10 Things that make Ubuntu a Beginner's Distribution

[newbie2]

"Ubuntu is fast on its way to becoming a peoples OS. I have always wondered what is it that makes people embrace Ubuntu over other Linux distributions. After some pondering, it struck me that the USP (Unique Selling Point) of Ubuntu is its user friendliness. Ubuntu is a distribution targeted at the non-techie crowd - those that want to get their job done and not spend time tinkering with the OS. And consequently, the developers at Ubuntu have bundled simple easy to use GUI front end tools to achieve common system administration tasks. Here I have put together 10 things in Ubuntu that make a new user's life that much simple. I used Ubuntu 5.10 to aid my observation."
http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2005/11/10-things-that-make-ubuntu-neophytes.html
:cool:

[aysiu]

I disagree 100% with that article.
Ubuntu's a great second distro.
Mepis or Linspire would be a better choice for an absolute neophyte.

[newbie2]

I disagree 100% with that article.
Ubuntu's a great second distro.
Mepis or Linspire would be a better choice for an absolute neophyte.
so...what is then a 'great first distro' ...according to u ...??

[aysiu]

Mepis or Linspire.
Both are point-and-click (no command-line needed) for installation and configuration.
Both are a live CD and installer CD in one.
And both include proprietary codecs (which newbies generally think are really important).

[thewanderer]

I do not think of Ubuntu as a neophytes distribution.

Ubuntu is a powerful distribution that is easy to use. It is usable by anyone from experienced linux hackers to a home user who only wants to read email, browse the web and use open office.

Many of the items in the article are helpful features that help to make Ubuntu easier to use; a good selection of apps and menu structure are other great points. For an absolute neophyte (my Grandmother for example) - i cut down the menu to only the applications she uses.

Many refer to the lack of mp3 and dvd support. This is easy to install following the latest documentation on the wiki. It does not take long and only a small amount of effort. If a user is too scared or disinclined to go to this effort then they are likely unable to repartition drives or even reinstall Windows. So they should get some help from someone to get them setup. Once setup Ubuntu will run for a long time - auto updating and keeping the user secure from the smogasboard of threats available to the average Windows User.

Ubuntu is not magic - like Windows or any of the other distributions it can require a small amount of effort to get it secure and configured to suit an individuals requirements.

So what are you waiting for? Go try it! :cool:

[towsonu2003]

I disagree 100% with that article.


I disagree 100% with aysiu... *ducks* ;)

if you wanna use linux, you need to learn it (same applies to windows and mac)... if you wanna learn it, you have to start with something that won't do your job for you. if you want something that won't do your job for you, you should take a look at Slackware (if possible, on a spare computer)... if you somehow master Slackware, now you know linux... If you get stuck somewhere in Slackware real bad, now it's time to go with the "user friendly" distros...

now, start hitting me :)

oh wait, that was a slip of tongue: i meant start not hitting me :rolleyes:

PS. I was kind enough not to suggest Linux from Scratch, was't I?????? :P

[uberlinux]

Ubuntu is so much more than a newb's distro. I know many people with long histories of unix experience that use it, including the proffessors of my Linux admin, security, and networking classes. Ubuntu, more so Kubuntu, just happened to be the closest to getting it right 'out of the box'

[angrykeyboarder]

I disagree 100% with aysiu... *ducks* ;)

if you wanna use linux, you need to learn it (same applies to windows and mac)...

True, but speaking from my own encounters with other computer users most of them don't want to learn it at all. They just want it to work.

Sad, but true.

Nevertheless, those folks would have a much more pleasant experience with Linspire than Ubuntu.

BTW, I by no means am a fan of Linspire. But I do admit it's the easiest Linux distro for a first-timer-neophyte to use. The problem is, getting that user to "move up" to something better (e.g. Ubuntu) later on....

[Brunellus]

I have a few problems with any article that wants to tag Ubuntu as a "newbie distro".

By way of definition, I understand "newbie" to mean "someone installing a Linux distribution for the first time".

First, it raises unrealistic expectations. Most newbies will be migrating from Windows, and many of them will have never installed an operating system on their own before. The installer, while excellent, still has a number of pitfalls--disk partitioning for those who want a dual-boot machine, for instance.

Once installed, newbies will find themselves frustrated: none of their mp3s will play. Flash and Java websites won't load. and what do I do with COOL.EXE anyway?

None of the above is a real issue, of course, to anyone who wants to use linux. But to someone who, as aysiu has often said, wants windows without malware, all of this makes for a fair bit of frustration. Most users either don't want to learn a new OS or don't have anyone handy to teach them.

As a result, I would recommend Ubuntu to those people who already 'get' the whole Linux idea--including why the multimedia codecs aren't installed by default. For total newbies, I would still point to SuSE, whose installer is top-notch, and, when I last used it (9.1) came with at least the mp3 codec.

