Switching to Linux: (chapter 2 is now finished)

[maniacmusician]

Hey there! Please read this whole post before taking any action!

Some of you may remember that about 5 months ago, I started writing a series of articles about Switching to Linux, and I asked you guys to edit it, give me your opinions etc (in this thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=337333 ). If you don't know about this project, feel free to peruse that thread, or read this introduction:


Recently, I've been witnessing a lot of failed attempts at converting a Windows user to Linux (some of them were my own). I noticed that all of these had something in common; there was a lack of education going on. The converters would install Linux for the converts, install programs for them, and troubleshoot when there were problems, but the convert (the person who was converted) never learned how to do anything by themselves. When I was in this situation, I realized what the problem was, and tried educating the people I converted. It worked to a degree, but it's awfully tiring to teach the ways of Linux to every single person that I convert, and the conversion moves at a much slower pace. So I thought to myself, 'How can I make this easier on myself?' The answer came to me in the form of this book.

I realized that it was the perfect way to compound knowledge and ease of conversion into one resource, while increasing the amount of users I could introduce to Linux, as well. The next time that I convert a user to Linux, I want to be able to give them a tool that will help them successfully make the transition. So, this is my decision. I want to educate you about Linux and help you make it your primary operating system.. This book, and everything else that I write from here on in, is an attempt at true education!


The first Chapter was largely focused on what Linux is about, and evaluating whether the reader is really a good candidate for running Linux and trying it out. Since I completed the first chapter, I've been promising to release the second one. The thing is, I've been buried with work. You know how it is. In addition, this project is turning out to be more of a book than just a series of articles.

So during the last couple of weeks, I secured some free time and really got down to it and just worked on the second Chapter. The second chapter is about the various derivatives of Ubuntu and how to choose one/which one to choose. I've had a couple of people edit this for me during various stages of near-completion, so it shouldn't be as rough around the edges as the previous one. So I'll stay true to form, and ask you to answer the following questions in your replies;



- Please focus on grammar and technical things like that. Since this chapter has already been edited a little, it shouldn't have too many errors of this type, so if you find them, please let me know.

- in 2.1, how did you find my explanations? Too much? Bad explanations? Was it understandable? Did you learn anything from it, is it beneficial?

- in 2.2 through 2.4, please focus on aspects of the desktop. Remember, the point of these sections is to show the differences between the different versions of Ubuntu. So did I cover enough differentiating factors? Are there any differentiating factors I missed? Please give me your feedback on this.

- 2.5 is badly written, I feel. I realize that. I was tired when I wrote it. I'm still really tired from working on this chapter. Tell me what you thought about it, what you'd like to see fixed.

- I've gotten feedback that said my paragraphs were too big. Do you feel that I should break them into smaller chunks?


Aside from that, feel free to include any feedback that you think would be helpful.


To download Chapter 2, use this link: http://www.cutlersoftware.com/UnderstandingUbuntu/docs/Switching_to_Linuxchapter2.pdf

To download the entire book so far (cover page + Table of contents + introduction + Chapters 1 and 2), use this link: http://www.cutlersoftware.com/UnderstandingUbuntu/docs/Switching_to_Linux1+2.pdf

Some final notes to help you provide feedback;

- Remember that first and foremost, this book is supposed to be a tool of education. It's not a walkthrough, it's not a step by step, but it's a learning resource. It may have parts that are step by step, but they will be accompanied by thorough explanations

- Secondly, this is a book to help Linux users convert. So it not only needs to educational, but it needs to be light-hearted, readable, and needs to achieve the goal of conversion.

So, please help me out with this. I know some of you want to see this get finished as much as I do. So answer those questions, and give me your insight.

Thank you. You guys rock! Again!

EDIT: Since this is still a work in progress, I respectfully ask you all to refrain from spreading around these PDF's. Also, please don't popularize it by posting on Digg or a similar site. I'm working on a website to go along with this project and still need to write a few more chapters before the book is near completion. Thanks for your understanding.

[Lucifiel]

I'm reading Chapter One now. Honestly, if someone had pointed me to that guide when I was still struggling to adjust to Ubuntu, about 60% of my worries would've evaporated. :p

I think it's a very good guide and has just enlightened me on many points I was unclear on.

Also, you might consider revising the ATI part if ATI's promise to develop open-source drivers comes true.

Edit: Will give Chapter Two a shot once I finish Chapter One. My mistake, I was looking at Chapter One from that old thread. Will look at the pdf now.

[Balazs_noob]

i read it :)

it was nice and understandable , i think it could help a lot of newcomers...

( well not here in Hungary because people are to stupid to learn languages :D
but that is another story :) )

[WalmartSniperLX]

Hey I knew a guy from Hungary who was an exchange student. He seemed far more intelligent than some of the kids in my hometown :lolflag:

Btw: I'm checking the book out now

[sandman55]

I answered but in the other thread :oops:

[Lucifiel]

Page 21 3rd Sentence

"The way it looks" = "The way your desktop looks" is clearer.

Also, on the same page, maybe you can try placing "consider the following questions" into a separate paragraph.

Note: I've noticed that you have a lot of chunky paragraphs throughout Chapter One and Two. Well, reading text on the screen is a lot different from reading text in a book. Most people's attention tends to stray after the first 3 to 4 lines in a paragraph. Therefore, consider having more paragraphs versus more lines in a paragraph.

[maniacmusician]

I'm reading Chapter One now. Honestly, if someone had pointed me to that guide when I was still struggling to adjust to Ubuntu, about 60% of my worries would've evaporated. :p

I think it's a very good guide and has just enlightened me on many points I was unclear on.

Also, you might consider revising the ATI part if ATI's promise to develop open-source drivers comes true.

Edit: Will give Chapter Two a shot once I finish Chapter One. My mistake, I was looking at Chapter One from that old thread. Will look at the pdf now.
Sorry for the confusion about that...yes, please look at the PDF's here. The first one links to just chapter 2, the second one links to the entire book so far.

I will certainly revise the part about ATI if anything changes about it. I'm glad this is helping you. Make sure you read chapter 2 as well, since that's what I'm really looking for the most feedback on


I answered but in the other thread :oops:
Sorry for the confusion :( I think you've read the wrong thing. Try the links in the first post, the ones next to the words in blue. The first one links to chapter 2 (what this thread is really about) and the second one links to the whole book so far, which is the cover, the table of contents, introduction, chapter 1, and chapter 2.


Page 21 3rd Sentence

"The way it looks" = "The way your desktop looks" is clearer.

Also, on the same page, maybe you can try placing "consider the following questions" into a separate paragraph.

Note: I've noticed that you have a lot of chunky paragraphs throughout Chapter One and Two. Well, reading text on the screen is a lot different from reading text in a book. Most people's attention tends to stray after the first 3 to 4 lines in a paragraph. Therefore, consider having more paragraphs versus more lines in a paragraph.

Thanks for the suggestion. If I do this know it will really screw up some of my formatting, and it'll be a pain in the *** to fix. It'll take me about an hour to do this simple task.

But, anything for the newbies, right? :) So what do you recommend for a length? 4 or 5 lines?

Also, I won't change this right away, but I'll wait for a little more feedback on it. I'm sure you're right though, and I will end up making this change some time today.

