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40 Comments
- xerox, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14"from a debian distro"
a debian distro like.... ubuntu? - flapster, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Previous poster is just wrong and is talking out of his ass. This stuff is pure gold to any Ubuntu newbie.
- Vogateer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Alright, install software on any OS where you don't know the name of the program.
If you're going to criticize linux, at least do it on things that don't apply to every other OS out there. - Mejogid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5For the same simplicity in ubuntu, just replace pacman -S with apt-get install
- chrono13, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5A better site: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HowToGetHelp
Everything from questions answered, to installing software, to how and why things work. My personal favorite is the command-line "copy&paste and everything works" help pages (like at easylinux). - nuclearpenguins, on 10/12/2007, -7/+10This is the very reason why your Great Aunt Doris and her bingo-buddies (read: most non-technical people you can think of) will never adopt Linux, even a friendlier distro like Ubuntu, as their OS. They want to be able to play the Hoyle 50,000 Different Solitaire Variations game they picked up in the checkout of their local WalMart, put it in their CD drive, and have a friendly Wizard walk them through the installation process.
These people never ever want to have to use the command line. For anything. They don't want to have to worry about hardware/driver incompatibility issues.
My point is Linux is no where near ready for Prime Time yet. It's a nice hobby for geeks and great in the business/server world, but for Aunt Doris and her ilk (and the lion's share of the market) they'll pass. When our generation is the age of the current baby-boomers things may be different. People are growing up with high technology as a given now. Back then they had to worry about manually setting margins in the typewriters.
I'm sure this will get modded down into oblivion. Every time you downDigg the truth Steve Wozniak runs over a kitten on his Segway. - traherom, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yeah... there's nothing wrong with any of that. (Not that I read everything in detail. :>) What wouldn't work for you?
- r121, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I agree, this is a great resource for Ubuntu users, and really any users of a Debian-based distro. This is not just a quick-and-dirty "How do I Install Software" guide, it really gives a lot of easy-to-understand information to those of us who like to understand how our computers work!
- Quarks, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6That's a shame really, the real power of *NIX lays in the shell.
Anyone can click buttons and checkboxes, the command line is where the real men work. :-) - Mejogid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I don't really feel its necessary to buy a book to learn Ubuntu - thanks to the Wiki, forums, IRC channel and numerous other online sources of free help. As has been mentioned, this is also not an Ubuntu specific guide and for all I can see it could simply be a re-branded Debian one trying to ride of Ubuntu's popularity. It will also be out of date next month with Dapper's release, due to the inclusion of gdebi. For those new to Dapper, and for Ubuntu in general, http://monkeyblog.org/ubuntu/installing.html is clearer and more concise in my opinion.
- dorkafork, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"Alright, install software on any OS where you don't know the name of the program."
Oh, that's *easy*. Get a Windows box, open IE, and surf the web. There'll be plenty of programs "you don't know the name of" installed on your computer in no time. Even better, you won't even know they've been installed! Could not be simpler. - diggeridooo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Personally I prefer http://klik.atekon.de/ - download and run software WITHOUT installation. Package managers are by no means the only way to get software. Even better is to avoid installation at all, and have everything an application needs within one folder (AppDir bundle, like Apple) or even one file (klik cmg file).
- xiangxianni, on 12/31/2008, -0/+1http://www.tips5.com/3-ways-to-install-and-uninsta ...
you can install sw in ubuntu using different ways.Also if you want to know how to install ubuntu os ,you can also find an easy guide in this site. - k3nt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Did you read the article? This is not a tutorial for installing Ubuntu. It provides some tips and general information on how to ADD software to your Ubuntu system in various ways...
- Bonzodog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I dugg this, I have spoken in the past personally to people involved with the book, and for us this an extension of the forums and IRC. We discovered that some people just feel more comfortable getting their information from a book, as at least the information is instantaeneously available. I am a staff member in the forums, and as much as I enjoy answering the questions from n00bs, they do get a little repetetive. The wiki is not a very intuitive place, and neither is our Document Storage Facility (of which I am Team Lead). at least with the book, they can take a step back from the computer, take the book to bed and learn things at the pace they want to.
- Vogateer, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Windows is nowhere ready for primetime. Installing Windows XP is a nightmare compared to installing Ubuntu on the same machine. Installing 20 updates from the Microsoft website, installing 6 or 7 drivers just to get things like the laptop onboard video to work, all the while rebooting over 10 times, no newbie is going to be able to do that. Trying to explain to people why they need a virus checker, three different malware detection programs, why they need to change settings in their browser to keep out malicious code, they just have the look of hopelessness about them. Don't tell me Grandpa and Grandma are going to have an easy time installing any printer or software they buy on the machine. Invariably they have someone they know do it for them.
