A PDF Ubuntu Beginner's Guide

[aysiu]

You may have noticed that in the past 24 hours, I haven't been my crazy usual self, posting all over the place.

I've been busy trying to put together a basic user guide (a PDF). It's very rudimentary, so hold off on the criticism for now. I'm trying to refine it a bit more over the next month.

I'm just writing to let you know it exists and to ask if anyone wants to host it in a mirror site (my bandwidth limit isn't that much, and the file's about 500k).

Right now it lives at http://www.psychocats.net/linux/ubuntu_user_guide_05.11.pdf

My plan is for it to be revised and re-released every month.

[Xian]

I like it but I know what the wiki crew is going to say....
The same as when people wanted to resurrect the Starter Guide.

Naturally there is a good argument for a degree of centralization.
I do hope we at least link to it from the wiki when the hosting is stable.

[benplaut]

no bandwidth limit, here ya go:

http://box.net/public/benplaut/dfiles/ubuntu_user_guide_05.11.pdf

[aysiu]

I like it but I know what the wiki crew is going to say....
The same as when people wanted to resurrect the Starter Guide.

Naturally there is a good argument for a degree of centralization.
I do hope we at least link to it from the wiki when the hosting is stable. I understand the idea of not duplicating efforts, but I do believe there is a niche to be filled and the Wiki cannot be easily printed out as a PDF (some would argue it can't be easily navigated even).

I liked the Ubuntu Guide when it was still being maintained. The Wiki is a noble idea, but sometimes other approaches better reach certain users.


no bandwidth limit, here ya go:

http://box.net/public/benplaut/dfile...uide_05.11.pdf Thanks! I really appreciate it.

[firenurse4]

Looks good. The short blurb on the command line was a nice touch and I learned a new trick there with xkill. What I sould like to see (and if I get some free time may actully do) would be a DOS to Linux command equivilant list for us noobs that started out in the bad old DOS days!

[aysiu]

Looks good. The short blurb on the command line was a nice touch and I learned a new trick there with xkill. What I sould like to see (and if I get some free time may actully do) would be a DOS to Linux command equivilant list for us noobs that started out in the bad old DOS days! I do recognize that's a need. I probably won't do a comprehensive one. Maybe just a quickie on commonly used commands and then link to a site that has a whole bunch of commands. Thanks for the tip.

[cdhotfire]

nice job, pictures are a +.:)

[DimaIL]

Nice guide!
But the some pictures are not well! repair it.

Dima

[aysiu]

But the some pictures are not well! repair it. What do you mean by "not well"? Can you be more specific?

[cdhotfire]

What do you mean by "not well"? Can you be more specific?

I think he means, the pictures are not resized well (look distorted), at least I see them this way.

[Teroedni]

This is one of the best guides i have seen . It simply rocks:)

Great work aysiu:)


You should add a Ubuntu logo which filled the first page;) It would be really cool when totem preview the pdf:)

[sapo]

You may have noticed that in the past 24 hours, I haven't been my crazy usual self, posting all over the place.

I've been busy trying to put together a basic user guide (a PDF). It's very rudimentary, so hold off on the criticism for now. I'm trying to refine it a bit more over the next month.

I'm just writing to let you know it exists and to ask if anyone wants to host it in a mirror site (my bandwidth limit isn't that much, and the file's about 500k).

Right now it lives at http://www.psychocats.net/linux/ubuntu_user_guide_05.11.pdf

My plan is for it to be revised and re-released every month.
PM me if you want a ftp to host the guide and stuff, i have 50GB of unused bandwidth each month, so i can open up a ftp for you, so you can upload and update the guide stuff :)

[aysiu]

I'll be working on the pictures for the December edition. I resized them in OpenOffice--probably should have resized them in GIMP! Thanks for the tip.

[bwog]

Looks good. Perhaps you can refer to the Grub section in the install section. I think install is important, especially the dual boot with XP and ubuntu on the same disk (which is perhaps the default). One thing that people really have to search for is the map option in grub, and the boot options for laptops that can be used during install (it would be nice to know that they exist).

Perhaps you can cooperate with http://doc.gwos.org/index.php/BreezyCust
and http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/faqguide-all.html. I think that they are excellent. I know how much work this is, but cooperation will divide the workload.