[godd4242]

I would also like to note that Ubuntu tries to be as free as possible; this means that it doesn't include proprietary stuff in the default installation other than what's absolutely necessary to take full advantage of your hardware. Some distros, like Linux Mint, Ubuntu Ultimate Edition, and others, have decided to spin off of Ubuntu and add these things (proprietary multimedia codecs, proprietary programs, etc) to the default installation. While these may make life a little easier, I feel it's still better to use the normal Ubuntu. It has more support, and makes it easy enough for users to install codecs by themselves. It will certainly be more beneficial to you to know the basics of the system that you plan on using.
This knowledge is not excessive; it's something that you'll appreciate knowing later.


"This means that it doesn't include proprietary codecs that allow one to play or view media files such as WMA, WMV, etc etc."

further down...

I feel it is easier to use the normal Ubuntu
change to =
I feel it is easier to use the Ubuntu method, namely a completely "open source" system.

Normal Ubuntu is kind of vague, define what you're talking about a tad more.



You can find one to be very klutzy and unfamiliar, and fit right into another one.

You misspelled familiar, for starters :3, and fit into might be too colloquial.
Try =
You can find one to be very difficult to navigate and unfamiliar, and feel right at home with another.


I'll be back later dude,

LISTEN TO GOGOL BORDELLO :3

[maniacmusician]

"This means that it doesn't include proprietary codecs that allow one to play or view media files such as WMA, WMV, etc etc."
I didn't use your sentence per se, but I made it a little clearer

further down...

I feel it is easier to use the normal Ubuntu
change to =
I feel it is easier to use the Ubuntu method, namely a completely "open source" system.

Normal Ubuntu is kind of vague, define what you're talking about a tad more.
Yeah, you misunderstood it a little. by "normal' I meant "vanilla" Ubuntu. or the "official" one. I've modified the document to reflect this.


You can find one to be very klutzy and unfamiliar, and fit right into another one.

You misspelled familiar, for starters :3, and fit into might be too colloquial.
Try =
You can find one to be very difficult to navigate and unfamiliar, and feel right at home with another.
Thanks. Fixed the typo, and used part of your sentence.


I'll be back later dude,

LISTEN TO GOGOL BORDELLO :3

Haven't heard of him. I'll check it out :)

Also, my host is working properly again, so no more googlepages :)

[dhruva023]

it's great guide.

i will use it to convince other people.

thanks for writing. and publish the license on the first page.

[maniacmusician]

it's great guide.

i will use it to convince other people.

thanks for writing. and publish the license on the first page.
damnit, good idea. I completely forgot to license it. *Runs off to the creative commons website*

edit: done, and updated. Thanks again for reminding me, dhruva. I'll include more detailed info about the license in the book itself later on.

[Lucifiel]

Sorry for the confusion about that...yes, please look at the PDF's here. The first one links to just chapter 2, the second one links to the entire book so far.

I will certainly revise the part about ATI if anything changes about it. I'm glad this is helping you. Make sure you read chapter 2 as well, since that's what I'm really looking for the most feedback on




Sure no problem!!!!

Also, Page 9 , First para: "I have, of course, tried others..."

If I were you, reduce the amount of commas in such sentences and join them together or just separate them or reword them like "Of course I have tried others but Ubuntu has simply been the easiest to manage." or "Among the Linux distributions I have tried so far, Ubuntu is the easiest to manage." or something similar.

Also, in Page 9 Paragraph 1, cut down on the amount of brackets unless they're really needed like for containing labels and explanation terms. So, try separating the sentences instead to make them easier to read and comprehend. :p

This one is still okay (From another page) ====> File Manager: This piece of software lets you browse your computer and your files it(kind of like Windows Explorer/My Computer in Windows) .




Thanks for the suggestion. If I do this know it will really screw up some of my formatting, and it'll be a pain in the *** to fix. It'll take me about an hour to do this simple task.

But, anything for the newbies, right? :) So what do you recommend for a length? 4 or 5 lines?

Also, I won't change this right away, but I'll wait for a little more feedback on it. I'm sure you're right though, and I will end up making this change some time today.

4 to 5 lines max is good. Note: it's not just "anything for the newbies" but a rule of thumb I learnt when creating sites, which was a long time ago. The average human's vision starts to skip past the last few sentences of some "mega chunk of text".

Finally, okay this suggestion will make you want to haunt me but here it goes! If you have the spare time, consider placing tags inside the chapters which will make it easier to identify and separate explanations, etc. If you don't have the time, then just use coloured brackets or bold the text like "surface space", etc. And perhaps, use coloured boxes and index numbers for identifying diagrams. Like this:
2.xxxx Installing Programs in Kubuntu

[Lucifiel]

Also, one more suggestion here. You ought to include more screenshots and circle them too.

Like: Page 13, the part about workspaces, you might want to take a screenshot of a desktop with workspaces and circle the "workspaces" boxes so people can see them.

Finally, the default number of workspaces you can have varies by the distro and version, I think? For Feisty Fawn, I have 2 as default whereas in Dapper Drake, I had 4 workspaces.

Edit: I'll continue to give more suggestions but for now, I've gotta go. I need to wipe out Ubuntu, install WinXP and reinstall Ubuntu(it's a bit messed up).

[maniacmusician]

Lucifiel; thanks. About the "newbies" comment, what I meant was 'Ahh, that's a lot of work, but since its for the sake of the newbies, I'll do the work", not 'Newbies can't read more than 4 lines at a time so I'll change it for them'.

Also, I don't understand what you mean by this:

Finally, okay this suggestion will make you want to haunt me but here it goes! If you have the spare time, consider placing tags inside the chapters which will make it easier to identify and separate explanations, etc. If you don't have the time, then just use coloured brackets or bold the text like "surface space", etc

I'll consider doing a numbering scheme for the pictures, but there's not much space, and I would have to reduce the font size to be able to do that, or find a better font. I'm using Nimbus Sans L for that right now. Making colored boxes and the like doesn't really appeal to me, sorry...except for the pictures, I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Black on white just looks better.

About the default workspaces; yeah, it varies. Kubuntu Feisty still has four, as does Xubuntu. Ubuntu was the only one that switched to 2. You're right about the screenshots though, I will have to add some screenshots there.

You can't imagine how much of a nightmare the formatting is though. I'm doing it in OO.org 2.2 and what I do is I import the pictures, put "frames" around them to create spacing, and anchor the image to the page. So whenever something moves, it gets screwed up. It's awful.

[maniacmusician]

so this is what I've been doing: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=448970

I think it solves the problem of chunky paragraphs, and allows for a good amount of information to be on the page. What do you guys think? Please go vote. Now I will work on some of the other things suggested here.

[maniacmusician]

i read it :)

it was nice and understandable , i think it could help a lot of newcomers...

( well not here in Hungary because people are to stupid to learn languages :D
but that is another story :) )
:) thanks for the compliments.

Would you like to translate this book into Hungarian? I've already gotten an offer to translate it to Russian.

[yabbadabbadont]

You include Canon printers in with Epson and HP concerning support for Linux. Canon is one of the worst when it comes to Linux support. You might want to read through the hardware boycot thread in the forums. I'll post again if I see anything further down. (I just started reading it)

[Spr0k3t]

Pages 10 and 11

The use of DE (Desktop Environment) does not feel solidified enough for the target user. I had my mom (very new to Linux) ask me what a DE is. I think it would be good to add a paragraph defining what exactly the DE covers. Use this as a lead in to what is there. Jumping into the bullet points of what a DE is will possibly confuse some people (like it did for my mom).

