Translations by Mohammad Taghizadeh

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.

Canonical releases new versions of Ubuntu every six months; every fourth release is a so-called long-term support (\gls{LTS}) version. Each Ubuntu release has a version number that consists of the year and month number of the release, and an alliterative code name using an adjective and an animal. Code names are in consecutive alphabetic order, allowing a quick determination of which release is newer. Ubuntu 14.04 (code-named Trusty Tahr) is considered a so called LTS version and is supported by Canonical with patches and upgrades for five years. The previous \acronym{LTS} version is Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin), and has support for five years (until April 2017). Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, we will incorporate updates and changes into our guide, and make a new version available at \url{http://www.ubuntu-manual.org}.

\emph{Getting Started with Ubuntu 14.04} is not intended to be a comprehensive Ubuntu instruction manual. It is a quick-start guide that will get you doing the things you need to do with your computer easily, without getting bogged down with technical details. With the help of this guide, it should not take long before new users get used to the Unity desktop environment. Unity includes the Launcher, the Dash, the \acronym{HUD}, indicators, and an on-screen display notification system (\acronym{OSD}). All these features will be explained in this guide.

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:

in the indicator area, click \menu{Session indicator \then Ubuntu Help}.

go to \url{https://help.ubuntu.com}, \menu{Ubuntu 14.04 \then Ubuntu Desktop Help}.

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.

Ubuntu!philosophy of

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

Ubuntu was conceived in 2004 by Mark Shuttleworth, a successful South African entrepreneur, and his company \Index[Canonical]{\gls{Canonical}}. \marginnote{To learn more about Canonical, go to \url{http://www.canonical.com}.} 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 \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.

With more people working on the project than ever before, its core features and hardware support continue to improve, and Ubuntu has gained the attention of large organizations worldwide.

\marginnote{For information on Ubuntu Server Edition, and how you can use it in your company, visit \url{http://www.ubuntu.com/business/server/overview}.} While large organizations often find it useful to pay for support services, Shuttleworth has promised that the Ubuntu desktop operating system will always be free. Ubuntu is installed on an estimated 2\% of the world's computers. This equates to tens of millions of users worldwide, and is growing each year. As there is no compulsory registration, the percentage of Ubuntu users should be treated as an estimate.

Ubuntu is built on the foundation of Linux, which is a member of the \Index{Unix} family. \Index{Unix} is one of the oldest types of operating systems, and together with Linux has provided reliability and security for 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 Linux or \Index{Unix}. The popular Android system for smartphones is a Linux variant; modern in-car computers usually run on Linux. Even Apple \acronym{OS X} is based on Unix. The Linux \Index{kernel} is best described as the core\dash almost the brain\dash of the Ubuntu operating system.

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.

While modern graphical \glspl{desktop environment} have generally replaced early command line interfaces, the command line can still be a quick and efficient way of performing many tasks. See \chaplink{ch:advanced-topics} for more information, and \chaplink{ch:the-ubuntu-desktop} to learn more about \acronym{GNOME} and other desktop environments.

Linux was designed from the ground up with security and hardware compatibility in mind, and is currently one of the most popular \Index{Unix}-based operating systems. 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 the largest super-computers. \Index{Unix} was entirely command line-based until graphical user interfaces (\glspl{GUI}) emerged in 1973 (in comparison, Apple came out with Mac \acronym{OS} ten years later, and Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in 1985).

The early \acronym{GUI}s were difficult to configure, clunky, and generally only used by seasoned computer programmers. In the past decade, however, graphical user interfaces have grown in usability, reliability, and appearance. Ubuntu is one of many different Linux \emph{distributions}. \marginnote{To learn more about Linux distributions, see \chaplink{ch:learning-more}.}

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 Apple \acronym{OS X} as well as some differences. Users coming from Apple \acronym{OS X} are more likely to notice similarities due to the fact that both Apple \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.

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 applications designed for Microsoft Windows or Apple \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, see \chaplink{ch:advanced-topics}.

[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 \acronym{OS X}, fewer game developers 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 are many high quality games that can be easily installed through the \application{Ubuntu Software Center}. There are also a lot of games available at \url{http://store.steampowered.com/browse/linux/}.

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.

If you are unsure whether it will work on your computer, the \gls{Live DVD} is a great way to test things out first. Below is a list of hardware specifications that your computer should meet as a minimum requirement.