Are you familiar with http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/shortcuts.html , this particular page shows some commands, but the rest is well written too.

This are just suggestions ofcourse, so ignore them if you feel like doing so :)

[Luggy]

In the "what is ubuntu" section you talk about how Ubuntu cannot play DVD's and MP3's because they are propritary software. I think that if people read this they will get turned off.

Why not put in some stuff about how the base install gives you practically everything you need "out of the box" like Office Suite, mail client, web browser, IM client. Sure you can't play properitary software out of the box but you can still do all this neat stuff!

[Burgundavia]

The place for this sort of document is in the Documentation Teams SVN repo, which gets built to doc.ubuntu.com and help.ubuntu.com. That is where you are going to get your unlimited bandwidth.

Corey

[aysiu]

I do appreciate the comments.

I realize that the spin on What is Ubuntu? could seem a bit negative, but I'm also trying to be realistic. For the next edition, I'm popping in a blurb on what it does include.

As for cooperating, this has been a big thorny issue even before I got involved in the Ubuntu Forums. I remember one of the first threads I read was a big debate about the Wiki vs. the Ubuntu Guide. Basically, it went something like this:

Pro-Wiki:
The Wiki is maintained by the community and is correct and if people don't like it (how it's organized and what's in it), they should fix it.

Pro-Ubuntu Guide:
The Ubuntu Guide is a handy reference that's all on one page and has helped many, many users.

I happen to think both are important--community projects and individual ones. An important thing to realize is that the PDF User Guide is not intended in any way to be comprehensive. It's just to get people going and point them to some other resources along the way. By its very nature--being a PDF (i.e., a frozen document)--it serves a different purpose from the Wiki and the other documentation projects.

[Xian]

The place for this sort of document is in the Documentation Teams SVN repo, which gets built to doc.ubuntu.com and help.ubuntu.com. That is where you are going to get your unlimited bandwidth.
Perhaps the guide can be integrated as mentioned and then a link provided to download the actual PDF file that has been created. That way the function of the official doc/wiki is preserved and built upon (as it certainly should be by the entire community), and the users can still have access to the file to store locally. I would also like to see this incorporated properly, but it is definitely a good idea to give users an outlet like the PDF offers by way of format.

[aysiu]

Burgundavia, what's the best way to proceed with this?

If we wanted to incorporate this with the rest of the documentation and convert the documentation into a PDF, how difficult would that be?

If it were to actually happen, I would gladly donate anything that's useful in my PDF to be part of the rest of the documentation, but I'd prefer not to be part of the project any more, and I'd leave it in the hands of the documentation team.

If not, I'd be more than happy to keep maintaining a separate (and not comprehensive) guide on my own.

I'd eventually like to see something like Mandriva's PDF Starter Guide (http://doc.mandrivalinux.com/MandrakeLinux/101/en/Starter.pdf), but even something as simple as Mepis' PDF User Guide (http://www.mepis.org/files/MEPIS%20User%20Guide.pdf) would be good. Not everyone has online access or an extremely large monitor (or dual monitor setup) to constantly be referencing online tutorials and using/installing Ubuntu.

Something that current documentation is sorely lacking (that Herman's dual boot guide has) is some good screenshots. Obviously, as people can see from my first stab at a PDF guide, I am not the best at graphical manipulation (my screenshots are pixelated, fuzzy, and distorted), but if I learned one thing from my old teaching days, it's that almost everyone is what's called "a visual learner."

[mattheweast]

Burgundavia, what's the best way to proceed with this?

If we wanted to incorporate this with the rest of the documentation and convert the documentation into a PDF, how difficult would that be?


The official documentation can be easily made into pdf (it is written in docbook xml, which can be converted easily into most formats (html, pdf etc), so that part would be easy.

It is the incorporating with the rest of the documentation which would be difficult, depending on what you mean by that term. What did you mean by that?

If you have things in the guide which are missing from the rest of the documentation, PLEASE file a bug on it, or email the documentation mailing list, with the subject matter that is missing, and if you like, the answer too :) That way the authors can add the information.

