Translations by Thomas Poulsen

\newglossaryentry{desktop environment}{name={desktop environment}, description={A generic term to describe a GUI interface for humans to interact with computers. There are many desktop environments such as GNOME, KDE, XFCE and LXDE just to name a few.}}

Linux was designed from the ground up with security and hardware compatibility in mind, and is currently one of the most popular Unix-based operating system. One of the benefits of Linux is that it is incredibly flexible and can be configured to run on almost any device\dash from the smallest micro-computers and cellphones to larger super-computers. Initially, Unix was entirely command line-based until Graphical User Interfaces (\glspl{GUI}) began to emerge in the early 1990s.

Ubuntu is built on the foundation of Linux, which is a member of the Unix family. Unix is one of the oldest types of operating systems and has provided reliability and security in professional applications for almost half a century. Many servers around the world that store data for popular websites (such as YouTube and Google) run some variant of a Unix system.

While large organizations often find it useful to pay for support services, Shuttleworth has promised that the Ubuntu desktop system will always be free. As of 2010, Ubuntu desktop is installed on nearly 2\% of the world's computers. This equates to millions of users worldwide, and is growing each year.

\marginnote{For information on Ubuntu Server Edition, and how you can use it in your company, visit \url{http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu/serveredition/features}.}

Now with more people working on the project than ever before, Ubuntu continues to see improvement to its core features and hardware support, and has gained the attention of large organizations worldwide. For example, in 2007 Dell began a collaboration with Canonical to sell computers with Ubuntu pre-installed. Additionally, in 2005 the French Police began to transition their entire computer infrastructure to a variant of Ubuntu\dash a process which has reportedly saved them ``millions of Euro'' in licensing fees for Microsoft Windows. By the year 2012, the French Police anticipates that all of their computers will be running Ubuntu. Canonical profits from this arrangement by providing technical support and custom-built software.

\marginnote{Canonical is the company that provides financial and technical support for Ubuntu. They have employees based around the world who work on developing and improving the operating system, as well as reviewing work submitted by volunteer contributors. To learn more about Canonical, go to \url{http://www.canonical.com}.}

Ubuntu was conceived in 2004 by Mark Shuttleworth, a successful South African entrepreneur, and his company \gls{Canonical}. Shuttleworth recognized the power of Linux and Open Source, but was also aware of weaknesses that prevented mainstream use.

Shuttleworth set out with clear intentions to address these weaknesses and create a system that was easy to use, completely free (see \chaplink{ch:learning-more} for the complete definition of ``free''), and could compete with other mainstream operating systems. With the Debian system as a base, Shuttleworth began to build Ubuntu. Using his own funds at first, installation \acronym{CD}s were pressed and shipped worldwide at no cost to the end user. Ubuntu spread quickly, the size of the community rapidly increased, and it soon became the most popular Debian-based Linux distribution available.

Ubuntu core applications are all free and open source. We want you to use free and open source software, improve it, and pass it on.

\marginnote{More information about Ubuntu's online and system documentation can be found in \chaplink{ch:learning-more}.}

If you are after more detail, there are excellent resources available at \url{http://help.ubuntu.com}. Ubuntu's built-in system documentation is also very useful for accessing help on specific topics, and can be found by clicking \menu{System\then Help and Support} in Ubuntu. If something isn't covered here, chances are you will find the information you are looking for in one of those locations. We will try our best to include links to more detailed help wherever we can.

Our goal is to cover the basics of Ubuntu (such as installation and working with the desktop) as well as guide you through some of the most popular applications. We designed this guide to be simple to follow with step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots, allowing you to discover the potential of your new Ubuntu system even if you are a novice computer user or are migrating from another operating system for the first time.

\emph{Getting Started with Ubuntu 10.04} is not intended to be a comprehensive Ubuntu instruction manual. It is more like a quick-start guide that will get you doing the things you need to do with your computer quickly and easily, without getting bogged down in technical details.

Please bear in mind that this guide is still very much a work in progress and always will be. It is written specifically for Ubuntu 10.04 \acronym{LTS}, and although we have aimed to not limit our instructions to this version it is unavoidable that some things will change over the life of Ubuntu. Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, we will incorporate any changes into our guide, and make a new version available at \url{http://www.ubuntu-manual.org}.

\newglossaryentry{wireless connection}{name={wireless connection}, description={A wireless connection involves no cables of any sort and instead uses a wireless signal to communicate with either a \gls{router} or access point.}}

\newglossaryentry{router}{name={router}, description={A router is a specially designed computer that using its software and hardware, routes information from the internet to a network. It is also sometimes called a gateway.}}

\newglossaryentry{ISP}{name={\acronym{ISP}}, description={\acronym{ISP} stands for \emph{Internet Service Provider}, an \acronym{ISP} is a company that provides you with your internet connection.}}

\newglossaryentry{minimize}{name={minimize}, description={When you minimize an open application, it sits in an applet on a panel. If you click on a minimized applications panel button, it will then be restored to its normal state and allow you to interact with it.}}

\newglossaryentry{package}{name={package}, description={Debian package files that hold the core information and code for applications to run.}}

