New to Ubuntu

[hellohuman]

I am entirely new to Ubuntu and have no idea where to go next. Is there any documentation that I can download and study offline to learn the fundamentals of the OS? I grew up on Windows, so switching over is quite difficult for me. I installed Ubuntu 22 on my second PC (desktop), and it looks to be functioning properly. I'd like to load some external applications (a zip software and a model railway control program), but I'm not sure where to start.
My link to the outside world is via WiFi because fibre is only recently being installed in my area. We also experience daily power outages (known as load shedding), which is problematic. Any assistance would be appreciated.
Best regards,
Mathews.

friday night funkin'

[grahammechanical]

Have you read the Ubuntu Desktop Guide? That must surely be the first place to go next. The Desktop Guide is part of a default install of Ubuntu. It has a blue circle icon with a white question mark on it.

Why have you installed a Linux distribution? Please remember, the developers of Linux distributions are not copying the operating systems of any other software organisation. Likewise software applications that run on Linux are developed by programmers who have their own ideas.

Ubuntu comes with an App Centre (orange bag with a white letter A). Become familiar with that utility. You might find Linux alternatives for the apps you are looking for. Make sure you know what you are doing if you are going to install software found on the internet.

I suggest that you first learn how to dual boot two installs of Ubuntu. Use the second install to experiment with and the first install for everyday use. If your experiments mess up the OS you can easily re-install. Meanwhile your everyday OS will not be messed up.

Regards

[yancek]

I'd like to load some external applications (a zip software and a model railway control program), but I'm not sure where to start.

There is zip software installed on a default Ubuntu and as far as your other software, the starting point would be to do an online search for 'Linux alternatives to name of software', using whatever current software you are running on windows.

[him610]

We also experience daily power outages

Consider UPS for computer. You get (time on UPS) what you pay for coin ($).

For Linux documentation, check out link under my signature. They have a downloadable version for free.

[ActionParsnip]

+1 for the UPS. They are pretty cheap now and will kick in when there are power issues. What is the " railway control program " you mentioned? There may be an open source alternative.

[TheFu]

https://www.linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php teaches the core OS for all variants of Linux. With this knowledge, you'll not be limited to any specific GUI.
Grab the PDF in your preferred language and start studying - 1 chapter at a time.

Loading programs outside the pre-configured repos isn't a good idea. There are complexities and 20,000x different possible ways that random software might need to be installed - assuming it is even Linux software. Linux isn't MS-Windows, so don't expect most MS-Windows software to ever work on Linux using WINE.

What your goals are for Learning Linux will determine how best to approach it. End-users need different knowledge than programmers. System Admins need different knowledge than anyone else. People using cloudy versions of Linux need different skills/knowledge too.

You can waste time learning 1 specific GUI or you can learn the underlying OS. Up to you which direction to head.

[davetheoldcoder]

We also experience daily power outages (known as load shedding), which is problematic'

As others have suggested, definitely get a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), also known as a Battery Backup. It gives you time to do a controlled shut down when the power fails, which avoids data loss and file corruption. They also provide electrical surge protection. Some models also provide surge protection for phone/network connections.

[TheFu]

In parts of the world with power limitations, most people use laptops rather than using a full desktop. That way they have a built-in battery backup and UPs.

I spent nearly a month in a part of the world like that. The campus where I stayed had a computer network with huge deep cycle batteries to make it the 6 hours between power outages and automatically charged those batteries whenever power was available either from the grid or from their generator. Initially I tried to keep track of the power schedules, but eventually, I became like a local and didn't bother. However, I did learn to always take a torch (flashlight) with me to the toilet. Got stuck in an interior bathroom when the power went out and it was pitch black. When I left, I gave away my 30 hr headlamp to someone there so they'd not get stuck - and asked that when they left, they would gift the lamp to another traveler with the same condition to gift it to the next person as they left.

You can probably "locate" some other Linux books as PDF files online using the normal search engines, but know they are usually out of date within 1 yr due to GUI changes. So, if you learn the non-GUI aspects of the OS, you'll not need to re-re-re-learn stuff every few years. I have scripts written from the early 1990s that still work, for example.