Matt

[aysiu]

The official documentation can be easily made into pdf (it is written in docbook xml, which can be converted easily into most formats (html, pdf etc), so that part would be easy. Well, it would be easy from a technical standpoint but not a literary one. PDFs are an entirely different format, especially if they're printed out on paper--internal links don't mean anything any more, for example.

A proper PDF guide, as I alluded to before, should have some good screenshots and explanations to accompany instructions.



It is the incorporating with the rest of the documentation which would be difficult, depending on what you mean by that term. What did you mean by that?

If you have things in the guide which are missing from the rest of the documentation, PLEASE file a bug on it, or email the documentation mailing list, with the subject matter that is missing, and if you like, the answer too :) That way the authors can add the information. The problem isn't information--it's how it's presented, phrased, and organized. All the information is in the Wiki. Is it easily gotten to? No.

[mattheweast]

Well, it would be easy from a technical standpoint but not a literary one. PDFs are an entirely different format, especially if they're printed out on paper--internal links don't mean anything any more, for example.

A proper PDF guide, as I alluded to before, should have some good screenshots and explanations to accompany instructions.

Sorry, I think you may have misunderstood me, I wasn't very clear before. I'll try again:

The documentation that ships with Ubuntu is written in docbook xml. This can be converted into PDF's, html etc. You can write any style of document (including one with explanation and screenshots) in docbook xml. However converting a pdf into docbook xml (our working format) would be quite a difficult task. If you wanted to integrate your guide into the existing documentation, that would be what you'd have to do. But, it's not impossible, and we/you can easily incorporate sections of your guide which might be missing from the documentation into it. If you'd like to help out with the documentation, start at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam (there should be a few links to some instructions there) and you can send patches to the mailing list. If this is too time-consuming, you can send us a link to the guide, and tell us which things are missing from the documentation: we'll do our best to convert the relevant sections to docbook xml and insert them!



The problem isn't information--it's how it's presented, phrased, and organized. All the information is in the Wiki. Is it easily gotten to? No.
I wasn't really referring to the wiki, I meant the documentation that comes with the distribution. But yeah, we need help organising and presenting the wiki material too (that is not written in docbook xml, it has a simple wiki markup).

[aysiu]

I think have two issues, really, with the current documentation available:

1. It's too comprehensive (i.e., overwhelming) to a new user
2. It's very succinct in its instructions (and with no screenshots)

The goal of my PDF is to be the exact opposite:

1. Covering just the basics
2. Going in-depth into the basics--explaining both how to do things and what it means when you do things

As an example, this is what the Starter Guide says for burning the ISO:
Where can I download Ubuntu?

The main download site is http://www.ubuntu.com/download.
5. 

How do I burn the ISO file to CD-R?

In Windows with Nero Burning ROM:

1. Download the ISO file to your hard drive. (See Where can I download Ubuntu? for download locations.)
2. Insert a blank CD into your CD writer.
3. Start Nero Burning ROM.
4. Follow the wizard and select Data CD.
5. When the wizard finishes, click Burn Image on the File menu.
6. In the Open dialog box, select the ISO file, and then click Open.
7. In the wizard, click Burn to create the Ubuntu CD. This is what my PDF guide says:
Download and Burn
You can also, if you have broadband internet and a CD burner, download various CD images for Ubuntu at http://www.ubuntulinux.org/download/. Both Nero and Easy CD Creator have options to burn ISOs as disk images. Mac OS X's Disk Utility can also do this. If you want a free CD burning program for Windows, you can also try CDBurnerXP: http://www.cdburnerxp.se/help/english/burniso

If you download the ISO (disk image) of Ubuntu, you may want to verify that the image came through intact and didn't get corrupted during download. For more information on how to verify disk images' integrity, visit this link: http://www.linuxiso.org/viewdoc.php/verifyiso.html. You can also Google for the keywords md5sum and checksum.

Do not burn the ISO as data, and do not extract the ISO, even if the file appears as an extractable type file (WinRar, for example, may identify the ISO as a rar file).

When you burn the CD, try to burn it at as slow a speed as possible (4x or 8x, for example). This, along with verification of the CD image integrity will help to ensure that the CD you eventually use will work properly. You may burn at a faster speed if you wish, but don't complain if the CD freezes in the middle of the installation. See the difference?