Example paragraph:
In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) offers a complete graphical user interface (GUI) solution to operate a computer. The name is derived from the desktop metaphor used by most of these interfaces. A DE provides icons, toolbars, applications, applets, and abilities like drag and drop. As a whole, the particularities of design and function of a desktop environment endow it with a distinctive look and feel. (Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_environment))

Open that section with a stronger lead and the rest of the supporting paragraphs and bullets will support it. Don't forget to cite the source if you use that paragraph.

[maniacmusician]

Pages 10 and 11

The use of DE (Desktop Environment) does not feel solidified enough for the target user. I had my mom (very new to Linux) ask me what a DE is. I think it would be good to add a paragraph defining what exactly the DE covers. Use this as a lead in to what is there. Jumping into the bullet points of what a DE is will possibly confuse some people (like it did for my mom).

Example paragraph:
In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) offers a complete graphical user interface (GUI) solution to operate a computer. The name is derived from the desktop metaphor used by most of these interfaces. A DE provides icons, toolbars, applications, applets, and abilities like drag and drop. As a whole, the particularities of design and function of a desktop environment endow it with a distinctive look and feel. (Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_environment))

Open that section with a stronger lead and the rest of the supporting paragraphs and bullets will support it. Don't forget to cite the source if you use that paragraph.
I think I've already done that. See 2.1. (pg 13)

[Spr0k3t]

I think I've already done that. See 2.1. (pg 13)

That's just it, you've put the cart before the horse. You've listed the four bullet points of what the desktop environment contains, but you really haven't defined the desktop environment until after those critical points and examples of what some DE options are. From the way I've read that section, it was an easy read... but when my mom read it (computer phobe almost) she had a puzzled look on her face and asked me the differences between KDE, Gnome, and how they are considered a DE. It seems the target audience is for those who are reluctant to make the jump to Linux in general. With that in mind, the prominent definition should be before everything else in the section.

I used to do technical editing for IDG.

Please keep in mind, I'm not trying to flame or anything, just trying to help with the critical elements based on the target audience.

[maniacmusician]

That's just it, you've put the cart before the horse. You've listed the four bullet points of what the desktop environment contains, but you really haven't defined the desktop environment until after those critical points and examples of what some DE options are. From the way I've read that section, it was an easy read... but when my mom read it (computer phobe almost) she had a puzzled look on her face and asked me the differences between KDE, Gnome, and how they are considered a DE. It seems the target audience is for those who are reluctant to make the jump to Linux in general. With that in mind, the prominent definition should be before everything else in the section.

I used to do technical editing for IDG.

Please keep in mind, I'm not trying to flame or anything, just trying to help with the critical elements based on the target audience.
okay, thanks. We were also looking at different versions of the document, so that caused some confusion. I'll try to correct this right now

[sandman55]

Ive moved my post from the other thread to here and I did get to read both chapters and both threads sorry for the confusion :-

This is a great project.
You have asked for feed back.
About the cover I like the brain but with the colours I think the light brown of the Feisty logon screen could replace the white background with the Ubuntu wheel in the centre and the banner at the top being a slightly darker brown but grading to lighter as you have it with the blue.

When you get to the terminal - as a new user I found script like


sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

confusing. I thought when I first saw gedit it meant "get it" but one thread explained that it was a name for a text editor like note pad. I understood more about what the folders names meant when I had a browse through the file browser and saw the scripts that people were putting up on the forum were a path to a file and names like etc,X11 and others were the names of folders. And on the same thread where I was shown how to edit my xorg.conf it also showed me how to get out of trouble with sudo nano in a console when it all went wrong as it did. This helped me with my understanding when I saw the same file in two different editors.
When someone on the forum explained about using man in a terminal was also a big help to me.

I'm sure you have all this in mind I just thought you might be interested to hear from a new user about some of my surprises. I am looking forward to reading more chapters.

[maniacmusician]

You include Canon printers in with Epson and HP concerning support for Linux. Canon is one of the worst when it comes to Linux support. You might want to read through the hardware boycot thread in the forums. I'll post again if I see anything further down. (I just started reading it)
Epson and HP are the good ones. I would group Canon with Lexmark :)

Okay, I've uploaded new versions of the documents now. They are of a new size (9.54x8.5) that is more screen friendly. I've made a bunch of changes:


- General editing stuff that I noticed as I read through it.
- The "chunky paragraph" problem has been solved
- made the changes mentioned by Sprok3t.


I probably missed some of the suggestions from this thread, so I'll go back and make some more changes based on your feedback.

You're doing great, but keep it coming! Thanks.

[Spr0k3t]

That flows much better... on to the next point. "Things" is a bad way to define componentry critical of an operating system. Page 14 reference to ALSA:
Things like ALSA operate at the system level. This means that they are very low-level things that are built into the system, and are not effected by what DE you decide to useYou should break that down to something a bit more manageable. You have too many subject predicates without the use of a solitary noun.

Try something like: "Applications like ALSA operate at the system level. {system level definition}. This means some applications can run at a very low-level without concern of which DE you decide to use." This is a bit more finite and you can see how it flows. One of the key elements here, if you mention the system level and bold it, the emphasis requires a sort of definition for the reader if the simple analogy of layers has not yet been deployed. One might think "everything runs on my system just fine, how does that differ?" So to elude that potential question in the reader's mind, a simple one off definition without guise would work.

[Spr0k3t]

Oh yeah... back in college, my professor's kept using the phrase "You're bird walkin again" whenever I put "that" and "they" together. If you have those two words back to back, you can drop "that" and get the same meaning.

[maniacmusician]

That flows much better... on to the next point. "Things" is a bad way to define componentry critical of an operating system. Page 14 reference to ALSA:You should break that down to something a bit more manageable. You have too many subject predicates without the use of a solitary noun.

Try something like: "Applications like ALSA operate at the system level. {system level definition}. This means some applications can run at a very low-level without concern of which DE you decide to use." This is a bit more finite and you can see how it flows. One of the key elements here, if you mention the system level and bold it, the emphasis requires a sort of definition for the reader if the simple analogy of layers has not yet been deployed. One might think "everything runs on my system just fine, how does that differ?" So to elude that potential question in the reader's mind, a simple one off definition without guise would work.
okay. Download the new version of the PDF, since I've changed some things in it. system level is bolded and I just defined it. Probably not that well, but it gets the message across.

I'm updating the files right now, so in a couple of minutes, you should be able to grab the new files.

[maniacmusician]

Ive moved my post from the other thread to here and I did get to read both chapters and both threads sorry for the confusion :-

This is a great project.
You have asked for feed back.
About the cover I like the brain but with the colours I think the light brown of the Feisty logon screen could replace the white background with the Ubuntu wheel in the centre and the banner at the top being a slightly darker brown but grading to lighter as you have it with the blue.

When you get to the terminal - as a new user I found script like


sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

confusing. I thought when I first saw gedit it meant "get it" but one thread explained that it was a name for a text editor like note pad. I understood more about what the folders names meant when I had a browse through the file browser and saw the scripts that people were putting up on the forum were a path to a file and names like etc,X11 and others were the names of folders. And on the same thread where I was shown how to edit my xorg.conf it also showed me how to get out of trouble with sudo nano in a console when it all went wrong as it did. This helped me with my understanding when I saw the same file in two different editors.
When someone on the forum explained about using man in a terminal was also a big help to me.