Mac OS X isn't ready for primetime, either. I work with Macs at work, and there is always something to worry about. Security updates that don't work, poorly made drivers for products that are supposed to work on OS X but don't, trying to understand how to install non Apple software and licensing agreements with Adobe... Three quarters of the people at work wouldn't have a clue how to handle any of these problems, and need a technically minded person to help them do anything aside from sending an e-mail or browsing the web.
In case I'm not driving this point home, most people can't or won't perform basic installation of software or hardware on any machine, regardless of the OS. I think one statistic pointed out that 80% of people never install any software on their machine that didn't come with it when they bought it. If installing software is so easy on windows, why is it I see the look of fear in someone's eyes when I suggest the install a piece of software to protect their computer? That 80% sounds about right to me.
I set up my sister's laptop to dual boot between Win XP and Ubuntu, and she was so sick of the problems in Win XP that she stopped using it in three weeks. She's been using linux over the last year or so. Occasionally there's a problem, of course, but at least with linux I can safely ssh into the machine and fix it 90% of the time, and I don't have to worry about cleaning out the registry or Sony rootkits. - xxhopingtearsxx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i personally didnt like the review. it didnt help me anything with how to install ubuntu. :(
- illEATurHARTout, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I have found http://www.krazypenguin.net/Ubuntu_Dapper_Drake_6.06_Guide to be pretty helpful.
- zootm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1A guide really shouldn't be necessary though, but this is a good one, right enough.
I don't think that this comparison with Windows is warranted though:
"Linux is a little more involved, largely because it never assumes that users want their environment to be simplistic and with limited options."
That's not really the reason, to be fair.
Ubuntu's "Add/Remove" application thing has come a long way to meaning that guides like this will not be necessary soon, though. Still, a guide to APT is always a good thing, as although it's easy to use for what it is, it can be a bit daunting at first... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1its easy, i installed it as a noob, i stopped useing it because i could not remember terminal
- MihaiM, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1http://www.ubuntuforums.org/ is a very good resource
Another is the #ubuntu IRC Channel
A great thing about Ubuntu it's the community. No need for a book this way. - Mejogid, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I'm not entirely familiar with klick, but it seems to be in beta and not really trustworthy of something like software installation that can break so easily. Also, one of the main advantages of using debian packages and apt-get is that you get a central list of packages to easily remove, as well as a built in mechanism for upgrading them at regular intervals with bug fixes and maybe even minor feature revisions. Since they are distro-specific, they will also often provide aditional intergration in terms of artwork and patches and will be tested for stability in a specific enviroment.
As much as I like the idea of something like klick, I think it would be better to make it a front end to apt or something (but then it obviously wouldn't work with rpm-based distros). Also, I personally often know the name of a package I'm searching for (and if not can find it with a quick google search), which makes it much easier to use synaptic or apt-get install than to do it through a web based interface. It would also appear to still need a bit of work - it gives the discription for 'epiphany' instead of for 'epiphany-browser' on a summary page for the latter:
http://epiphany-browser.klik.atekon.de/ - k3nt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1lol, internet. It provides a great wealth of information, but often it is presented in a less coherent or complete fashion. Could many computer savvy users install and use Ubuntu without the help of this book? Sure. Ubuntu has a great community, as others have said.
But some people feel a little more comfortable learning from books still. Personally, I own this book and found it interesting. And although there are some interesting little points here and there that you may not have discovered searching online, most of the information in it is available on the internet somewhere. But this book also explains a lot of the Whys rather than only the How-tos.
Also, it saves a lot of time when all of your help is readily available in one location and always at your fingertips. Don't be so quick overlook the utility of a well written book :) - Nameless1, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4Installing (and downloading O_o) software in ArchLinux comprehensive guide:
pacman -S
for example:
pacman -S kde
This will download and install kde, and all dependencies needed for it.
pacman -S kde bittorrent python gcc kdevelop koffice j2re azureus
Will download and install all that software, and will automatically resolve dependencies for it.
and so on and so forth.
That is linux for human beings. Not some 15 page guide full of technical stuff.
I have no idea why everyone is going ballistic for Ubuntu. - jdonner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Days ago people digg an article that says how EASY it is to install Ubuntu and now they're all digging a site that show the tons of info that you need to install the program.
You Linux people can't ever make up your mind now can you? No intention for a flame, but tell me; why the heck do you need a site that tell you how to install Ubuntu when it's supposed to be that easy (according to an older Digg)???? - Jakerius, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I found the Ubuntu wiki more helpful. Been looking to check out ubuntu for a while now, this seems to be enought motivation.
- Snakedal337, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Really guys, no one needs any book. Theres the IRC, the docteams have a ***** of user guides built in with the distro, and the wiki is godly. No one should have to go further than that.
Everything has been said before, Nothings left to say any more. - nofxjunkee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If some people find klik easy then that's awesome. I prefer package managers myself, but I still like drag n drop installation à la Apple much more than Windows installers... next, next, next, next, finish.
Copying new .app directories over the old ones works great for upgrades. Removal is as easy as deleting a file, so it's really not a bad system. It certainly beats removing a program from Windows Add/Remove Programs, only to have it fail and then have to edit the registry to get rid of the ghost entry.
If people want an alternative to package managers I think it'd be wise to go with appdirs. 2¢
(Great article too, for people who like to know what their software is doing) - Snakedal337, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Dont digg this guy down, he brings up a valid point.
Klik is great for certain software. Especially beta- since it doesnt install, you can run your stable version of amarok, and the beta on the same system, without either messing each other up.
Quite handy if you ask me. - ezollars, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I think the key issue is that whatever is not installed on the machine out of the box is always going to be perceived to be more complicated no matter what. The key issues a run of the mill desktop user is going to be hit with immediately with Ubuntu or any other distribution will be items that are already taken care of when they run the packages that were on the computer when they took it out of the box.
Installing Windows XP from scratch is very similar to doing the same with Ubuntu (or, heck OSX) and it's possible to hit similar hardware glitches if Windows doesn't immediately understand what's there. But, obviously, if I'm selling boxes to end users, I'm going to resolve those issues for what I've placed in the machine ahead of time by having done most of the "heavy lifting" before users ever see the machine.
I have and use all three OSs for different purposes (in fact have three laptops in front of me right now, one running Ubuntu, one XP and one OSX).
Frankly, the biggest negative in getting Ubuntu in front of "Aunt Edith" is the fact that it won't be on the machine when she first turns it on.
The next big negative is that when she decides to ask the guy next door to help her with some minor issue (how does she use this browser thing to look at the newspaper back home in Boise?), he's likely going to be someone who has never seen anything but Windows XP and being a "quasi expert" (he's installed that game package from Walmart on his machine, so that makes him an expert right?) he'll decide to put XP on Aunt Edith's machine (and, of course, that doesn't mean sending Aunt Edith out to buy a copy).
Our secretary actually had her "expert" neighbor do just that when she ran into a problem on her old Windows 98 box. The early teen "expert" had never actually seen 98, so rather than deal with the problem he just pirated a copy of XP SP1 and put that on her machine... - lazyron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0yes, it's nice to have a book. but really installing, ubuntu is easy. i played with suse from 7.3 to 8.1 thought it was pretty slick and was worried about not having yast if i switched. turns out i like gnome. go fig. and synaptic is pretty tight. ubuntuforums.org is great, haven't checked out the wiki... but if you really want a linux book. get "running linux" from o'reilly http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/runux3/
- webcrumb, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2That's fine; just point out AisleRiot. They don't need to buy a card game.
Your point is valid: Linux is the preserve of geeks. However, I could install Ubuntu (or Kubuntu, or SuSE depending on how I feel) on my dad's machine and he wouldn't know the difference ("This looks different - have you changed the colours?"). All he uses it for is to browse the web and write a few letters. For this market, Linux excels: I wouldn't have to worry about whether he is updating his virus checker and spyware definitions and running Windows Update and so on. The likelihood, at least at the moment, of somone attacking an Ubuntu install is negligible. - jdonner, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0And please explain to me the title; what the heck is "Ubuntu software"???
Ububtu is a Linux distribution, so how you can you install "Ubuntu software" doh?! - tuna1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1As a Slackware user....
Is installing software in Ubuntu difficult enough to have a tutorial? - Haroldx, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0He didn't talk about dependencies.
I think you guys should try script, too.
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=138405 - JuliusH, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1I thought "a program that requires a book to install can be no good". But, I am a Ubuntu newbie, and the story doesn't say what Ubuntu is..
- SuperSloth, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3Alright. Now install software when you don't know the name of the package.
- shibz, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0so... since when did you need a book for Ubuntu... or any linux distro for that matter?
- SuperSloth, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1Vogateer: That's exactly my point. It's *not* easier to install software on Linux. Yet people are always saying how simple, straightforward, and easy it is.
Installing software on a Linux distro with a package manager is just as easy as Windows. The only difference is that Windows uses the Web for it's package manager because there's an order of magnitude more software for Win32 than for Linux, and because of proprietary licensing. - ddinsdale, on 10/12/2007, -19/+5As an Ubuntu self-taught user, I would be very upset if I bought this. What I read was not accurate to what I've tried and succeeded at, and I needed the forums for that. This was either written in a vacuum or is reused boilerplate from a debian distro.
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