[poofyhairguy]

I think have two issues, really, with the current documentation available:

1. It's too comprehensive (i.e., overwhelming) to a new user
2. It's very succinct in its instructions (and with no screenshots)

The goal of my PDF is to be the exact opposite:

1. Covering just the basics
2. Going in-depth into the basics--explaining both how to do things and what it means when you do things

As an example, this is what the Starter Guide says for burning the ISO: This is what my PDF guide says: See the difference?

I just want to point out to all the elitist nerds here that THIS is what you get for being nice to people that did not grow up dreaming of terminals- good documentation from people that have writing skills.

[Xian]

I just want to point out to all the elitist nerds here that THIS is what you get for being nice to people that did not grow up dreaming of terminals- good documentation from people that have writing skills.
I don't think that's entirely fair. I've know a lot of "nerds" who were terminal savvy that could and did write superb documentation for common desktop users. And who are these elitist people you are referring to?

[sapo]

I just want to point out to all the elitist nerds here that THIS is what you get for being nice to people that did not grow up dreaming of terminals- good documentation from people that have writing skills.
This is kinda of an endless flamewar, if we start discussing it again, this thread will become another battlefield :(

[mattheweast]

I think have two issues, really, with the current documentation available:

1. It's too comprehensive (i.e., overwhelming) to a new user
2. It's very succinct in its instructions (and with no screenshots)

{snip}

See the difference?

Absolutely. The style of the current documentation in the distribution is indeed lacking in explanation, the reason for this is that it is based on the unofficial ubuntu guide from ubuntuguide.org: however, it's succinctness is both an advantage and a disadvantage :)

Something we will be working on for the next version is to include a decent level of explanation, while not sacrificing the clarity that makes it effective (can this be done? dunno)

In terms of your first point (too comprehensive), I believe that working on getting a clear structure can go a long way to making documents more accessible to users. Again, this is something we'll try and improve with the current documentation.

Having said this, I can see that there is definitely a case for different pieces of documentation aimed at different users. We'd like our documentation to work for complete beginners (these are the people most likely to be reading it, after all), but an introductory guide might have a useful place. If you'd like to port your guide to docbook xml (by the way, what format did you write it in? Openoffice has a docbook xml converter which might save a certain amount of effort), we can definitely talk about working together. My personal opinion would probably be that the best thing is to work on making _one_ document which is accessible to new users, but others may disagree.

[Xian]

This is kinda of an endless flamewar, if we start discussing it again, this thread will become another battlefield :(

Well, there's certainly a mile of insinuation in that statement that deserves some type of qualification. People shouldn't be reading into this thread with that kind of wording and left to draw their own conclusions. I would imagine it would be mostly wrong no matter what shape it took.

[aysiu]

Absolutely. The style of the current documentation in the distribution is indeed lacking in explanation, the reason for this is that it is based on the unofficial ubuntu guide from ubuntuguide.org: however, it's succinctness is both an advantage and a disadvantage :)



Having said this, I can see that there is definitely a case for different pieces of documentation aimed at different users. I agree with both of these statements, which is why I created the PDF in the first place. I don't see them serving the same purposes at all. Beginners generally want only a little bit of information but explained well. Intermediate-to-advanced users generally want a lot of information explained succinctly.

This is coming from my own personal experience. When I first started Linux, I checked books out from the library, scoured numerous webpages, but I was looking for only a few things: 1. What is Linux? 2. Where do I get it? 3. How do I install it? 4. How do I get basic things working? For those few things, though, I wanted a lot of explanation because I didn't understand anything.

Now that I'm a little more proficient (seven months in), I don't need tons of explanations. All I want is the command to get something to work or the location of a .png I'm looking for.

[aysiu]

This is kinda of an endless flamewar, if we start discussing it again, this thread will become another battlefield :( If it turns into a flamewar, I'll put this in the Backyard immediately. My intent is not to divide the community.

If there's a simple way to create one unified set of documentation that is easy to understand, easy to navigate, comprehensive enough in scope and succinct enough in presentation for advanced users, and comprehensive enough in explanation and not overwhelming to beginners, then I'm all for it.