Secondly, I don't like the "newbie distro" designation. In the Linux community, to call something a "newbie distro" is to damn it with faint praise.

[egon spengler]

It seems that the two main complaints people new to ubuntu have (though I only really read this forum and tips and tricks so I could be missing something) is that it doesn't come with mp3 support as standard and you need to use the cli to do some things. Most of the solutions to add mp3 suport that I have seen use the cli so that right there is a combination fo the two biggest bugbears for newcomers.

Although I have tried them both out of curiousity and not thought much of either (though this is very possibly a gnome preference) mepis and pclinuxos are both touted as having to very, very rarely (if ever) need the cli AND come with out the box mp3 support.

Is it exceedingly simple to add mp3 support? I think so, yes.
Do too many people seem to find it an almost dealbreaking chore to have to add mp3 suport? It seems like it to me

To that end if I were to give someone new to Linux a cd to install (and this is a decision I had to ponder just this weekend) I would more likely hand them mepis or pclinuxos than ubuntu

[atoponce]

I disagree 100% with aysiu... *ducks* ;)

if you wanna use linux, you need to learn it (same applies to windows and mac)... if you wanna learn it, you have to start with something that won't do your job for you. if you want something that won't do your job for you, you should take a look at Slackware (if possible, on a spare computer)... if you somehow master Slackware, now you know linux... If you get stuck somewhere in Slackware real bad, now it's time to go with the "user friendly" distros...

now, start hitting me :)

oh wait, that was a slip of tongue: i meant start not hitting me :rolleyes:

PS. I was kind enough not to suggest Linux from Scratch, was't I?????? :P
Slackware? Frankly, I am suprised that distro is still hanging around. While a solid distro with a definite cult following, Slackware is anything but first-user friendly. My first experience to Linux was Slackware, and after 3 hours of trying to get the blasted thing to install, I gave up, and didn't look to Linux until 2 years later when I installed RedHat.

No doubt- if you have a question about Linux, ask a Slackware user. They will know more about the system than any other Linux user, except for maybe Gentoo users. But don't install Slackware if it is your first exposure to Linux. It will scare you away, and you might not come back, remaining lost in the Windows world.

[angrykeyboarder]

I have a few problems with any article that wants to tag Ubuntu as a "newbie distro".
Agreed.


By way of definition, I understand "newbie" to mean "someone installing a Linux distribution for the first time".
Secondly, I don't like the "newbie distro" designation. In the Linux community, to call something a "newbie distro" is to damn it with faint praise.
I have no problem danming Linspire with faint praise. ;-)

[Vlammetje]

As a real original Linux Newbie who's just happened to start off with Ubuntu and not Mepis (the other CD that must be around here somewhere), lemme tell you what my personal issue with Ubuntu is. the issue of the Command Line. It is no longer a fear, because most things so far have worked, but an issue nonetheless.

I don't know any commands! Plain and simple. I have to look up EVERY command for EVERY tiny little thing. God knows I love these forums. I have a list of commands written down in case I'll need them again. I do not understand how they are built, sometimes I do not even understand what they are going to do.

A TRUE newbie distro would either offer all commands in some sort of menu box, or not have commands at all.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ubuntu and I will find the proper command if it kills me, but I am utterly unable to use any application that requires commandline.

As for MP3, DVD playback and so forth, these can all be installed. And by carefully copying said commands, they will install. But I don't know what I'm doing half of the time, and I'm guessing many others like me don't know either.

Newbie friendly? Not really. If it weren't for the community with all the answers I would not have been able to get my system to work as it does now. And even though it works now, I still don't know how I did it.

I would kill for a list of '100 really important commands'. And I will probably avoid command line apps like the plague for years to come.
Intuitive? Not to me.
Logical? Maybe, but not to me.
Can I learn? Of course... but I don't even know where to start.

[aysiu]

Newbie friendly? Not really. If it weren't for the community with all the answers I would not have been able to get my system to work as it does now. I agree with this statement 100%, and that's been exactly my experience as well. If it weren't for the community, I'd still be using Mepis.


I would kill for a list of '100 really important commands'. And I will probably avoid command line apps like the plague for years to come.
Intuitive? Not to me.
Logical? Maybe, but not to me.
Can I learn? Of course... but I don't even know where to start. For Ubuntu, I'd say the best commands to learn are these:

cp /directory/filename /directory/filename_backup (back up an important config file)

sudo apt-get update (update repository information)

sudo apt-get install package (install a package from the repositories)

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade (get the newest version of Ubuntu)

sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop (get Kubuntu)

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop (get Xubuntu)

top (find out what's sucking up your memory and CPU)

killall gnome-panel (refresh the Gnome panel)

xkill (kill some misbehaving application window)

startx (get out of what looks like DOS)

sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg (get out of what looks like DOS when startx doesn't work)

sudo nano name_of_file (edit a config file whether you're in KDE, Gnome, XFCE, or even just stuck at what looks like DOS)

gksudo nautilus (browse as root in Gnome when you're too lazy to enter command)

kdesu konqueror (browse as root in KDE when you're too lazy to enter commands)

sudo mount -a (have changes to /etc/fstab take effect)

gnome-screenshot --delay 5 (take a screenshot after five seconds--very helpful for taking screenshots of open menus)

That's all I can think of (only 16... I don't know 100). Hope it helps.

