topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Thursday March 28, 2024, 3:44 pm
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners  (Read 5048 times)

zridling

  • Friend of the Site
  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,299
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« on: November 10, 2010, 08:01 AM »
25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
http://www.techradar...for-beginners-906002

For the beginners among us.

Renegade

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 13,288
  • Tell me something you don't know...
    • View Profile
    • Renegade Minds
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2010, 09:00 AM »
I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wish that the Enlightenment interface was still around. It was in Mandrake Linux in 2002 or so. Man... That was THE coolest interface I've ever seen bar none. It blows everything else away.

Ah... After searching, it looks like it is still available:

http://www.enlightenment.org/

It was the absolute most beautiful interface I've ever used. Clean. Crisp. Simple. Elegant. I need to get that on my Ubuntu install now.
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

rgdot

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2009
  • **
  • Posts: 2,192
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2010, 09:41 AM »
26. Congrats on not jumping to a Mac


 ;)

housetier

  • Charter Honorary Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 1,321
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2010, 12:56 PM »
And I am here for the more advanced stuff.

Deozaan

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Points: 1
  • Posts: 9,747
    • View Profile
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2010, 02:15 PM »
This list sucks. This list doesn't read like a tip for beginners. It reads like "the first 25 things you should do when you install Ubuntu" and it's all wrong.

The first 4 "tips" are not good for beginners. Has this person even used Ubuntu in the last 2 years? Beginners shouldn't be using terminal. Instead, they should open the Update Manager, tell it to check for new updates, and click install (if there are any). That's 1-4 condensed and quite simple right there.

Tips 5 & 6 probably also shouldn't be used by beginners either. Why would a beginner want to add a custom repository?

Tip 7 is to instead use Synaptics packet manager to do 1-4, but as I said, the Update Manager is easier to use. Synaptics is very useful, but can be a bit confusing. It would probably be better for a noob to use the Ubuntu Software Center to find other software to install.

Tip 8 is the first one he gets right, IMO. Install restricted extras.

Tip 9: Get some games. This can be done using the Ubuntu Software Center in (my version of) tip 7.

Tip 10: Enabling tweaks. This sounds more to me like something for an intermediate Ubuntu user, not a beginner.

Tips 11-15: Do stuff with Gnome-Do. Huh? I've never used Gnome-Do before, and I consider myself a beginner to Ubuntu. Maybe it does awesome stuff, and is a great tip. But why take up 5 tips on the same subject (which he's done before in this list and will do again)? Gnome-Do should be a single tip. Say everything you want to say about it in one tip.

Tips 16 and 17: Change wallpaper & window styles. Sure. No argument here, I guess.

Tip 18: Install Hardware Drivers. In my opinion, this should be very near the top of the list. It's usually the first thing I do (to get my WiFi working), but it might be OK to wait until after you run the Update Manager before doing this.

Tip 19: Desktop Effects & Compiz. I've been trying Ubuntu out for the past couple years and just recently learned about Compiz. This is a good tip I wish I would have gotten earlier. :Thmbsup:

Tips 20-25 are OK. But not everybody wants a dock, or uses photoshop (GIMP), needs samba, or wants to mess with panels. But these tips are good enough since it's likely that anybody reading the guide will want to do at least one or two of the things presented in these final few tips.

But really, the whole list could be compressed into about 5 tips:

1. Use Update Manager to make sure your software and OS is up to date.
2. Install hardware drivers.
3. Use Ubuntu Software Center to install cool stuff like VLC, GIMP, games, and more.
4. Want to tweak your experience? Try Gnome-Do, Compiz, Docky, etc.
5. Miscellaneous Stuff: Samba, Restricted Extras, brief overview of Synaptics Package Manager including custom repositories, etc.

Of course, each tip would need to have more details than my quick summary, but in my opinion, the above 5 tips could easily cover everything the author of the article wrote about in 5 times as many tips. It's also more Ubuntu noob friendly, though steps 4 and 5 are for slightly more advanced users.

But that's just my opinion.

40hz

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 11,857
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2010, 03:22 PM »
www.howtoforge.com has a series of distro specific articles on setting up the "Perfect Desktop" and "Perfect Server."

The "perfect" part may be up for debate, but the articles are great for slightly advanced beginners who have enough smarts to follow a step-by-step.

Here's the links for Ubuntu 10.10 and Ubuntu 10.04 LTS desktops. Browse around for other distros, versions, or server setups.

Also take a look around the rest of howtoforge.com while you're there. Lots of good info to be found even if the navigation scheme and overall site structure leaves a bit to be desired.

-----

@Deo: Ever consider becoming the author of DC's first member created Newbie Ubuntu Setup Guide? Just think...Cody and Tux: together at last!  ;D  :Thmbsup:






Deozaan

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • ***
  • Points: 1
  • Posts: 9,747
    • View Profile
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2010, 03:30 PM »
Just think...Cody and Tux: together at last!  ;D  :Thmbsup:

That does bring to mind some amusing scenarios. :P

Renegade

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 13,288
  • Tell me something you don't know...
    • View Profile
    • Renegade Minds
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2010, 08:35 PM »
+1 for Deozaan.

Great break-down of things there. :)
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

zridling

  • Friend of the Site
  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,299
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2010, 09:39 AM »
I'm always suspicious of these kind of lists that have more than ten items or steps. I'd rather the author make the best list and whatever that number turns out to be, then that's the best list. For example, "13 Tips for Beginners" when pushing 25 usually includes suggestions like "Change the wallpaper." Yea, I think I can handle that. But then again, beginners might not know where to look at the UI in order to do something so simple (to us).

Renegade

  • Charter Member
  • Joined in 2005
  • ***
  • Posts: 13,288
  • Tell me something you don't know...
    • View Profile
    • Renegade Minds
    • Donate to Member
Re: 25 Ubuntu tips for beginners
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2010, 09:59 AM »
I'm always suspicious of these kind of lists that have more than ten items or steps. I'd rather the author make the best list and whatever that number turns out to be, then that's the best list. For example, "13 Tips for Beginners" when pushing 25 usually includes suggestions like "Change the wallpaper." Yea, I think I can handle that. But then again, beginners might not know where to look at the UI in order to do something so simple (to us).

Top # lists tend to be little more than media whoring most of the time. Heck, I've done it. But my media whoring top 10 lists are really with the greater good in mind:

Top 10 Ways to Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse

My interests are purely in saving lives! ;)

But really, a lot of lists are very good, but they're often a cop-out for not having any ideas for anything to write about. 25 is extreme. Sometimes they are good, but often... Lame.

10 is a good number. You can easily write a little drivel on 10. The top 5 above is a good indication that 25 can be boiled down. :)
Slow Down Music - Where I commit thought crimes...

Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker