Translations by Mohammad Taghizadeh

Revision number

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution--Share Alike 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, see \hyperref[ch:license]{\appendixname}~\ref{ch:license}, visit \url{http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/}, or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

\textit{\plaintitle} can be downloaded for free from \url{http://ubuntu-manual.org/} or purchased from \url{\printurl}. A printed copy of this book can be ordered for the price of printing and delivery. We permit and even encourage you to distribute a copy of this book to colleagues, friends, family, and anyone else who might be interested.

Our goal is to cover the basics of Ubuntu (such as installation and working with the desktop) as well as hardware and software management, working with the command line, and security. 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.

For more detailed information on any aspect of the Ubuntu desktop, see the ``Ubuntu Desktop Guide,'' which can be obtained in any of the following ways:

There are also many excellent resources available on the Internet. For example, on \url{https://help.ubuntu.com} you will find documentation on installing and using Ubuntu. At the Ubuntu Forums (\url{http://ubuntuforums.org}) and Ask Ubuntu (\url{http://askubuntu.com}), you will find answers to many Ubuntu-related questions. \marginnote{You can find more information about Ubuntu's online and system documentation in \chaplink{ch:learning-more}.}

If something isn't covered in this manual, 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.

The term ``Ubuntu'' is a traditional African concept originating from the Bantu languages of southern Africa. \marginnote{People sometimes wonder how to pronounce \emph{Ubuntu}. Each \emph{u} is pronounced the same as in the word \emph{put} except for the last \emph{u} which is pronounced the same as in the word \emph{due}.} 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 coming together voluntarily to collaborate on an international software project that aims to deliver the best possible user experience.

The Ubuntu Promise

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.

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

A brief history of Ubuntu

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 \Index{Debian} system as a base, \marginnote{Debian is the Linux operating system that Ubuntu is based upon. For more information visit \url{http://www.debian.org/}.} 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 recipients. Ubuntu spread quickly, its community grew rapidly, and soon Ubuntu became the most popular Linux \gls{distribution} available.

The Linux \Index{kernel} is the controller of the operating system; it is responsible for allocating memory and processor time. It can also be thought of as the program which manages any and all applications on the computer itself.

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:

Ubuntu is community based.

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}.

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:

Reader feedback: \href{mailto:feedback@ubuntu-manual.org}{feedback@ubuntu-manual.org}

Bug Reports: \url{https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-manual/+filebug}

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

Our project is an open-source, volunteer effort to create and maintain quality documentation for Ubuntu and its derivatives.

We are always looking for talented people to work with, and due to the size of the project we are fortunate to be able to cater to a wide range of skill sets:

To find out how you can get started helping, please visit \url{http://ubuntu-manual.org/getinvolved}.

The following typographic conventions are used in this book:

Button names, menu items, and other \acronym{GUI} elements are set in \textbf{boldfaced type}.

Menu sequences are sometimes typeset as \menu{File \then Save As\ldots}, which means, ``Choose the \menu{File} menu, then choose the \menu{Save As\ldots}.''

\texttt{Monospaced type} is used for text that you type into the computer, text that the computer outputs (as in a terminal), and keyboard shortcuts.

\marginnote{Many companies (such as Dell and System76) sell computers with Ubuntu preinstalled. If you already have Ubuntu installed on your computer, feel free to skip to \chaplink{ch:the-ubuntu-desktop}.} Before you can get started with Ubuntu, you will need to obtain a copy of the Ubuntu installation image for \acronym{DVD} or \acronym{USB}. Some options for doing this are outlined below.

The easiest and most common method for getting Ubuntu is to download the Ubuntu \acronym{DVD} image directly from \url{http://www.ubuntu.com/download}. Choose how you will install Ubuntu:

For the \emph{Download and install}, or \emph{Try it from a \acronym{DVD} or \acronym{USB} stick} options, select whether you require the 32-bit or 64-bit version (32-bit is recommended for most users), then click ``Start download.''

Ubuntu and its derivatives are available in two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit. \marginnote{\emph{32-bit} and \emph{64-bit} are types of processor architectures. Most new desktop computers have a 64-bit capable processor.} This difference refers to the way computers process information. Computers capable of running 64-bit software are able to process more information than computers running 32-bit software; however, 64-bit systems require more memory in order to do this. Nevertheless, these computers gain performance enhancements by running 64-bit software.

If your computer is older, a netbook, or you do not know the type of processor in the computer, install the 32-bit version.