However, I don't see the need to force centralization, especially if different documents serve different needs or have different audiences.

[mattheweast]

If it turns into a flamewar, I'll put this in the Backyard immediately. My intent is not to divide the community.

Hmm, I was thinking that this thread is particularly positive, I don't see the flamewar.



If there's a simple way to create one unified set of documentation that is easy to understand, easy to navigate, comprehensive enough in scope and succinct enough in presentation for advanced users, and comprehensive enough in explanation and not overwhelming to beginners, then I'm all for it.

However, I don't see the need to force centralization, especially if different documents serve different needs or have different audiences.
An idea might be to have a unified document with a "getting started" section which would cover the basics. In the current development version of the guide (http://doc.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/desktopguide/C/index.html), there is such a section, perhaps we could expand it with more information. If you'd like to help work on that, we can use all the contribution we can get.

[Xian]

My intent is not to divide the community.
You are not doing any such thing. And your resource is superb. The actions of division are being made by people who should know better. It is generally not a good idea to start tossing labels around if the goal is to actually unify a community.

[MetalMusicAddict]

I like the PDF. Can it be printed like a book? Is their any Ubuntu documentation that can?

I would love a comprehensive (but easily read) Ubuntu book. Ide even buy one. All printed up nice like with a CD/DVD. :)

[Xian]

An idea might be to have a unified document with a "getting started" section which would cover the basics. In the current development version of the guide (http://doc.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/desktopguide/C/index.html), there is such a section, perhaps we could expand it with more information. If you'd like to help work on that, we can use all the contribution we can get.
I think that is a great idea and something that new users could get maximum benefit from using. It would be nice to have links to other forms of mediums that individuals might create (pdf, flash tutorials, etc.) and in that way incorporate more of the community's efforts. And I think most realize that the doc project is still early in its lifecycle and is certain to gain more relevance and clarity as it matures.

[mattheweast]

I like the PDF. Can it be printed like a book? Is their any Ubuntu documentation that can?

I keep hearing about books being written, but I don't know if any of the projects completed.

I think it would be relatively easy to make a pdf version of the Ubuntu Starter Guide (http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/faqguide-all.html), do you think that would be useful?

Matt

[aysiu]

An idea might be to have a unified document with a "getting started" section which would cover the basics. In the current development version of the guide (http://doc.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/desktopguide/C/index.html), there is such a section, perhaps we could expand it with more information. If you'd like to help work on that, we can use all the contribution we can get. Well, I'll tell you the absolute truth:

I want results. And I'm willing to help.

So if I think we can get one document that hits advanced, intermediate, and beginner users where they're at, and I can help with that, I'll help with that.

If I think that red tape, personality differences, vision differences, or whatnot are getting in the way of that, I'm probably going to stick with a separate PDF that's new user documentation "my way."

I'll do whatever works.

[aysiu]

I keep hearing about books being written, but I don't know if any of the projects completed.

I think it would be relatively easy to make a pdf version of the Ubuntu Starter Guide (http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/faqguide-all.html), do you think that would be useful? I think it's very useful... to users like me, but not for absolute novices. See post #23 (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=525605&postcount=23) for more details.

[mattheweast]

Well, I'll tell you the absolute truth:

I want results. And I'm willing to help.

So if I think we can get one document that hits advanced, intermediate, and beginner users where they're at, and I can help with that, I'll help with that.

Cool! There is a guide to getting the docteam repository here (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocteamStepByStepRepository). You can hack on any document and submit patches to the mailing list. Any questions, the mailing list can help too.


If I think that red tape, personality differences, vision differences, or whatnot are getting in the way of that, I'm probably going to stick with a separate PDF that's new user documentation "my way."

Well everyone knows that FOSS is not easy! You always have to work hard to reconcile those sorts of differences, perhaps even more so in an open source community than anywhere else. But it's worth it :)

Matt

[mattheweast]

I think it's very useful... to users like me, but not for absolute novices. See post #23 (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=525605&postcount=23) for more details.
Erm, I kinda meant "would it be useful to publish a pdf for printing purposes?" I was answering the guy who wanted to print an Ubuntu book. Obviously, I read post 23 :)

M

[aysiu]

Cool! There is a guide to getting the docteam repository here (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocteamStepByStepRepository). You can hack on any document and submit patches to the mailing list. Any questions, the mailing list can help too. All that stuff about XML just looks like gibberish to me. I may not be a newbie any more, but I'm the least technically proficient "veteran" on these forums.