I'm sure you have all this in mind I just thought you might be interested to hear from a new user about some of my surprises. I am looking forward to reading more chapters.
I replied to this in the old thread, also :)

[Spr0k3t]

Much better maniacmusician. However, the "that these" is about the same as "that they". I'm going to continue to offer my help of technical editing, but for now I have other issues to take care of.

[maniacmusician]

Much better maniacmusician. However, the "that these" is about the same as "that they". I'm going to continue to offer my help of technical editing, but for now I have other issues to take care of.
no problem, thanks for your help. You've probably got a lot of stuff to point out, so feel free to do it by email if you're more comfortable doing that, whenever you have time.

I'll probably start working on Chapter 3 sometime this week. Or maybe even tomorrow, if I get all my other obligatory work out of the way.

[Tux Aubrey]

I really like this project - congratulations, Maniac. I am hoping this will become something I can download, print and hand out with Live CDs.

When I started thinking about that, it did strike me that many new users in your target audience will already have a Live CD (eg. from a magazine cover disk). That really means they won't really be all that interested in the stuff about the different desktops right at the start. I suspect (but I could be wrong!) that they will be much more concerned about loosing their precious Windows and data.

I know you mention dual-booting early on, but you don't really explain it - or the other options.

I was wondering whether something in your list of Linux Myths along the lines of "I have to abandon Windows and my favourite programs if I install Linux" would be a good place to introduce the different options, ie:


Use a similar Linux program that can read Windows' file formats (most of them do!)

Keep Windows and Install Ubuntu on a separate partition on your hard drive (or on a second hard drive) giving you two systems side by side and selectable when you turn on your computer.

Use one of the several Linux programs that let you run Windows programs (eg. programs called Wine, Cedega, can do this)

Install Windows inside a "virtual machine" - this sounds more complicated than it actually is.


The Section on dual booting could then have a bit more detail and links to good walk-throughs (like psychocats').

Just a thought!

Aubrey

[maniacmusician]

I really like this project - congratulations, Maniac. I am hoping this will become something I can download, print and hand out with Live CDs.

When I started thinking about that, it did strike me that many new users in your target audience will already have a Live CD (eg. from a magazine cover disk). That really means they won't really be all that interested in the stuff about the different desktops right at the start. I suspect (but I could be wrong!) that they will be much more concerned about loosing their precious Windows and data.

I know you mention dual-booting early on, but you don't really explain it - or the other options.

I was wondering whether something in your list of Linux Myths along the lines of "I have to abandon Windows and my favourite programs if I install Linux" would be a good place to introduce the different options, ie:


Use a similar Linux program that can read Windows' file formats (most of them do!)

Keep Windows and Install Ubuntu on a separate partition on your hard drive (or on a second hard drive) giving you two systems side by side and selectable when you turn on your computer.

Use one of the several Linux programs that let you run Windows programs (eg. programs called Wine, Cedega, can do this)

Install Windows inside a "virtual machine" - this sounds more complicated than it actually is.


The Section on dual booting could then have a bit more detail and links to good walk-throughs (like psychocats').

Just a thought!

Aubrey

Hey Aubrey, good to see you again.

I believe I already mention most of the stuff in your list, and it's right in the Myths and Fallacies section. I mention that open source programs can read windows formats with a certain amount of accuracies, though complicated things like macros won't work. I think I mention dual-booting as a possibility as well (and say that I will talk about it later).

I also mention VM's, and point them to several popular VM clients. the only thing I neglected to mention was wine/cedega.

I plan on having a very, very detailed section on installation. I'm going to walk them through a LiveCD installation as well as an Alt CD installation, and explain how to perform a dual-boot with both.

That'll actually be chapter 3; download and installation. Good to see that you've read chapter 1, but what do you think about Chapter 2, Aubrey?

[dspari1]

I am wondering why you chose to cover Kubuntu before Ubuntu? The reason I am asking this is because I believe that readers of your guide might be more comfortable in learning what Ubuntu is before learning about its derivatives.

I hope I'm not being nit picky, but I would like to understand your reasoning with this decision.

BTW good guide, and I hope our previous discussions about taskbars helped you in any shape or form.

[maniacmusician]

I am wondering why you chose to cover Kubuntu before Ubuntu? The reason I am asking this is because I believe that readers of your guide might be more comfortable in learning what Ubuntu is before learning about its derivatives.

I hope I'm not being nit picky, but I would like to understand your reasoning with this decision.

BTW good guide, and I hope our previous discussions about taskbars helped you in any shape or form.
I chose Kubuntu before Ubuntu because at the time of writing 2.2, I already had Kubuntu 7.04 installed in a VM and was playing with it, whereas ubuntu was not installed yet.

Also, I was more familiar with KDE and found it easier to use as a starting point because I could show off more KDE features than I could Gnome features. Nothing personal though, I like all the derivatives, though. The main reason for me starting with KDE was the one I mentioned above.

Now if you asked me to rank the DEs in terms of how much I like them, I would probably say KDE, XFCE, Gnome. I don't know what it is, but I could never use Gnome for too long. It's a nice environment and all. Looks good, usually operates at the same speed as my KDE desktop, but there's just something about it that makes me move on after a few days of using it.

Thank you for reading though, glad you liked it.

[dspari1]

Hey Aubrey, good to see you again.

I believe I already mention most of the stuff in your list, and it's right in the Myths and Fallacies section. I mention that open source programs can read windows formats with a certain amount of accuracies, though complicated things like macros won't work. I think I mention dual-booting as a possibility as well (and say that I will talk about it later).

I also mention VM's, and point them to several popular VM clients. the only thing I neglected to mention was wine/cedega.

I plan on having a very, very detailed section on installation. I'm going to walk them through a LiveCD installation as well as an Alt CD installation, and explain how to perform a dual-boot with both.

That'll actually be chapter 3; download and installation. Good to see that you've read chapter 1, but what do you think about Chapter 2, Aubrey?

You know, 99% of my Linux headachs have always revolved around CrossOver/Wine/Cedega. For example, I initially had a problem with sound because they use OSS as the primary sound system and my sound card didn't do hardware mixing. I pretty much had to buy a new sound card to get what I want out of it. Office 2003 still has a lot of problems in CrossOver, and I plan to downgrade to Office 2000 until 2003 gets sorted out.

[Titus A Duxass]

Nice guide, good job!

Just be careful with your paragraph lengths (sizes) as someone else pointed out.

In the my line of business we write manuals in English for none English speakers. To make it easy we use Simplified Technical English (STE).

Whilst I would not recommend adopting STE for Linux documentation there are some things to that might by useful.

1. A paragraph should have no more than three (3) sentences.
2. A sentence should have no more than twenty (20) words.
3. The use of contracted English (i.e. the use of I've instead of I have) shall be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Regards
Titus

[Tux Aubrey]

You know, 99% of my Linux headachs have always revolved around CrossOver/Wine/Cedega.

Funnily enough, when I was first playing around with Ubuntu (being a Windows user since 3.1), I worried most about loosing access to the things I thought were essential in Windows. I have dual-booted, run Wine, had XP running in VMWare and made sure I had a shared FAT32 partition and could write to the NTFS partition. Spent hours on this stuff. After a year of using Ubuntu, I find I no longer need or use any of it. I have found native applications as good or better than those I thought I couldn't live without and have copied all my data files over to native Linux formats. If that damn Windows partition wasn't at the beginning of the drive, I would have wiped it months ago. It sits there gathering e-dust and tiny e-spiders are making webs in the corners of the applications.

