Rickford Grant - Ubuntu Made Easy: A Project-Based Introduction to Linux

There are a good number of people who deserve thanks for the help and support they provided either while or before this book was written, and there are still others whose help will come after the book is released. I (Rickford) would like to acknowledge all of them now.

To start at home, so to speak, Id like to thank my auntie and uncle, Danica Lucia and David Zollars, and the rest of my family here, for encouraging me in my various endeavors, such as this, while also watching over me when things get tough. Thanks also to all of my family in Bosnia-Herzegovina, who helped remind me that I was not alone as the world around me seemed to be vanishing. Before moving on, Id also like to thank a few friends who had an impact on this continuing project. First Id like to thank Setsu Uesaka, who really helped and encouraged me a lot back when the forerunner to this book was being prepared in Toyama, Japan, as well as my stateside friend Donald Hammang, who encouraged me during those times when I just didnt have any push left in me.

I would like to thank all of those people who worked together with me on the production of this book, staring with the editor, Keith Fancher, who really does a great job of keeping the flow of the book smooth and consistent and makes you comfortable in the process. Hopefully, we have made his editing life easier this time around. Thanks also go out to Milo Casagrande, the technical reviewer on this edition, who did his best to ensure that all of the details in the book were straight duck, and Alison Law, the production editor, who made sure that every t was crossed and every bit of orphaned text was found and dealt with. Thanks also to Riley Hoffman and Serena Yang, who made sure the jumble of text and images we submitted turned into a properly formatted book, and to Jessica Miller, who handles the marketing side of things. A very special set of thanks goes out to William Pollock, who took a chance on the completely unknown writer that I was when I first submitted my original manuscript, thus allowing things to evolve to where they are today. Finally, I am glad to once again express my thanks to my co-author, Phil Bull, who provided new inspiration and ideas for the book and again made working on this new edition a lot less lonely than it was in the past. As Ive said before, its always nice to have someone to bounce ideas around with. Thank you, Phil!

Finally, a special thanks to my sweet little black cat and dear feline friend, Muju, who, despite vociferously protesting as I spent her time writing this book, continues to listen to whatever I have to say and keeps me sane when Im feeling downthough I admit to losing it a bit when she demands that I spin her around on my swivel chair at 4 am or when she decides at 6 am that it is time for me to get up for no apparent reason, as is her most recent custom. Such is life in service to ones cat. Meow.

With two authors you get two sets of acknowledgments, so Id like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people whove helped me (Phil) throughout the writing of this book.

First and foremost, I want to thank my parents, Julie and Jeff, for all of the love theyve provided over the years. Their support gives me the confidence to go out there and do things, and I respect and admire them both more than they can ever imagine. Im also grateful to my sister, Ellen, for keeping life interesting and for making me a proud big brother; to my grandparents, for their unwavering affection; and to my auntie and uncle, Pam and Roy, for nurturing my geeky tendencies.

Im also fortunate to have a bunch of friends whove kept me in good humor (and relative sanity!) for all these years. They include Leo Tweed Huckvale, Will Dirty Hipster Whyles, and Kiran Hype Man Joshi, my partners in nerd-crime; Emily Johnstone, Mikey Wood, Myriam Yagoubi, Laura MacPhee, Asia Lindsay, and Alix Huk, who never fail to put a smile on my face; the impossibly excellent Adam Blundred, Jamie Poole, and Matt Glover; Mike, Sarah, Christina, Pete, Stephen, Gabe, and Kate, who never fail to bring fun times with them; and all of my other lovely friends, whom Id be lost without. I also owe my friends and colleagues in astrophysics a debt of gratitude, especially Rich, Will, Tessa, Amy, Adam, Graeme, Phil, Pedro, Tim, Chris, and Alan for inspiring me, guiding me, or just plain indulging me.

Being involved in the open source community is an absolute privilege. Its filled with such wonderful people as Jim Campbell, Shaun McCance, and Tiffany Antopolski, whose dedication is awe-inspiring. Its always good to see them, and all the others (Kat, Dave, Mike, Ryan, Johannes, Julita, Natalia...) who make every conference and hackfest a super fun time. The fact that its possible to write a book like this at all is a testament to their hard work.

I also want to thank all of the folks at No Starch for bringing the awesome. Its been a real pleasure to work with them again, and Rickford and I couldnt have asked for a better team to help us through. Rickford already named names, but I want to thank everyone again: Keith, Bill, Milo, Alison, Paula, Riley, Leigh, and Jessica, youve all been amazing, and Im really grateful for everything youve put into this book.

Finally, my sincere thanks go to Rickford, for not only getting the ball rolling on this book all those editions ago, but also for being an absolutely splendid writing partneras always. Cheers!

Introduction

If youre standing in the aisle of your local bookstore reading this right now, you may well be wondering who this book is for. Ubuntu Made Easy , as you might imagine, is for readers who are interested in Linux but who feel the need for a jumping-off point to get started.

If youre familiar with computers but unfamiliar with Linux, or if you are somewhat familiar with Linux but not with Ubuntu, this book is for you. This is not primarily a book for seasoned geeks or power users; its an introductory guide that will provide you with some hands-on experience to get up, running, and comfortable with the Ubuntu Linux distribution without pain. Think of this book as a map, a compass, and a comfy pair of hiking boots rather than a harness, a rope, and a set of crampons.

Version Compatibility

Ubuntu Made Easy is based on Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) Desktop edition. The CD bundled with this book is the Ubuntu Desktop CD, which lets you both try Ubuntu without installing it and install Ubuntu to your hard drive once youre ready. Its called a live CD. You can boot your computer from the CD and run Ubuntu directly off the CD without touching your hard disk to see if you like Ubuntu and to make sure that Ubuntu will work with your hardware. If, after running the live CD, you like what you see and everything seems to work, you can install Ubuntu on your computer using the same disc. (There are instructions for doing so in .)

Concept and Approach

This book is intended as both a handy reference and a dynamic learning experience: Youll get some hands-on experience as you work through it. The text is organized by increasing skills, so that, as much as possible, you wont be asked to do something that you havent already learned. In addition, you can put the various morsels of knowledge you acquire into practice through several exercises, or