Remember that thread a while back about the quiz on how geeky you are? I scored the lowest out of everyone who responded--32%

[aysiu]

Erm, I kinda meant "would it be useful to publish a pdf for printing purposes?" I was answering the guy who wanted to print an Ubuntu book. Obviously, I read post 23 :)

M The answer: I don't know. I do know a PDF targeted at beginners would be useful to beginners.

I have a feeling that more advanced users would actually prefer webpages, for several reasons:

1. If you're past the beginner's stage, you probably have internet working at the very least, so you won't run into that "let me boot into Windows, find something, but into Ubuntu, try it, boot into Windows find out how to try something else..." problem.

2. Intermediate and advanced users usually just use Ubuntu and apply tweaks as they see fit. They're looking for quick fixes.

3. More advanced configuration issues are usually ever-changing. Basic stuff, like what an ISO is and how to burn it as a disk image, doesn't change much with time. As PDFs are frozen and HTML pages are dynamic, webpages serve the more advanced crowd better.

These are just my feelings, but maybe others see something I'm missing.

[mattheweast]

All that stuff about XML just looks like gibberish to me. I may not be a newbie any more, but I'm the least technically proficient "veteran" on these forums.

Heh, nah it's dead easy once you get used to it! The best way to learn is to just have a look at the existing stuff (and there are some pretty good guides online)... but it is quick to learn! The important part is the content anyway...

If you don't want to learn docbook xml, then you can have a look at the previews of the development documentation (http://doc.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/desktopguide/C/index.html), and send comments to the mailing list, perhaps including the text that you think would help, and hopefully someone will find the time to slot it in. If nothing else, your comments will get read by the guide's authors and taken into consideration.

But I would say, don't be scared of docbook, it is quick to learn, and we will help!

M

[MetalMusicAddict]

I keep hearing about books being written, but I don't know if any of the projects completed.

I think it would be relatively easy to make a pdf version of the Ubuntu Starter Guide (http://help.ubuntu.com/starterguide/C/faqguide-all.html), do you think that would be useful?

Matt
I like the "Ubuntu Starter Guide" . Used it many times. It would have to be cleaned up abit and have pics added.

Im kinda hoping 2 books get made for Dapper.

1. A "Ubuntu for Dummies" ala
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0764579371.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

2. A "Ubuntu Bible" ala
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0764576445.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

1 to use as a kinda "quick guide" and the 2nd to get really in-depth. Maybe just get those guys to write 'em? :)

[aysiu]

1 to use as a kinda "quick guide" and the 2nd to get really in-depth. Maybe just get those guys to write 'em? :) I'd be all for it. A lot of new users look to the library or bookstores for information on Linux, even though most of the good info is free on the internet.

On some of the more general forums (LinuxQuestions and Linux Forums), a lot of veteran users ask, "Why are all these people using Red Hat 9.0?" It's soon followed with "Why not FC4 or SuSE?" What they don't realize is that a lot of new users (like me, when I was new) look to books.

Which distribution dominates books? Red Hat.

[MetalMusicAddict]

I just like having something in my hand. Gets kinda tired looking at a screen for hours. Hell, I still use my "Red Hat Linux 8 Bible". Lots of things still apply.

[arnieboy]

All that stuff about XML just looks like gibberish to me. I may not be a newbie any more, but I'm the least technically proficient "veteran" on these forums.

Remember that thread a while back about the quiz on how geeky you are? I scored the lowest out of everyone who responded--32%
excellent job aysiu.. this promises to be an overwhelming success.. all the best.. I will be more than glad to help if u need it .

[aysiu]

excellent job aysiu.. this promises to be an overwhelming success.. all the best.. I will be more than glad to help if u need it . Thanks for the encouragement. I'm working right now on the December version. I realize the document will never be perfect, but I also put in a disclaimer that it's not intended to be comprehensive.

