Welcome ~ Please Read

_Purpose_ : To welcome new Ubuntu users and enhance their initial experience.

_Scenario_ : A stranger in a strange land ...

Booting to a new OS is often exciting, but navigating system administration is daunting ...

My perspective has been that, more often then not:

1. People often confuse "familiarity" with "ease of use". For example, many new users have always run the OS that was installed for them, they have used it for years, and because of their long standing familiarity accept this OS as the de facto "gold-standard".

Enter a new OS, a new way of doing things and different = difficult. While it is true change is hard, it may be the transition is difficult not the new OS itself (of course there are times when in fact the new OS is the one being difficult, lord knows I've seen that too).

1. "Normal" people use their computers as tools and expect (IMO unrealistically) that a new OS will "just work". The unrealistic expectation here being that there will be little or no learning curve with a new OS and/or a new OS is just like the old OS, including running program X.

1. Barring any "special needs" for specific hardware/software, most people are able to transition into Ubuntu as a primary OS. Guidance through this transition period is invaluable to new users and more often then not they feel like "giving something back", and thus the Ubuntu forums.

_The goals of the Beginning Team is to assist new users to _:

• Evaluate Ubuntu to see if it will fit their needs.
• Obtain and boot Ubuntu.
• Install Ubuntu.
• Transition into Ubuntu.
• Become members of the Ubuntu community.

It should go without saying, just as every Operating System (OS) has advantages and disadvantages, every user has a unique perspective and set of computing needs. It is thus unreasonable to promote Ubuntu, or any other OS, as meeting all the needs of all users all the time.

The "round hole, square peg" scenario needs to be avoided. If there is a poor match between Ubuntu (as an OS) and a new users needs/expectations the best response is to direct them to a better fitting OS.

[SIZE=2][COLOR=darkred]This is NOT the proper forum to BASH Operating Systems.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

_Joining the team_ :

Well, to some extent, if you are active on the forums you are a part of the team.

Characteristics I think will be helpful to Members of this Beginner Team :

• A sympathetic approach to new users.
• The maturity to help new users without setting unrealistic expectations of Ubuntu or bashing other OS.
• I would think both a background in education/teaching or experience with multiple OS would be invaluable.

I am in receipt of a long list of requests to join the team. Thank all of you for your interest I will start to work through the list ...

_IRC_ : irc://irc.freenode.net#ubuntu-beginners

Traffic on the IRC has started to pick up. Feel free to come on over and meet the team :) Ideas/suggestions welcome.

EDIT : Updated irc ...

Well said.

Today I setup a dual boot system on an old p500 for a friend from scratch. I installed XP / Ubuntu on it a few days ago and it really hit me how much easier it was to get ubuntu ready to go vs XP.

After using Ubuntu now for 6 months I'm convinced that Ubuntu is more user-friendly than XP.

I believe that if you take a person that has never used a computer before that Ubuntu will be the one they find easier.

Familiarity doesn't make something better. :)

I hope that the UBUNTU team tries to take care of hardware issues. Users can be taught how to install, what to install, how to run, how to trouble-shoot etc., but what do they do when there are no drivers for their hardware.

Hardware manufacturers, except some, do not provide drivers or information to write drivers. They just write drivers for Windows. The do not realize that this way Linux does not grow and they are dependent on one OS. There should a Penguin on every piece of hardware as they have the Windows logo. Similarly system integrators should mark their computers "Linux Ready'.

Just because some small hardware is not detected, or the driver is not there, some nice OS are not used by many. I have problems with ENE card-reader driver on my laptop, and I do not have a solution. How do I install Ubuntu only ? If I am forced to retain Windows, Ubuntu becomes just an experiment. I am downloading Feisty Fawn (Amd-64), Herd-5, with the hope that I get a complete OS. :guitar:

Dear dptxp, Thats a good insight. I think there is an initiative for the hardware department underway. There even is a seperate team operating on this issue.

I hope your dream, "now my Dream too", of having a penguin on every hardware becomes true.!! Cheers!!!

You know, I have a gut instinct there are some interesting things happening on this site. However, I have to tell you after spending about 15 minutes looking around I'm TOTALLY confused.

I will try and make some constructive suggestions when I have a couple hours to figure out exactly what Ubuntu is all about. I started with a CPM OS, back in the days before 'open source' became a retronym. SO, I thought perhaps this site would tell me how to download and use Linux. Perhaps it will, eventually. But after surfing the forums briefly I still have no idea what this site is all about. I think you folks need to do a serious rethink on the way your information is organized.

recursive prophet said: You know, I have a gut instinct there are some interesting things happening on this site. However, I have to tell you after spending about 15 minutes looking around I'm TOTALLY confused.

I will try and make some constructive suggestions when I have a couple hours to figure out exactly what Ubuntu is all about. I started with a CPM OS, back in the days before 'open source' became a retronym. SO, I thought perhaps this site would tell me how to download and use Linux. Perhaps it will, eventually. But after surfing the forums briefly I still have no idea what this site is all about. I think you folks need to do a serious rethink on the way your information is organized.

Yes, Ubuntu is a large site and it will take a while to fully explore.

My advices is to start on the main page and look at the sub forums. The search function is also helpful.

If you have suggestions for the forums layout, please add it here :

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=587054

However, the current layout is both successful and popular with most users so I do not see a change anytime soon.

dptxp said: I hope that the UBUNTU team tries to take care of hardware issues. Users can be taught how to install, what to install, how to run, how to trouble-shoot etc., but what do they do when there are no drivers for their hardware.

Hardware manufacturers, except some, do not provide drivers or information to write drivers. They just write drivers for Windows. The do not realize that this way Linux does not grow and they are dependent on one OS. There should a Penguin on every piece of hardware as they have the Windows logo. Similarly system integrators should mark their computers "Linux Ready'.