I notice a lot of people posting to the beginners forum are really concerned about maintaining their Windows goodies and I do understand. Maybe we should be giving them more reassurance that its possible but also not entirely necessary once they decide to switch.

Sorry to hijack the thread, Maniac.

Back OT - I have also noticed a number of beginner threads on scanners and was wondering whether there is enough of a story/experience there to include scanners (and even webcams) in the hardware compatibility section. I have had no trouble with the scanner I borrow sometimes and don't have a web cam.

[maniacmusician]

You know, 99% of my Linux headachs have always revolved around CrossOver/Wine/Cedega. For example, I initially had a problem with sound because they use OSS as the primary sound system and my sound card didn't do hardware mixing. I pretty much had to buy a new sound card to get what I want out of it. Office 2003 still has a lot of problems in CrossOver, and I plan to downgrade to Office 2000 until 2003 gets sorted out.
You've probably been asked this before, but what do you lack in OO.org that you need office 2003 for?

Nice guide, good job!

Just be careful with your paragraph lengths (sizes) as someone else pointed out.

In the my line of business we write manuals in English for none English speakers. To make it easy we use Simplified Technical English (STE).

Whilst I would not recommend adopting STE for Linux documentation there are some things to that might by useful.

1. A paragraph should have no more than three (3) sentences.
2. A sentence should have no more than twenty (20) words.
3. The use of contracted English (i.e. the use of I've instead of I have) shall be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Regards
Titus

Thanks Titus. I can't really abide by all of those rules...some of them are too restrictive. While I understand the problems of non-english speakers, it would be better to provide alternative solutions (such as a translation) than to detract from the richness of the overall piece of work.

If this was general documentation, I would totally agree with you. But this is more like literature. It is a teaching tool, and a learning tool. It's important to preserve the fullness of the language and style. This isn't really a technical manual at all.

I've already got two offer for translation (to Russian and Turkish), and will hopefully get more as well.

[maniacmusician]

Back OT - I have also noticed a number of beginner threads on scanners and was wondering whether there is enough of a story/experience there to include scanners (and even webcams) in the hardware compatibility section. I have had no trouble with the scanner I borrow sometimes and don't have a web cam.

I've covered web cams in the guide :) someone's not paying attention [-X lol, j/k.

But err yeah. Web cams are in there. I honestly don't know enough about scanners. I'd be happy to put it in there if someone points me to some sources for this and some general background on how scanner support is in general. (for an example, check out the existing categories under the "What you can do about Bad Hardware Support" section ...I point users to a list of compatible/noncompatible devices, and in the section before that, 1.3, I talk about the general level of support for the type of device)

[Balazs_noob]

Hi maniacmusician

i got your PM ...
i would gladly translate it to hungarian :)
( but i will be slow because of my exam-period :S )

send a pm if the chapters you written are final :D

[maniacmusician]

Hi maniacmusician

i got your PM ...
i would gladly translate it to hungarian :)
( but i will be slow because of my exam-period :S )

send a pm if the chapters you written are final :D
Will do

[amar]

on page 17 one of the pictures is captioned "Customized*XFCE*Desktop*in*Xubuntu" when I think it should be something like "the pager for switching between desktops"

I agree with putting kde first, makes people think which they want rather than installing the default, gnome was the reason for my first attempt to make the switch failing. One of my friends came to me after a week of gnome and asked me to remove linux, I convinced her to try kde and 4 weeks later she is helping install it for her dad! (who is an ex ms employee ;) )

whilst gnome will suite many people I think putting kde first in the guide gives it an even chance because gnome has the advantage of being the default

but that's just my opinion
Amar

[maniacmusician]

on page 17 one of the pictures is captioned "Customized*XFCE*Desktop*in*Xubuntu" when I think it should be something like "the pager for switching between desktops"

I agree with putting kde first, makes people think which they want rather than installing the default, gnome was the reason for my first attempt to make the switch failing. One of my friends came to me after a week of gnome and asked me to remove linux, I convinced her to try kde and 4 weeks later she is helping install it for her dad! (who is an ex ms employee ;) )

whilst gnome will suite many people I think putting kde first in the guide gives it an even chance because gnome has the advantage of being the default

but that's just my opinion
Amar
Hey amar,

that wasn't really my reasoning, but it makes sense I suppose. That typo was fixed just after you downloaded it, so sorry about that. Thanks for reading!

Anyone else have any suggestions? Come on, I'm not that good of a writer :D Bring it on!

[maniacmusician]

Okay, I'll let this sit for another day or two, but if there's no more feedback, I'll start writing Chapter 3.

[yatt]

Okay, I'll let this sit for another day or two, but if there's no more feedback, I'll start writing Chapter 3.
First, I would have killed for a guide like this when I switched.

Second, I think Ubuntu should be be list first, then Kubuntu, then Xubuntu. The first paragraph of section 2.3 is pretty much my argument for this.

[maniacmusician]

First, I would have killed for a guide like this when I switched.

Second, I think Ubuntu should be be list first, then Kubuntu, then Xubuntu. The first paragraph of section 2.3 is pretty much my argument for this.
I acknowledge your request, but I've already given a reason for it being the way that it is (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=2687199&postcount=33 ), and amar added to my reasoning with a very good point:



I agree with putting kde first, makes people think which they want rather than installing the default, gnome was the reason for my first attempt to make the switch failing. One of my friends came to me after a week of gnome and asked me to remove linux, I convinced her to try kde and 4 weeks later she is helping install it for her dad! (who is an ex ms employee ;) )

whilst gnome will suite many people I think putting kde first in the guide gives it an even chance because gnome has the advantage of being the default

but that's just my opinion
Amar

Also, thanks for your kind comments

[neotasic1]

I have just finished reading the first 2 chapters of your book. A very interesting read and an excellent introduction. I have to say that much of the material you have covered I have already located in the last 4 weeks of trawling this forum and following various links, (along with a superficial background acquired by reading various books about Linux, and periodically flirting with different distros over the last 4 years or so) so I will await with interest your future chapters to enhance further my knowledge of this OS. If your guide had been available to me back when I started, I feel it would have saved me a great deal of time and grief and I commend you for the effort you have put in to date, and wish you all the best with what I feel could become a massive task you have undertaken.

Your explanations to date have been clear and logical, whilst covering some aspects of Linux that can be confusing for the Windows convert. For example, coming from a Windows only background the idea of multiple desktops never occurred to me, and I don't know how many hours I wasted trying to find my disappearing windows and open applications when I inadvertantly switched desktops.lol.

I think your approach is balanced - in the sense that you provide a more realistic appraisal for the uninitiated and I believe this is important. There are far too many evangelical Linux converts who portray the OS as the answer to all of anyone's prayers when it comes to computing, but this creation of massive expectations, often delivers massive disappointment to the unwary. I too am a believer, but it is only recently that this has been true, and only with the more recent releases of the Ubuntu distros. In the past, too much effort often needed to be expended to make most things work, and many users would have lost much sleep and patience, not to mention time acquiring the skills to have a stand alone system.

