A graphical application is something that creates its own window on the desktop, and can lay out that window with buttons and pictures and other stuff anywhere it likes - a classic "Windows Program" - in contrast to applications which run in a terminal (or 'command-line') session, which are constrained only to use letters, not pictures - as if they were still running on an old-fashioned teletype terminal, or on MS-DOS before the days of Windows.

Gedit is a graphical text editor. You start it by using the mouse to find 'Text Editor' in the Accessories menu. Then you have to click on 'File->Open' and select a file to get started.

Nano is a command-line text editor that runs in a terminal session. You start it by typing 'nano <filename>' in a command line session, which might have been started by using the mouse to fine 'Terminal' in the Accessories menu, for example. Nano runs inside the Terminal window. You can also use it from a text logon session, if the windowing system fails to start.

Giving instructions using terminal commands is usually much more succinct and exact than telling people to click on menus and buttons, which is why they come up so often in the forums.

Consistent help is hard to find simply because everyone is a volunteer here, and everyone has different experiences. We can only advise based on what we have encountered ourselves. Sometimes it takes a while to get an answer because we have to go out and earn money, or because we live in different time zones. Whether you find this good or bad depends on the level of your expectations. I recommend this as a way to get the best responses: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntucat/...-linux-forums/
Also see: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=232059

Here's some help on using the terminal: http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/terminal

And here's some more general help on Ubuntu:
http://book.opensourceproject.org.cn...untu/official/ especially Chapter 4 on the Terminal.


Having said all that, it is true that Ubuntu isn't for everyone. Being an Ubuntu user can be downright frustrating at times. I have used it for about 3 years now, yet last week I contemplated switching back to Windows XP - because I can't get my scanner to work on Ubuntu. But then I plugged my XP drive back into my TC1100, and started it up, and it reminded me of all the things I was trying to escape - and I fell in love with Ubuntu all over again. It's never going to be a completely smooth ride, simply because the hardware manufacturers don't all want to play. But then, neither is Vista, or XP, or OS/X.

Anyway, I hope this helps you to make up your mind to be persistent! People WILL help, given time, if you are clear about what you need, what has happened, follow instructions carefully, and stay patient.

trksh22 said:
I can't get the screen to change back, no matter what I do. I couldn't (and still can't) get the pen to work.
I'd like to help you, but I don't know what you mean by "I can't get the screen to change back". What has it changed to?

Also, you say you can't get the pen to work - can you summarise what you have done to try to make it work?