntu.com. The way it works is you download the ISO file for your system, and then you use your CD burning software to burn this ISO image to a CD. The important bit to be sure of is make sure you don’t just burn the file to a CD, it must be burned as an image file. There should be an special option to burn as an ‘image’ or ‘ISO’ CD within your burning software.

Once this is done, restart your PC with the CD inside. If you boot into Windows or Mac OS X as usual, you’re going to have to change your PC setup to boot from a CD. Usually you press F2 or something similar as your PC is booting up and changing the options.

Now, you can try Ubuntu for a while to see how you like it, but it is running off of a CD so it is MUCH MUCH slower than it would usually be. If you like it, you can have a look at this installation guide to get you up and running! (http://www.maximumpc.com/linux?page=0%2C1)

The guide is written for Ubuntu 7.04, and the current version is 7.10, but the installation process is almost identical!

Now I’ve Got Ubuntu, what should I do?

Look at this page -

http://linuxondesktop.blogspot.com/2007/11/creating-your-ultimate-ubuntu-710.html

This one’ll help you out too -

http://linuxondesktop.blogspot.com/2007/07/35-cool-applications-to-install-on.html

There’s loads of HowTo’s on this page, check it out, you’ll find at least one of them helpful! http://www.saylinux.com/ubuntuhowto.html

There’s plenty of stuff to do! Use google and get involved! Enjoy!