The operating system is one issue, (and I believe it is a great system, and worth the time and effort to learn - and a credit to all the individuals who have contributed to it in the past and to those who do so in the future), but perhaps even more important is the quality of the community support that this distro has attracted. The quality of that support is greatly enhanced by efforts like yours and I commend you for it.

In the spirit of feedback I would like to offer the following (grammatical comments only, as I don't believe I am qualified to comment on the content.)

The blame lies entirely on the manufacturers of hardware devices.
....may I suggest

The blame lies entirely with the manufacturers of hardware devices.
....or

The blame can be laid squarely on the manufacturers of hardware devices.

as well as other things like that. - not sure about this- but it needs rewording perhaps even etc is preferable

A theme will change the way it looks and to enhance it.

Perhaps - A theme may be used to change the way it looks and to enhance it's functionality and useability

In any case, good luck and keep up the good work.:D

[Lucifiel]

Lucifiel; thanks. About the "newbies" comment, what I meant was 'Ahh, that's a lot of work, but since its for the sake of the newbies, I'll do the work", not 'Newbies can't read more than 4 lines at a time so I'll change it for them'.

Hmmm... okay, I gotcha. ;)


Also, I don't understand what you mean by this:

Finally, okay this suggestion will make you want to haunt me but here it goes! If you have the spare time, consider placing tags inside the chapters which will make it easier to identify and separate explanations, etc. If you don't have the time, then just use coloured brackets or bold the text like "surface space", etc

Hmmm... it's okay, since you cited that lack of space is a concern, tags, icons, etc., are moot.


I'll consider doing a numbering scheme for the pictures, but there's not much space, and I would have to reduce the font size to be able to do that, or find a better font. I'm using Nimbus Sans L for that right now. Making colored boxes and the like doesn't really appeal to me, sorry...except for the pictures, I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Black on white just looks better.

Actually, my apologies for not being clear enough. I was thinking about having a coloured background for the captions. Still, that's your choice. :)



About the default workspaces; yeah, it varies. Kubuntu Feisty still has four, as does Xubuntu. Ubuntu was the only one that switched to 2. You're right about the screenshots though, I will have to add some screenshots there. All right cool! :)


You can't imagine how much of a nightmare the formatting is though. I'm doing it in OO.org 2.2 and what I do is I import the pictures, put "frames" around them to create spacing, and anchor the image to the page. So whenever something moves, it gets screwed up. It's awful.

Oh, I understand perfectly well how difficult formatting a document can be and you have my sympathy. 4 to 6 months ago, I was tasked with compiling various sources and documents into 1 single document. The result was around 600 pages long and sometimes, pasting the contents would mess up over 200 pages at one time. It took a lot of patience and anger management by the time I was done. :p

Meanwhile, I'll keep reading. :)

Edit:

Chapter 2 Page 13

Windows Manager and GUI Toolkits screenshot is a little too close to the main text. :p

Chapter 2 Page 15 Paragraph 5

"This next screenshot exemplifies just that. " If I were you, cut down on complicated terms like that. Instead, "This next screenshot serves as such an example." or something similar. Because, we've gotta remember that not everyone reading is a native English speaker.

[ezphilosophy]

Overall, I think "well done"! =D> I look forward to reading more as it progresses!

Also, with the words of neotastic

In the spirit of feedback I would like to offer the following

I (and probably only I as I'm seemingly more sensitive to it) noticed on page 11 in the first paragraph, you said "my logic". Although this is quite commonly misused (and therefore arguably correct ;)), something is only logical or illogical. One cannot have their own logic.

One other thing- I just wondered why you chose to start talking about Kubuntu before you went into Ubuntu. I assume that it is just your preference (I also use Kubuntu) but it seems the logical sequence gets thrown off as Kubuntu is a derivative of Ubuntu. Was that something you considered? Just curious.

[yabbadabbadont]

One other thing- I just wondered why you chose to start talking about Kubuntu before you went into Ubuntu. I assume that it is just your preference (I also use Kubuntu) but it seems the logical sequence gets thrown off as Kubuntu is a derivative of Ubuntu. Was that something you considered? Just curious.

He has already addressed this... twice. :D

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=2691103&postcount=45

[ezphilosophy]

He has already addressed this... twice. :D

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=2691103&postcount=45

Argh! The one time I don't read all of the posts! I'm that guy thinking that about other posters... "If they had just read the other posts, they would've seen that that has been already covered." Now I'm just as guilty... :oops:

EDIT: After reading that post, yeah, that makes sense. I kinda assumed there was a good reason for that.

[maniacmusician]

The blame lies entirely on the manufacturers of hardware devices.
....may I suggest

The blame lies entirely with the manufacturers of hardware devices.
....or

The blame can be laid squarely on the manufacturers of hardware devices.

as well as other things like that. - not sure about this- but it needs rewording perhaps even etc is preferable

A theme will change the way it looks and to enhance it.

Perhaps - A theme may be used to change the way it looks and to enhance it's functionality and useability

In any case, good luck and keep up the good work.
Thank you for your kind words. I'll take a look at those parts when I go to edit it tonight.

Chapter 2 Page 13

Windows Manager and GUI Toolkits screenshot is a little too close to the main text. :p

Chapter 2 Page 15 Paragraph 5

"This next screenshot exemplifies just that. " If I were you, cut down on complicated terms like that. Instead, "This next screenshot serves as such an example." or something similar. Because, we've gotta remember that not everyone reading is a native English speaker.
Thanks, I'll do that.



I (and probably only I as I'm seemingly more sensitive to it) noticed on page 11 in the first paragraph, you said "my logic". Although this is quite commonly misused (and therefore arguably correct ;)), something is only logical or illogical. One cannot have their own logic.
The psychologist in me squirms at reading "One cannot have their own logic" : ) But I'll let that slide. I think that perhaps you're right, and in this case, I should've used a word more like "rationale".


Argh! The one time I don't read all of the posts! I'm that guy thinking that about other posters... "If they had just read the other posts, they would've seen that that has been already covered." Now I'm just as guilty... :oops:

EDIT: After reading that post, yeah, that makes sense. I kinda assumed there was a good reason for that.
haha I know how you feel. It always anonoys me when I see people posting just after reading the first post, even though there's usually only one or 2 pages of posts to read. In this case though, the thread was quite lengthy, so you're forgiven :) Glad you understand my reasoning.

yabbadabbadont; (probably spelled your name wrong), thanks for coming to the rescue :)

[maniacmusician]

Most of the proposed changes were made and the documents have been updated.

[maniacmusician]

Last call for feedback, and then I'll start focusing solely on Chapter 3 (which is coming along nicely, by the way. 3.1 is almost complete)

[Lucifiel]

Don't really know what else to give you.

[maniacmusician]

Don't really know what else to give you.
Just making sure no one else has anything to say, not demanding that you give me something :) I'm quite satisfied with Chapter 2 as well :)

[godd4242]

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/7489/ubuntueyeuf1.th.jpg (http://img482.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ubuntueyeuf1.jpg)


Well?

It's a little small I realize, but maybe just as a preliminary idea it's neat?

[maniacmusician]

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/7489/ubuntueyeuf1.th.jpg (http://img482.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ubuntueyeuf1.jpg)


Well?