I do feel for the new user who wants something to hold and print out that's meant to be printed out. There are a lot of good internet resources, but I'm targeting a different audience.

Little by little, revising as I can. The images are still going to be crappy until I can learn to use GIMP properly.

Again, thanks for the encouragement.

[aysiu]

The new December version (http://ubuntu.xgn.com.br/ubuntu_user_guide_05.12.pdf)'s available.

Only some minor changes (a few added links, some typo corrections, some rephrasing for clarification).

If I have time over Christmas, I may make some more major changes for the January edition.

[esperantisto]

Hi!

Aysiu, I'd like to translate you guide into Russian (I don't promise it soon, however). Can you provide the source text in any format like OpenDocument (I believe, you've prepared it with a good word processor, am I right?).

[doitashimashite]

Good initiative!

I put up a Dutch mirror for this pdf:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~acben/ubuntu_user_guide_05.11.pdf

Keep up the good work!

[aysiu]

Hi!

Aysiu, I'd like to translate you guide into Russian (I don't promise it soon, however). Can you provide the source text in any format like OpenDocument (I believe, you've prepared it with a good word processor, am I right?). Wow! I totally missed this post from two months ago. You can find the .odt here (http://ubuntu.xgn.com.br/guide.odt).

By the way, I've updated it slightly. The newest version of the PDF is here (http://ubuntu.xgn.com.br/ubuntu_user_guide.pdf). I won't update it again probably until Dapper has been released.


Good initiative!

I put up a Dutch mirror for this pdf:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~acben/ubuntu_user_guide_05.11.pdf

Keep up the good work! Thanks for the mirror. You may want to put the new version up there when you get the chance.

[simon_is_learning]

Just a small thing that crossed my mind reading the PDF.

On page 5/31 you write:

I don't know much about Edubuntu...

If I where reading it for the first time with no experience in Linux, I would maybe be kinda confused.

I would recomend to the next edition to choose another formulation.

maybe just quote the edubuntu FAQ.


Edubuntu is a free software system designed for school environments, and should be equally suitable for kids to use at home.


Otherwise I really like the idea of a ubuntu-beginners guide.
If I have to do a school project that involves translating. I can translate your PDF to swedish.

[aysiu]

Just a small thing that crossed my mind reading the PDF.

On page 5/31 you write:

I don't know much about Edubuntu...

If I where reading it for the first time with no experience in Linux, I would maybe be kinda confused.

I would recomend to the next edition to choose another formulation.

maybe just quote the edubuntu FAQ. Good point. I'll include that for the next version.

[Alpha_toxic]

Nice work aysiu!! :)
And you just got another mirror
http://alpha-toxic.hit.bg/Linux/Ubuntu/ubuntu_user_guide.pdf

[mstlyevil]

Your PDF guide has the best instructions I found for mounting Windows XP and a Fat32 shared partition. You did an excellent job on it and I still reference it before doing something new. I hope you are working on one for Dapper also. ;)

[nickle]

Wow....

[Derek Djons]

I gave it a quick view. It's very extended and good written. I think you've scored some points mate! Good work!

[aysiu]

It actually took quite a bit of work, and I'm glad it seems to be a good guide so far.

I'm going to take a break for a couple of months. When Dapper rolls out in mid-April, I'll try to put some serious energy into making the guide up-to-date.

Thanks to all for the mirrors, the feedback, and the affirmation.

[excbuntu]

Hello and thanks for making a guide for the newbs. I am a noob and new to linux. You gave a link on page 3 to an absolute beginners guide to linux. The links is dead. Can you give us the new one?

Thanks,

exc

[swaprava]

no bandwidth limit, here ya go:

http://box.net/public/benplaut/dfiles/ubuntu_user_guide_05.11.pdf

Hi, can you please host this file once more? I found the file being removed from the above URL. Thanks in advance ...

[RiceMonster]

Hi, can you please host this file once more? I found the file being removed from the above URL. Thanks in advance ...

It's from 2006, do you really expect anyone to still have it?

[LoveToSail]

Is there an updated version to this Guide or is it still good for us Beginners? :confused:

[oldos2er]

Old thread closed.

Try https://help.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-help/index.html
Not a PDF, but it is up to date.