Browsing English (Australia) translation

94.

New users to Ubuntu may find that it takes some time to feel comfortable when trying a new operating system. You will no doubt notice many similarities to both Microsoft Windows and Mac \acronym{OS~X}, and some differences. Users coming from Mac \acronym{OS~X} are more likely to notice similarities due to the fact that both Mac \acronym{OS~X} and Ubuntu originated from \Index{Unix}. The Unity shell, which is the default in Ubuntu, is a completely new concept, which needs some exploring to get used to it. See \chaplink{ch:the-ubuntu-desktop} for more information about the Unity shell.

95.

Before you decide whether or not Ubuntu is right for you, we suggest giving yourself some time to grow accustomed to the way things are done in Ubuntu. You should expect to find that some things are different from what you are used to. We also suggest taking the following into account:

96.

Ubuntu is community based.

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That is, Ubuntu is developed, written, and maintained by the community. Because of this, support is probably not available at your local computer store. Fortunately, the Ubuntu community is here to help. There are many articles, guides, and manuals available, as well as users on various Internet forums and Internet Relay Chat (\acronym{IRC}) rooms that are willing to assist beginners. Additionally, near the end of this guide, we include a troubleshooting chapter: \chaplink{ch:troubleshooting}.

98.

[Many applications designed for Microsoft Windows or Mac \acronym{OS~X} will not run on Ubuntu.] For the vast majority of everyday computing tasks, you will find suitable alternative applications available in Ubuntu. However, many professional applications (such as the Adobe Creative Suite) are not developed to work with Ubuntu. If you rely on commercial software that is not compatible with Ubuntu, yet still want to give Ubuntu a try, you may want to consider \gls{dual-booting}. \marginnote{To learn more about \gls{dual-booting} (running Ubuntu side-by-side with another operating system), see \chaplink{ch:installation}.} Alternatively, some applications developed for Windows will work in Ubuntu with a program called \application{Wine}. For more information on Wine, go to \url{http://www.winehq.org}.

99.

[Many commercial games will not run on Ubuntu.] If you are a heavy gamer, then Ubuntu may not be for you. Game developers usually design games for the largest market. Since Ubuntu's market share is not as substantial as Microsoft's Windows or Apple's Mac \acronym{OS~X}, most game developers will not allocate resources towards making their games compatible with Linux. \marginnote{See \chaplink{ch:software-management} to learn more about \application{Ubuntu Software Center}.} If you just enjoy a game every now and then, there is active game development within the community, and many high quality games can be easily installed through the \application{Ubuntu Software Center}.

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Contact details

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Many people have contributed their time to this project. If you notice any errors or think we have left something out, feel free to contact us. We do everything we can to make sure that this manual is up to date, informative, and professional. Our contact details are as follows:

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Website: \url{http://www.ubuntu-manual.org/}

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Email: \href{mailto:ubuntu-manual@lists.launchpad.net}{ubuntu-manual@lists.launchpad.net}