This newbie's guide to Ubuntu lets readers learn by doing. Using immersion-learning techniques favored by language courses, step-by-step projects build upon earlier tutorial concepts, stimulating the brain and increasing the reader's understanding. It also covers all the topics likely to be of interest to an average desktop user, such as installing new software via Synpatic; Internet connectivity; working with removable storage devices, printers, and scanners; and handling DVDs, audio files, and even iPods. It also eases readers into the world of commands, thus allowing them to work with Java, Python or other script-based applications; converting RPMs to DEB files; and compiling software from source.

If you are standing in the aisle of your local bookstore reading this right now, you may well be wondering who this book is for. If you also happen to see my previous books, Linux for Non-Geeks and Linux Made Easy on the same shelf (or have at least heard about them), you might also be wondering what the differences among these books are. These questions are reasonable enough. To put it simply, there are two differences: the experience level of the target reader and the distribution covered in each book. Linux for Non-Geeks, based on Fedora Core 1, was my first book and was written with folks like my mother in mind—average computer users with some computer experience in the Windows or Mac worlds who had an interest in Linux but were afraid to give it a go. My second book, Linux Made Easy, was based on Xandros 3 and was written at a more basic level for those who just wanted a free and easy way out of the grasping tentacles of the Microsoft empire.

Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks, as you might imagine, is based on Ubuntu Linux, and like the original Linux for Non-Geeks, it targets readers who are interested in Linux but feel the need for a jumping-off point of sorts. Although there are some similarities with its predecessor, Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks is different in many ways. This is not only due to the inherent differences between the Debian-based Ubuntu and the RPM-based Fedora Core, but also due to the advances made by Linux as a whole. These advances have resulted in a system that is easier and more convenient to use than ever before.