| About the Author | xxiii |
| About the Technical Reviewer | xxv |
| Acknolwedgments | xxvii |
| Introduction | xxix |
| Part 1 | Introducing the World of Linux | |
| Chapter 1 | Welcome! | 3 |
| What Is Linux? | 3 |
| The Age of Linux | 5 |
| The Problems with Windows | 6 |
| The Benefits of Linux | 8 |
| The Linux Community | 9 |
| Summary | 10 |
| Chapter 2 | A History and Politics Lesson | 11 |
| In the Beginning | 11 |
| The GNU Project | 13 |
| Proprietary Software and the GPL | 14 |
| GNU and Linux Together | 15 |
| Different Flavors of Linux | 16 |
| Linux Today | 17 |
| Modern Linux Development | 17 |
| Summary | 18 |
| Chapter 3 | The Realities of Running Linux | 19 |
| Learning to Use Linux | 19 |
| Who Uses Linux? | 20 |
| Getting Hold of Linux | 21 |
| Using Ubuntu | 22 |
| Summary | 22 |
| Part 2 | Installing Ubuntu | |
| Chapter 4 | Preinstallation Steps | 25 |
| Understanding Partitioning | 25 |
| Freeing Up Space | 27 |
| Backing Up Your Data | 29 |
| Summary | 32 |
| Chapter 5 | Installing Ubuntu | 33 |
| An Overview of the Installation Process | 33 |
| Step-by-Step Guide | 34 |
| Summary | 46 |
| Chapter 6 | Solving Installation Problems | 47 |
| Preinstallation Problems | 47 |
| Installation Problems | 49 |
| Postinstallation Problems | 51 |
| Graphical Problems | 53 |
| Summary | 59 |
| Part 3 | The No-Nonsense Getting Started Guide | |
| Chapter 7 | Booting Ubuntu for the First Time | 63 |
| Starting Up | 63 |
| Logging In | 64 |
| Exploring the Desktop | 66 |
| Running Programs | 71 |
| Working with Virtual Desktops | 72 |
| Using the Mouse | 73 |
| Cutting and Pasting Text | 74 |
| Summary | 75 |
| Chapter 8 | Getting Everything Up and Running | 77 |
| Ubuntu Hardware Support | 77 |
| Getting Online | 81 |
| Setting Up Online Software Repositories | 99 |
| Configuring E-Mail and Instant Messaging | 103 |
| Adding a Printer | 107 |
| Setting Up Digital Imaging Devices | 111 |
| Using a USB Memory Stick | 116 |
| Installing 3D Graphics Card Drivers | 116 |
| Configuring Bluetooth | 118 |
| Configuring Sound Cards | 123 |
| Summary | 124 |
| Chapter 9 | How to Secure Your Computer | 125 |
| Windows Security vs. Linux Security | 125 |
| Root and Ordinary Users | 126 |
| Common-Sense Security | 128 |
| Online Updates | 130 |
| The Ubuntu Firewall | 131 |
| Summary | 137 |
| Chapter 10 | Personalizing Ubuntu: Getting Everything Just Right | 139 |
| Changing the Look and Feel | 139 |
| Adding and Removing Desktop Items | 152 |
| Setting Power-Saving Features | 157 |
| Summary | 159 |
| Chapter 11 | Ubuntu Replacements for Windows Programs | 161 |
| Available Software | 161 |
| A Quick Start with Common Linux Programs | 163 |
| Summary | 181 |
| Chapter 12 | Managing Your Files | 183 |
| Understanding File System Concepts | 183 |
| Using Nautilus | 186 |
| Launching Files and Running Programs | 190 |
| Accessing Windows Files | 192 |
| Accessing Removable Storage Devices | 196 |
| Summary | 199 |
| Part 4 | The Shell and Beyond | |
| Chapter 13 | Introducing the BASH Shell | 203 |
| What Is the BASH Shell? | 203 |
| Why Bother with the Shell? | 205 |
| When Should You Use the Shell? | 206 |
| Getting Started with the Shell | 207 |
| Working with Files | 211 |
| Summary | 217 |
| Chapter 14 | Understanding Linux Files and Users | 219 |
| Real Files and Virtual Files | 219 |
| Users and File Permissions | 221 |
| The File System Explained | 228 |
| Mounting | 232 |
| File Searches | 235 |
| File Size and Free Space | 237 |
| Summary | 239 |
| Chapter 15 | Working with Text Files | 241 |
| Viewing Text Files | 241 |
| Using a Command-Line Text Editor | 244 |
| Searching Through Files | 251 |
| Comparing Text Files | 254 |
| Summary | 255 |
| Chapter 16 | Taking Control of the System | 257 |
| Viewing Processes | 257 |
| Controlling Processes | 260 |
| Controlling Jobs | 264 |
| Summary | 265 |
| Chapter 17 | Cool Shell Tricks | 267 |
| Using Autocompletion | 267 |
| Using Keyboard Shortcuts | 269 |
| Using the Command History | 271 |
| Piping and Directing Output | 272 |
| Summary | 276 |
| Part 5 | Multimedia | |
| Chapter 18 | Digital Music | 279 |
