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10 tips for the Ubuntu newcomer
June 24, 2006 at 9:06 pm · Filed under Tips, Hints, and How-tos
Your initial first few days or weeks with a new operating system can be a somewhat frustrating
experience, and Ubuntu is no different in this respect. The following list should help to relieve some
of the frustration that accompanies the transition to Ubuntu. This list is by no means exhaustive, but
it does answer several commonly asked questions by newcomers to Ubuntu who have no prior Linux
experience.
1. What is the Terminal (or command line), and where is it located?
The Terminal allows you to perform various tasks from a command line. It is an incredibly powerful —
and as a consequence, potentially dangerous — tool that enables you to quickly and effectively execute
commands. Because users can simply copy and paste text into the Terminal, it is often the preferred
method of problem resolution in online help forums or guides.
You can access the Terminal by clicking on ‘Applications’ at the top left of the screen, then holding your
cursor over ‘Accessories’, then clicking on ‘Terminal’. You want to be careful when using the terminal, as
even an extra space, or the wrong letter, can cause serious damage. In other words, accuracy is very
important here!
2. How do I install files?
You may have heard horror stories about installing programs in Linux; worrisome tales of compiling from
source, or even worse — dependency hell. Well, you can rest at ease, because Ubuntu utilizes a really
neat one-stop source for nearly all of your installation/uninstallation needs: the Synaptic Package Manager.
Synaptic manages dependencies for you, so you don’t have to hunt down various libraries to make
programs run.
Here’s how it works. Click on ‘System’ at the top of the screen, hold your cursor over...