Ubuntu Made Easy
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UBUNTU MADE EASY UBUNTU MADE EASY A Project-Based Introduction to Linux by Rickford Grant with Phil Bull San Francisco UBUNTU MADE EASY. Copyright © 2012 by Rickford Grant and Phil Bull. 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. 16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 First printing ISBN-10: 1-59327-425-4 ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-425-2 Publisher: William Pollock Production Editor: Alison Law Cover Illustration: Charlie Wylie Interior Design: Octopod Studios Developmental Editor: Keith Fancher Technical Reviewer: Milo Casagrande Copyeditor: Paula L. Fleming Compositor: Susan Glinert Stevens Proofreader: Ward Webber For information on book distributors or translations, please contact No Starch Press, Inc. directly: No Starch Press, Inc. 38 Ringold Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 phone: 415.863.9900; fax: 415.863.9950; [email protected]; www.nostarch.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record of this book is available from the Library of Congress. No Starch Press and the No Starch Press logo are registered trademarks of No Starch Press, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than use a trademark symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we are using the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the authors nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in it. In loving memory of my mother, Angelina Pavlovich, for whom the original version of this book was written. She was sweet, fun, and made a mean dish of chilaquiles. I miss her always. —Rickford To mum and dad: For everything —Phil BRIEF CONTENTS About the Authors .......................................................................................................xxiii Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... xxvii Introduction ................................................................................................................xxxi Chapter 1: Becoming a Penguinista Welcome to the World of Linux ........................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Wading and Diving Running and (If You Like) Installing Ubuntu .......................................................................11 Chapter 3: A New Place to Call Home Getting to Know the Desktop ..........................................................................................25 Chapter 4: More Than Webbed Feet Connecting to the Internet...............................................................................................41 Chapter 5: Slipping and Sliding Exploring the Internet, Linux Style ....................................................................................55 Chapter 6: Rounding Out the Bird Downloading, Installing, and Updating Programs the Easy Way.........................................77 Chapter 7: A Tidy Nest File and Disc Handling in Ubuntu ....................................................................................95 Chapter 8: Simple Kitten Ways Getting to Know the Linux Terminal and Command Line . and the Cool Things It Can Do......................................................................................125 Chapter 9: Dressing Up the Bird Customizing the Look and Feel of Your System................................................................159 Chapter 10: Gutenbird Setting Up and Using Your Printer and Scanner ..............................................................179 Chapter 11: Polyglot Penguins Linux Speaks Your Language ........................................................................................199 Chapter 12: Penguins at Work Getting Down to Business in Linux .................................................................................213 Chapter 13: Right-Brain Penguins Linux Does Art ............................................................................................................229 Chapter 14: Tux Rocks Music à la Linux..........................................................................................................245 Chapter 15: Pluggin’ In the Penguin Working with Your iPod, iPhone, and Other Digital Media Devices...................................263 Chapter 16: Couch Penguins Video and DVD Playback in Ubuntu ..............................................................................275 Chapter 17: Feathered Flippers Linux Gaming .............................................................................................................289 Chapter 18: Sweet Home Antarctica Linux Around the House ...............................................................................................309 Chapter 19: Penguins at the Gates Working with Ubuntu in a Windows World ...................................................................321 Chapter 20: Defending the Nest Security......................................................................................................................339 Chapter 21: A Colony of Penguins The Ubuntu Community ................................................................................................351 Chapter 22: Wounded Wings Fixing Common Problems.............................................................................................373 Appendix A: Installing Ubuntu from a USB Flash Drive.....................................................403 Appendix B: Ubuntu Desktop 64-Bit Discs.......................................................................407 Appendix C: Manually Partitioning Your Hard Disk .........................................................411 Appendix D: Resources................................................................................................419 Index .........................................................................................................................425 viii Brief Contents CONTENTS IN DETAIL ABOUT THE AUTHORS xxiii Rickford Grant ......................................................................................................xxiii Phil Bull .................................................................................................................xxv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxvii INTRODUCTION xxxi Version Compatibility ............................................................................................xxxi Concept and Approach ........................................................................................xxxii How to Use This Book .......................................................................................... xxxvi About the Conventions Used in This Book ............................................................... xxxvi About the Projects in This Book ............................................................................. xxxvi 1 BECOMING A PENGUINISTA Welcome to the World of Linux 1 What Is Linux? ......................................................................................................... 2 About the Penguin .................................................................................................... 3 Should You Use Linux? .............................................................................................. 3 What Is a Distribution? ............................................................................................. 4 What Is Ubuntu? ...................................................................................................... 5 Why Ubuntu Then? ................................................................................................... 5 Hardware Compatibility ............................................................................................ 6 When Research Is Required .......................................................................... 6 Hardware Requirements ............................................................................................ 7 Good News for 64-Bit Machine Users ........................................................................ 8 Mixed News for Mac Users ....................................................................................... 8 Speaking Ubuntu ..................................................................................................... 8 Where Do I Go from Here? ....................................................................................... 9 2 WADING AND DIVING Running and (If You Like) Installing Ubuntu 11 Going for a Dip ..................................................................................................... 12 Choices, Choices, Choices—Installation Options ........................................................ 13 Going for a Swim—Installing Ubuntu Inside Windows (the Wubi Installer) ....... 13 Taking the Full Plunge—Installing Ubuntu Outside of Windows ....................... 17 Getting Ready for Action ...........................................................................