Just because some small hardware is not detected, or the driver is not there, some nice OS are not used by many. I have problems with ENE card-reader driver on my laptop, and I do not have a solution. How do I install Ubuntu only ? If I am forced to retain Windows, Ubuntu becomes just an experiment. I am downloading Feisty Fawn (Amd-64), Herd-5, with the hope that I get a complete OS. :guitar:

Hi, I thought the issue was that many Peripheral Makers are being supported by Microsoft; nothing wrong in that, unless as many suspect this support prevents the provision of drivers for alternative OS. [ -If Linux is 5% of OS usage and Ubuntu is 20% then in reality Ubuntu represents 1% of toal computer users. Now, which would you write drivers for? The likes of HP, are somewhat independent and able to provide drivers. . . but even they are not 100% -] I know it is "somewhere" ( CUPS?) but an easily-found place for details of peripheral drivers . . . would be very useful. If this can be kept up-to-date so much the better, with links to the Repository, so updates can be downloaded perhaps. ( although I have some reservations where hardware is concerned).

Bodhi.zazen. . . You say:- "....The goals of the Beginning Team is to assist new users to :

1) Evaluate Ubuntu to see if it will fit their needs.

2) Obtain and boot Ubuntu.

3) Install Ubuntu.

4) Transition into Ubuntu.

5) Become members of the Ubuntu community...."

Well I hope this is achievable.....could I suggest that 1) above, might be better done "the other way round?" - that is, to establish their needs? -indeed this "feedback"... might be quite interesting...

I just booted a Ubuntu installation CD, answered some trivial questions and the next thing I know I'm exploring awesome free software. Setting up my network and surfing the web was simply a matter of plugging in the ethernet cable to my router. I dropped out of computer programming 10 years ago, but Ubuntu inspires me to jump back in and contribute.

worksofcraft said: I just booted a Ubuntu installation CD, answered some trivial questions and the next thing I know I'm exploring awesome free software. Setting up my network and surfing the web was simply a matter of plugging in the ethernet cable to my router. I dropped out of computer programming 10 years ago, but Ubuntu inspires me to jump back in and contribute.

Glad everything works :)

See my wiki for programming, 10 years is a long time (in computers and for me)

Those are my goals too - except for the installation part... got that done already. I know I'll never live this down, but I clicked on the wrong button. I was aiming for a dual-boot installation but ended up wiping Windows away and installing Ubuntu exclusively.

No matter. I have another Windows machine and all my backups anyway. I can still do what I intended to do, only on two 'puters instead of one. But y'know, so far, I haven't needed the Windows machine for anything since I started!

I would have "thanked" the O P for starting this beginner's team but I don't know if there's a special icon for that or not... but thanks anyway for what y'all are doing!

I totally agree w/u!

Hey everyone I am new here and also new to the linux/ubuntu os. I understand that the os is much more intricate and involved, also harder to get everything working how you want them (if you dont know what you are doing, ie. myself lol) so here goes...

I need to know if this os would even be able to adapt to my current needs, and if all my hardware / software will work. I have an AMD 3000+ 64bit oc'd, 2GB of ram, Nvidia 7800 GT oc'd, sound blaster audigy 2, evga mobo, and about 500gb of hdd space. I also have an Epson all in one printer, Logitech G7 & G15 all of which I would like to be installed / working.

As for software, my gf loves MSN Live messenger and facebook, as long as she has that she's good lol :) As for myself, I love using the adobe software, ie photoshop, after effects, flash, I also use ms word & excel a lot so that's a must. I love my music, so something that can replace winamp or if possible winamp itself, I enjoy watching anime and currently have CCCP codec's and any player really that will support it. Lastly gaming, would still like to be able to play all of my games, ie NFS, Unreal, DDO, Guitar hero 3.

I would just like to know if there's software/drivers avail for this OS for everything I have listed, if so then GREAT! I'll start learning everything I can about this new to me OS but if not it would be a waste of time to tear the drive down and install it.

Thanks all, Jase

Glancing at your hardware, most of that should work.

Glancing at your software, however, my advice is Linux is not a drop in replacement for Windows and your are listing windows programs. Some of them may run, most will not.

You will need to look at the Linux equivalents.

Microsoft Office -> Open office

Photoshop -> Gimp

Here is a web site :

http://www.linuxalt.com/

There are many other sites with similar lists

http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:official&hs=K6D&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=linux+equivalents+window+applications&spell=1

In general you will have the same functionality, different applications.

And this :

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwitchingToUbuntu/FromWindows

Gidday. Found this website elsewhere in these forums, which may help.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SoftwareEquivalents

cheers:)

dear Bodhi Zazen,

Are you a practicing buddhist. If so what order.

thx, Jeff

hello all! I've finally gotten a hold of Ubuntu! it seems really exciting to have a whole OS I can plink around on and if I kill it it's simply a matter of reloading without having to buy a new OS. So far I like the way Ubuntu works and hope to become knowledgeable in it. I have no programming experience at all though, I would like to use this OS as a learning platform. I do have some fairly large problems.

my internet is run by a USB modem, Verizon's UM150, and I can't seem to getit to work at all, nor my bluetooth that sees my headphones but wont connect.

I tried downloading Wine and Virtualbox on my XP machine and intstall from the flashdrive onto Ubuntu but I couldn't figure out how. Since my modem doesn't work in Ubuntu I can't download it directly to that machine. I was also wondering If I can access programs from my windows half of my non-partition dual-boot in ubuntu?

I have a fair deal of hardware I use often that seems to only have microsoft support, are there hacks or patches that I can use to use my hardware in Ubuntu. I'd love nothing more than to dump my other OS's

ANy help is very appreciated