[poofyhairguy]

This piece was more about Gnome than Ubuntu.

[Dr. Nick]

This piece was more about Gnome than Ubuntu.
My thoughts exactly, been along time since ive used something other than ubuntu for any decent amount of time, But i recgonise things like the network tools, session managment and the privelages as gnome features , not ubuntu. Possibly they are using ubuntu since its so tied to gnome with the releases

[towsonu2003]

Slackware? Frankly, I am suprised that distro is still hanging around. .

to which the answer would be:

No doubt- if you have a question about Linux, ask a Slackware user.

:)

[atoponce]

to which the answer would be: :)
The Slack users may be the creme-de-la-creme, but they are few and far between, and not your Linux newbie. I personally only know one Slack user, and he eventually gave it up for SuSE becuase he was growing tired of editing config files. I would be interested to know how many Slack users there are, and how many have left that distro for another, like SuSE or Ubuntu.

[angrykeyboarder]

As a real original Linux Newbie who's just happened to start off with Ubuntu and not Mepis (the other CD that must be around here somewhere), lemme tell you what my personal issue with Ubuntu is. the issue of the Command Line. It is no longer a fear, because most things so far have worked, but an issue nonetheless.

I don't know any commands! Plain and simple. I have to look up EVERY command for EVERY tiny little thing. God knows I love these forums. I have a list of commands written down in case I'll need them again. I do not understand how they are built, sometimes I do not even understand what they are going to do.

Invest in a few good books on Linux. That should help.

I like:
The Debian System (http://www.nerdbooks.com/item.php?id=1593270690)
Linux In A Nutshell, 5th. Edition (http://www.nerdbooks.com/item.php?id=0596009305) (lots of good command stuff in this).
Learning the Bash Shell, 3rd Edition (http://www.nerdbooks.com/item.php?id=0596009658)
Linux Cookbook (http://www.nerdbooks.com/item.php?id=0596006403)Also check out these links:

http://del.icio.us/search/?all=bash+commands+linux

[MButterman]

A neophyte's linux? While I consider Ubuntu very "user friendly," I haven't really found a neophyte rated O/S. That is the beauty of Linux, that although there are many distros available, by learning it's internal workings of one you have a good knowledge of all of them.

Understand that I believe the idea of "the more you know, the more you grow" I think the one misunderstanding we cling to is the comparison between Linux And Windows. The only true comparison is that they are both operating systems. I think that there is a tradeoff we make when we migrate from Windows to Linux but that tradeoff is justified to the benefits of it.

While we are discussing Neophite O/S's, I felt I needed to define the pervious point. I'm not too comfortable with the term "noob" or "newbie" because it seems to suggest learning Linux as a "right of passage" and that we are are on a lower social scale until we complete that. The one strong selling point for Ubuntu is that the forums live up to it's moniker of "Linux For Human Beings" I became frustrated with other forums that would say to me "RTFM" when I would have a ligitimate question. While distros have cosmetic changes to them, they remain essentially similar but even the best distro will ultimately fail if a positive community support isn't established. Ubuntu is a great beginners O/S not neccessariliy for it's simplicity (In my humble opinion it is) but for the community that supports it. Isn't that worth the learning curve all by itself?

AMB,
MButterman

[pandionknight]

I am a Linux newbie (2 months) who looked at several Live distros, couldnt find one for Mepis and I had all kinds of grub problems trying to install Ubuntu at home, hence ended up going with SuSE whos installer is much easier than Ubuntu. This was for my kids PC and they've taken to it nicely. I binned the Windoze.
Linspire looks good but I did not want to pay for the CNR side of it. As for PCLinuxOS, I did not want anything remotely like Windows. One thing that really confused me when I made the decision to replace the Windows OS on my kids PC was the wealth of different files and various extensions on the files that need to be downloaded off the mirrors. This is scary stuff to Microsoft refugees.
Anyway I've been keen to try Gnome for a while and found a spare old PC at work to try Ubuntu on. So far I'm having fun, I must say that I like the Gnome desktop better than KDE so far, though not tried 3.5 yet. This forum has been a big help to me as I've only been using Ubuntu since Monday. I'm sure I'll be around here for a while now as I like Ubuntu a lot.