It's a little small I realize, but maybe just as a preliminary idea it's neat?
wow, that looks good. Amazing, actually, I could never do work like that. I do have a couple of concerns though. Do you think it represents the project accurately? The name of the project is "Understanding Ubuntu", and the slogan (right now) is "We write guides, not walkthroughs". Does this represent the idea of understanding? Personally, I can definitely derive that meaning from it, I just want to know if other people will see it that way as well.

If this is prelimiary, what changes do you have planned for it?

[godd4242]

wow, that looks good. Amazing, actually, I could never do work like that. I do have a couple of concerns though. Do you think it represents the project accurately? The name of the project is "Understanding Ubuntu", and the slogan (right now) is "We write guides, not walkthroughs". Does this represent the idea of understanding? Personally, I can definitely derive that meaning from it, I just want to know if other people will see it that way as well.

If this is prelimiary, what changes do you have planned for it?

People I've shown it to (that don't know what linux is :3) have said its way too intense, too freaky.

So one thing I was thinking about was too tone it down a bit perhaps.

As for understanding Ubuntu, and the whole theme of what you're writing, I really can't think of a way to work that into an attention grabbing, though provoking photo.

Your brain idea was solid, but just branding the Ubuntu logo onto someones right hemisphere I think is a little too much.

On second thought, I may be wrong.

Im gonna experiment with the brain idea now, and turn down the contrasts of the eye.

[godd4242]

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/967/brainlogomg1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


and another



http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/6334/brainlogomix2iq8.th.jpg (http://img385.imageshack.us/my.php?image=brainlogomix2iq8.jpg)

[maniacmusician]

crap. I posted a reply yesterday but I guess it didn't go through?

The brain concept is a good idea but doesn't look good at all. it doesn't look lik there's any good way to make that image into a logo. It's also just not as striking as the eye. hmm.

anyone else want to chime in with suggestions or something?

[RAV TUX]

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/7489/ubuntueyeuf1.th.jpg (http://img482.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ubuntueyeuf1.jpg)


Well?

It's a little small I realize, but maybe just as a preliminary idea it's neat?

I like the eye concept, change the label to "Ubuntu Insight"

[maniacmusician]

Food for thought; the logo doesn't need to be related to ubuntu in any way. It can be something that is a little dissimilar.

I'm concerned more about the idea of understanding than the idea of Ubuntu.

[sandman55]

I think the recent brain looks too real like a photograph too gory I like the original brain and I think Incorporating that inside a large Ubuntu logo would be more apropriat. Having said that I think the eye is a beautiful piece of work just not fitting with the theme I hope you dont mind I have made a copy of it.

[RAV TUX]

Food for thought; the logo doesn't need to be related to ubuntu in any way. It can be something that is a little dissimilar.

I'm concerned more about the idea of understanding than the idea of Ubuntu.

Then just use the label: Insight

[sandman55]

I like the eye concept, change the label to "Ubuntu Insight"
Sorry I missed this post. I think changing the title would work.

[RAV TUX]

Then just use the label: Insight


Insight
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
–noun 1. an instance of apprehending the true nature of a thing, esp. through intuitive understanding: an insight into 18th-century life.
2. penetrating mental vision or discernment; faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth.
3. Psychology. a. an understanding of relationships that sheds light on or helps solve a problem.
b. (in psychotherapy) the recognition of sources of emotional difficulty.
c. an understanding of the motivational forces behind one's actions, thoughts, or behavior; self-knowledge.


n. American Heritage Dictionary
The capacity to discern the true nature of a situation; penetration.
The act or outcome of grasping the inward or hidden nature of things or of perceiving in an intuitive manner.

insight
Online Etymology Dictionary
c.1200, innsihht, "sight with the eyes of the mind," mental vision, understanding," from in + sight. Sense shaded into "penetrating understanding into character or hidden nature" (c.1580).

insight
WordNet
noun
1. clear or deep perception of a situation [syn: penetration]
2. a feeling of understanding
3. the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation
4. grasping the inner nature of things intuitively

noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version)
(the quality of having) an understanding of something
Example: He shows remarkable insight (into children's problems).

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Understanding, especially an understanding of the motives and reasons behind one's actions.

Function: noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary
1 : understanding or awareness of one's mental or emotional condition; especially : recognition that one is mentally ill
2 : immediate and clear understanding (as seeing the solution to a problem or the means to reaching a goal) that takes place without recourse to overt trial-and-error behaviorhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insight

[maniacmusician]

eh. I'm kind of stuck on the name "Understanding Ubuntu" and already have web hosting set up under that name.

[RAV TUX]

eh. I'm kind of stuck on the name "Understanding Ubuntu" and already have web hosting set up under that name.

perhaps I am misunderstanding, I thought it was just a label for a chapter not a website, I also thought you said you didn't want the focus to be on ubuntu but on understanding.

[maniacmusician]

perhaps I am misunderstanding, I thought it was just a label for a chapter not a website, I also thought you said you didn't want the focus to be on ubuntu but on understanding.
Understanding Ubuntu is the cumulative name of the whole project, under which I'll be writing several projects/books.

Switching to Linux: An Essential Guide for Every Windows User is the name of this particular book.

I was looking for someone to create a logo for the project, Understanding Ubuntu. The name is pretty much set in stone, and I'm just looking for a logo now. When I said I didn't want the focus to be on Ubuntu, I was talking about the logo. I want the logo to convey a sense of "understanding". It doesnt matter to me if the logo has "Ubuntu" in it, since that's pretty obvious regardless.

Sorry for the confusion

[smoker]

hi, just want to say that i love this guide, and am looking forward to the next chapters. i found it simple to follow, yet comprehensive in the explanations of the features dealt with.

as for editing, i did find one spelling error, though you may have rectified this by now, but just in case,
P20 - "Now, let's tale a look at Gnome..." - obviously 'take' is what you mean!

anyway, i commend you on this and hope to see a full finished book as soon as your time allows,

thanks:-)

[maniacmusician]

hi, just want to say that i love this guide, and am looking forward to the next chapters. i found it simple to follow, yet comprehensive in the explanations of the features dealt with.

as for editing, i did find one spelling error, though you may have rectified this by now, but just in case,
P20 - "Now, let's tale a look at Gnome..." - obviously 'take' is what you mean!

anyway, i commend you on this and hope to see a full finished book as soon as your time allows,

thanks:-)
thanks for your comments. I've put off the actual writing of the book for a little bit, because of schools. We have final exams coming up and I need to focus on that. But school lets out in 1-2 weeks, and I'll be able to focus on the writing again at that point. Right now, I've finished writing 3.2, which covers burning the CD, and I'm in the middle of 3.3 which discusses booting up the CD.

I'm still trying to brainstorm stuff for the logo. Hard stuff...

[cunawarit]

Overall it is good. Aimed squarely at the average desktop user, which is great!

One correction though, on the “Linux is Ugly” section you say “But what can you expect when you're trying to run Linux on a 300MHz PC with 64MB of RAM? Windows XP would not even run on that at all.”. This isn’t correct; I’ve run XP on a 300MHz Pentium II with 64MB, and it will run on less: http://www.winhistory.de/more/386/xpmini_eng.htm.

You won’t get a very usable system, but it will run.

[kamaboko]

I haven't read the entire article, but from what I've read you've made a great effort. Good job.

[stalker145]

Well, I finally got around to reading your project after several weeks bookmarked and, I must say, I think you have done very well so far. I look forward to more as you are able. Thank you for what you're doing, maniacmusician.