\newglossaryentry{DHCP}{name={\acronym{DHCP}}, description={\acronym{DHCP} stands for \emph{Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol}, it is used by a \acronym{DHCP} \gls{server} to assign computers on a network an IP address automatically.}}

\newglossaryentry{GNOME}{name={\acronym{GNOME}}, description={\acronym{GNOME} (which once stood for GNU Network Object Model Environment) is the default desktop environment used in Ubuntu.}}

\newglossaryentry{applet}{name={applet}, description={An applet is a small program that runs in a \gls{panel}. Applets provide useful functions such as starting a program, viewing the time, or accessing the main menu.}}

\newglossaryentry{Canonical}{name={Canonical}, description={Canonical, the financial backer of Ubuntu, provides support for the core Ubuntu system. It has over 310 paid staff members worldwide who ensure that the foundation of the operating system is stable, as well as checking all the work submitted by volunteer contributors. To learn more about Canonical, go to \url{http://www.canonical.com}.}}

\newglossaryentry{cursor}{name={cursor}, description={The blinking cursor that appears after the \gls{prompt} in the \gls{terminal} is used to show you where text will appear when you start typing. You can move it around with arrow keys on your keyboard.}}

\newglossaryentry{Ethernet port}{name={Ethernet port}, description={An Ethernet port is what an Ethernet cable is plugged into when you are using a \gls{wired connection}.}}

\newglossaryentry{GUI}{name={\acronym{GUI}}, description={The \acronym{GUI} (which stands for Graphical User Interface) is a type of user interface that allows humans to interact with the computer using graphics and images rather than just text.}}

\newglossaryentry{kernel}{name={kernel}, description={A kernel is the central portion of a Unix-based operating system, responsible for running applications, processes, and providing security for the core components.}}

\newglossaryentry{maximize}{name={\emph{maximize}}, description={When you maximize an application in Ubuntu it will fill the whole desktop, excluding the panels.}}

\newglossaryentry{MeMenu}{name={MeMenu}, description={The MeMenu in Ubuntu 10.04 allows you to manage your presence on social networking services. It also allows you to publish status messages to all of your accounts by entering updates into a text field.}}

\newglossaryentry{output}{name={output}, description={The output of a command is any text it displays on the next line after typing a command and pressing enter, \eg, if you type \commandlineapp{pwd} into a terminal and press \keystroke{Enter}, the directory name it displays on the next line is the output.}}

\newglossaryentry{panel}{name={panel}, description={A panel is a bar that sits on the edge of your screen. It contains \glspl{applet} which provide useful functions such as running programs, viewing the time, or accessing the main menu.}}

\newglossaryentry{parameter}{name={parameter}, description={Parameters are special options that you can use with other commands in the terminal to make that command behave differently, this can make a lot of commands far more useful.}}

\newglossaryentry{prompt}{name={prompt}, description={The prompt displays some useful information about your computer, it can be customized to display in different colors as well as being able to display the time, date and current directory as well as almost anything else you like.}}

\newglossaryentry{server}{name={server}, description={A server is a computer that runs a specialized operating system and provides services to computers that connect to it and make a request.}}

\newglossaryentry{shell}{name={shell}, description={The \gls{terminal} gives access to the shell, when you type a command into the terminal and press enter the shell takes that command and performs the relevant action.}}

\newglossaryentry{Software Center}{name={Software Center}, description={The Software Center is where you can easily manage software installation and removal as well as the ability to manage software installed via Personal Package Archives.}}

\newglossaryentry{Synaptic Package Manager}{name={Synaptic Package Manager}, description={Synaptic Package Manager is a tool that, instead of listing applications (like the Software Center) lists individual packages that can then be installed, removed and fixed.}}

\newglossaryentry{terminal}{name={terminal}, description={The terminal is Ubuntu's text only interface, it is a method of controlling some aspects of the operating system using only commands entered via the keyboard.}}

\newglossaryentry{wired connection}{name={wired connection}, description={A wired connection is when your computer is physically connected to a \gls{router} or \gls{Ethernet port} with a cable, this is the most common connection for desktop computers.}}

\newglossaryentry{Wubi}{name={Wubi}, description={Wubi stands for Windows Ubuntu Installer, and it allows you to install Ubuntu inside Windows. See page~\pageref{sec:installation:using-wubi} for more information.}}

Getting Started with Ubuntu 10.04

Welcome to \emph{Getting Started with Ubuntu}, an introductory guide written to help new users get started with Ubuntu.

The term ``Ubuntu'' is a traditional African concept that originated from the Bantu languages of southern Africa. It can be described as a way of connecting with others\dash living in a global community where your actions affect all of humanity. Ubuntu is more than just an operating system: it is a community of people that come together voluntarily to collaborate on an international software project that aims to deliver the best possible user experience.

The Ubuntu promise

Ubuntu will always be free of charge, along with its regular enterprise releases and security updates.

Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from \gls{Canonical} and hundreds of companies from across the world.

Ubuntu provides the best translations and accessibility features that the free software community has to offer.

A brief history of Ubuntu