| Understanding the Legalities of Playback | 279 |
| Playing Music Files | 280 |
| Listening to Audio CDs | 283 |
| Tuning in to Online Radio Stations | 284 |
| Ripping Music from CDs | 285 |
| Creating Your Own CDs | 288 |
| Summary | 289 |
| Chapter 19 | Movies and Multimedia | 291 |
| Watching Videos | 291 |
| Watching DVDs | 296 |
| Playing Flash Animations | 297 |
| Watching TV | 299 |
| Summary | 300 |
| Chapter 20 | Image Editing | 301 |
| Getting Pictures onto Your PC | 301 |
| Introducing The GIMP | 302 |
| Editing Images with The GIMP | 306 |
| Applying Filters | 311 |
| Summary | 315 |
| Part 6 | Office Tasks | |
| Chapter 21 | Making the Move to OpenOffice.org | 319 |
| Office Similarities | 319 |
| OpenOffice.Org Key Features | 320 |
| File Compatibility | 321 |
| The Right Fonts | 323 |
| Summary | 327 |
| Chapter 22 | OpenOffice.org Overview | 329 |
| Introducing the Interface | 329 |
| Customizing the Interface | 330 |
| Using OpenOffice.org Core Functions | 339 |
| Summary | 342 |
| Chapter 23 | In Depth: Writer | 343 |
| Formatting Text | 343 |
| Spell-Checking | 345 |
| Inserting Pictures | 346 |
| Working with Tables | 347 |
| Mail Merging | 349 |
| Adding Headers and Footers | 352 |
| Summary | 353 |
| Chapter 24 | In Depth: Calc | 355 |
| Entering and Formatting Data | 355 |
| Deleting and Inserting Data and Cells | 356 |
| Working with Formulas | 356 |
| Sorting Data | 359 |
| Creating Charts | 359 |
| Using Filters | 361 |
| Summary | 362 |
| Chapter 25 | In Depth: Impress | 363 |
| Creating a Quick Presentation | 363 |
| Working in Impress | 365 |
| Animating Slides | 366 |
| Applying Fontwork | 367 |
| Using 3D Effects | 369 |
| Exporting a Presentation As a Flash File | 370 |
| Summary | 371 |
| Chapter 26 | In Depth: Base | 373 |
| Getting Started with Base | 373 |
| Creating a Database | 375 |
| Using the Database | 380 |
| Summary | 381 |
| Chapter 27 | In Depth: Evolution | 383 |
| Evolution Modes | 383 |
| Basic E-Mail Tasks | 385 |
| Advanced E-Mail Tasks | 390 |
| Contacts | 394 |
| Calendars | 396 |
| Tasks | 398 |
| Summary | 399 |
| Chapter 28 | Running Microsoft Office Under Ubuntu | 401 |
| Installing and Configuring Wine | 401 |
| Installing Microsoft Office | 406 |
| Running Office Components | 407 |
| Installing Other Windows Programs | 409 |
| Summary | 410 |
| Part 7 | Keeping Your System Running | |
| Chapter 29 | Installing Software | 413 |
| Software Installation Basics | 413 |
| The Synaptic Package Manager in Depth | 420 |
| Package Management from the Command Prompt | 424 |
| Installing from Source | 430 |
| Summary | 434 |
| Chapter 30 | Managing Users | 435 |
| Understanding User and Group Accounts | 435 |
| Adding and Deleting Users and Groups | 437 |
| Adding and Changing Passwords | 441 |
| Summary | 442 |
| Chapter 31 | Optimizing Your System | 443 |
| Speeding Up Booting | 443 |
| Optimizing Hard Disk Settings | 452 |
| Prelinking | 456 |
| Freeing Disk Space | 458 |
| Adding Another Disk Drive | 460 |
| Summary | 461 |
| Chapter 32 | Backing Up Data | 463 |
| What Data Should You Back Up? | 463 |
| Using SBackup | 464 |
| Making Backups from the Command Line | 468 |
| Summary | 471 |
| Chapter 33 | Scheduling Tasks | 473 |
| Scheduling with crontab | 473 |
| Scheduling with anacron | 476 |
| Using at to Schedule One-Off Tasks | 477 |
| Summary | 478 |
| Chapter 34 | Accessing Computers Remotely | 479 |
| Using Secure Shell | 479 |
| Accessing GUI Applications Remotely | 485 |
| Connecting to Remote Windows Computers | 489 |
| Summary | 492 |
| Appendix A | Glossary of Linux Terms | 493 |
| Appendix B | BASH Command Index | 515 |
| Appendix C | Getting Further Help | 529 |
| Read the Manual! | 529 |
| Man Pages | 529 |
| Info Pages | 532 |
| README Files and Other Documentation | 533 |
| Getting Help Online | 533 |
| Forums | 533 |
| Mailing Lists | 534 |
| Other Official Sites | 535 |
| Third-Party Sites | 535 |
| Appendix D | Other Versions of Ubuntu | 537 |
| Kubuntu | 537 |
| Edubuntu | 538 |
| Ubuntu Server | 538 |
| Xubuntu | 539 |
| Other Ubuntu Projects | 540 |
| Index | 541 |