[mini_g]

Looking good!

I like what I see, but there are a few things that could possibly be updated.

~~~

"Nowadays, there are even good looking themes for lightweight window managers like IceWM and Blackbox." Pg. 2, Para. 5.I think that this document could use the style of hyperlinking "foreign" terms to Windows users to an index (Edit: I noticed that you have this in there as a notation, sorry.) so as to alleviate any confusion. Seeing how this document will most likely be stuck in PDF or HTML, it might as well take advantages of the available resources. It doesn't help that much that vauge terms is one of the things that really bugs me at points.

Also, I think that if you do have IceWM & Blackbox stated up there, you might want to have them hyperlink to the index and from there with a short explanation as to what they are.

And, seeing how you're using external links, you might want to add a symbol, such as Wikipedia has done, for letting the readers that they'll be going off-document with the link.


The first paragraph on page 3 should be put into its own "segment" ie. "Bling under Beryl".


In section 1.3 under video cards, you might want to mention that if you aren't going to use any 3D effects and/or you don't have the brands above, you more'n'likely will not have to upgrade to them, as I believe that there is support for video acceleration support under SiS and other less known/major brands. The reason for this is because I know MANY people who'll most likely go out and unnecessarily buy the suggested parts because they just don't know any better even when their current hardware will still do the job that they need it to.


The beginning of Chapter 2 kinda bugs me with the level of commitment implied. It comes across to me that you "know" that the reader is definitely going to use Linux at this point, and at the same time, not so subtly nudging them towards Ubuntu. I don't know if many are going to be that entranced by that time in their reading, and I know that this is geared towards Ubuntu, but I think we should key down strength just a little.

Also, the forth para in the intro seems too perfunctory in the way that you go about dismissing the other distro's. I think that you should more openly invite them to eventually try them until they find one that's up to par for them and their preferences.


"(proprietary multimedia codecs like .wmv and .wma or proprietary programs)" Pg. 11, Para. 4. I think that a better way for going about saying this is "(The ability for it to play/view things such as Windows Media Player's audio format, DVD's, etc.)".
Remember, under XP and Vista the file types are hidden by default, not to mention that more people know the files by the programs that interpret them instead of the actual types themselves. My suggestion may be even too complicated for some to understand. For instance, one of my professors flat out told my physiology class that we HAD to submit our finals in the .doc format if we were to email him, since he would only try to open them in Word, if it didn't open in plain english, no grade.


Hmm, I breezed through the DE's due to the expansiveness of that area, looks good from here. Great backgrounds too! One thing though, please explain how to, or point out where you can go to have it explained to you as to how to get two or more DE's coexisting under the same user. I did KDE, Gnome and XFCE at the same time when I first really started to dive into Linux, but ended up seriously screwing up the config for Gnome and XFCE ALOT when I focused on KDE. (I didn't look at the issue too closely, due to lack of glitz under Gnome and XFCE w/out Beryl)


The intro for chapter 3 is looking good so far. I'd recommend that you add that if you're a dialup user and have a DVD-ROM drive/burner on the prospecting computer, that you get that version instead of the CD version so as to have more on hand without the loooonnnnggg hours of downloading.


P.S.:
I have to agree with steering the readers towards KDE, as it's far more similar to Window's UI than Gnome's OS X'ish UI. I myself leaned towards it for the longest time until I've opened up to working under the most "natural" UI (Gnome) for myself. Doesn't help that being on dialup and doing a multitude of reinstalls over the last year or so in my immersion...

Sorry about my ramblings, tis 0209 right now...

[Spr0k3t]

Idea for graphics. Use a silhouette of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker".

[ukripper]

Good start for any new ubuntuer. Great guide.

[godd4242]

eh. I'm kind of stuck on the name "Understanding Ubuntu" and already have web hosting set up under that name.

I hear ya.

Sorry for not being here for a few days, hustled on over to NYC to look at Columbia and NYU (50 grand a goddamned year :$)

maniac you come up with a final you want and i'll be on it.

I like the idea of the silhouette of the thinker though.

Although about the insight idea
try this on for size

Understanding Ubuntu: A Insights into a Beginners World of Linux, Open Source Computing, and the Ubuntu Operating System 7.10 "Feisty Fawn"

****
sorry about the yellow, thought it would come out better.
Understanding Ubuntu: A Collection of Insights into a Beginners World of Linux, Open Source Computing, and the Ubuntu Operating System 7.10 "Feisty Fawn"

It's a little long I realize, but when you have subtitles as headers like that it can look real professional like.

[godd4242]

Overall it is good. Aimed squarely at the average desktop user, which is great!

One correction though, on the “Linux is Ugly” section you say “But what can you expect when you're trying to run Linux on a 300MHz PC with 64MB of RAM? Windows XP would not even run on that at all.”. This isn’t correct; I’ve run XP on a 300MHz Pentium II with 64MB, and it will run on less: http://www.winhistory.de/more/386/xpmini_eng.htm.

You won’t get a very usable system, but it will run.

Just say it will run like a bleeding piece of crap covered in AIDS

true enough really

[godd4242]

Understanding Ubuntu is the cumulative name of the whole project, under which I'll be writing several projects/books.

Switching to Linux: An Essential Guide for Every Windows User is the name of this particular book.

I was looking for someone to create a logo for the project, Understanding Ubuntu. The name is pretty much set in stone, and I'm just looking for a logo now. When I said I didn't want the focus to be on Ubuntu, I was talking about the logo. I want the logo to convey a sense of "understanding". It doesnt matter to me if the logo has "Ubuntu" in it, since that's pretty obvious regardless.

Sorry for the confusion

I could put Tux in the eye, or on the brain, but I don't think it has the same effect, seeing a penguin chilling out right there rather than a semi-corporate logo you may or may not have seen on Dell.com

Eh that made no sense but I'll try to rephrase it later.

I'm just worried that "the Thinker" would look much to novice, trite, and unoriginal.
;_;

and it'd be difficult to get a recognizable silhouette of it too, seeing as it's a state that really only "pops" due to its gradient light differences.

[sandman55]

I found this one LINK (http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sciasolutions.com/images/thinker%2520full%2520size%2520washout.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.sciasolutions.com/&h=1026&w=728&sz=14&hl=en&start=177&sig2=wqEUdVYR6a20tTZujDzziw&tbnid=cmD-2wheEY2WaM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=106&ei=aEhvRsPTGZ7YggPIzdDdAQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3DThe%2Bthinker%26start%3D160%26gbv%3D2 %26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN)
LINK (http://www.sciasolutions.com/images/thinker%20full%20size%20washout.gif)

[maniacmusician]

I could put Tux in the eye, or on the brain, but I don't think it has the same effect, seeing a penguin chilling out right there rather than a semi-corporate logo you may or may not have seen on Dell.com

Eh that made no sense but I'll try to rephrase it later.

I'm just worried that "the Thinker" would look much to novice, trite, and unoriginal.
;_;

and it'd be difficult to get a recognizable silhouette of it too, seeing as it's a state that really only "pops" due to its gradient light differences.
I agree...the thinker is good in concept, but not ideal.

About having the ubuntu logo in there, let me rephrase myself. What I meant was that I prize the concept of understanding more than the Ubuntu logo. I have no problem with having the ubuntu trademark in there, but while brainstorming, we should focus on the theme of knowledge/understanding/learning.