diff --git "a/ubuntu_manual.txt" "b/ubuntu_manual.txt" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/ubuntu_manual.txt" @@ -0,0 +1,5936 @@ +Copyright © 2010–2016 by The Ubuntu Manual Team. Some rights reserved. +c b a +This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–Share +Alike 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, see Appendix A, visit +http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, or send a letter to Creative +Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, +USA. +Getting Started with Ubuntu 16.04 can be downloaded for free from http:// +ubuntu-manual.org/ or purchased from http://ubuntu-manual.org/buy/ +gswu1604/en_US. A printed copy of this book can be ordered for the price +of printing and delivery. We permit and even encourage you to distribute a +copy of this book to colleagues, friends, family, and anyone else who might +be interested. +http://ubuntu-manual.org +Revision number: 125 +Revision date: 2016-05-03 22:38:45 +0200 +Contents +Prologue +5 +Welcome +5 +Ubuntu Philosophy +5 +A brief history of Ubuntu +6 +Is Ubuntu right for you? +7 +Contact details +8 +About the team +8 +Conventions used in this book +8 +1 +Installation +9 +Getting Ubuntu +9 +Trying out Ubuntu +10 +Installing Ubuntu—Getting started +11 +Finishing Installation +16 +2 +The Ubuntu Desktop +19 +Understanding the Ubuntu desktop +19 +Unity +19 +The Launcher +21 +The Dash +21 +Workspaces +24 +Managing windows +24 +Unity’s keyboard shortcuts +26 +Browsing files on your computer +26 +Files file manager +27 +Searching for files and folders on your computer +29 +Customizing your desktop +30 +Accessibility +32 +Session options +33 +Getting help +34 +3 +Working with Ubuntu +37 +All the applications you need +37 +Getting online +39 +Browsing the web +46 +Reading and composing email +55 +Using instant messaging +59 +Microblogging +64 +Viewing and editing photos +65 +Watching videos and movies +68 +Listening to audio and music +69 +Burning cds and dvds +73 +Working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations +77 +4 +Hardware +79 +Using your devices +79 +Hardware identification +79 +Displays +79 +4 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Connecting and using your printer +81 +Sound +82 +Using a webcam +83 +Scanning text and images +84 +Keyboard and mouse +84 +Other devices +85 +5 +Software Management +87 +Software management in Ubuntu +87 +Using Software Center +88 +Managing additional software +91 +Manual software installation +94 +Updates and upgrades +94 +6 +Advanced Topics +97 +Ubuntu for advanced users +97 +Introduction to the terminal +97 +Ubuntu file system structure +99 +Securing Ubuntu +100 +Why Ubuntu is safe +100 +Basic security concepts +101 +Users and groups +101 +System updates +104 +Firewall +104 +Encryption +105 +Running Windows Programs on Ubuntu +106 +7 +Troubleshooting +111 +Resolving problems +111 +Troubleshooting guide +111 +Getting more help +116 +8 +Learning More +117 +What else can I do with Ubuntu? +117 +Open source software +117 +Distribution families +117 +Choosing amongst Ubuntu and its derivatives +118 +Finding additional help and support +120 +The Ubuntu community +121 +Contributing +122 +A +License +123 +Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 3.0 Legal Code +123 +Creative Commons Notice +129 +Glossary +131 +Credits +135 +Index +137 +Prologue +Welcome +Welcome to Getting Started with Ubuntu, an introductory guide written to +help new users get started with Ubuntu. +Our goal is to cover the basics of Ubuntu (such as installation and work- +ing with the desktop) as well as hardware and software management, work- +ing with the command line, and security. We designed this guide to be +simple to follow, with step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots, +allowing you to discover the potential of your new Ubuntu system. +Canonical releases new versions of Ubuntu every six months; every +fourth release is a so-called long-term support (lts) version. Each Ubuntu +release has a version number that consists of the year and month number +of the release, and an alliterative code name using an adjective and an an- +imal. Code names are in consecutive alphabetic order, allowing a quick +determination of which release is newer. Ubuntu 16.04 (code-named Xenial +Xerus) is considered a so-called lts version and is supported by Canon- +ical with patches and upgrades for five years. The previous lts version +is Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr), and has support for five years (until April +2019). Whenever a new LTS version of Ubuntu is released, we will incorpo- +rate updates and changes into our guide, and make a new version available +at http://www.ubuntu-manual.org. +Getting Started with Ubuntu 16.04 is not intended to be a comprehensive +Ubuntu instruction manual. It is a quick-start guide that will get you do- +ing the things you need to do with your computer easily, without getting +bogged down with technical details. With the help of this guide, it should +not take long before new users get used to the Unity desktop environment. +Unity includes the Launcher, the Dash, the hud, indicators, and an on- +screen display notification system (osd). All these features will be explained +in this guide. +For more detailed information on any aspect of the Ubuntu desktop, see +the “Ubuntu Desktop Guide,” which can be obtained in any of the following +ways: +‣ in the Dash, type help. +‣ in the indicator area, click Session indicator ‣ Ubuntu Help. +‣ go to https://help.ubuntu.com, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS ‣ Desktop HTML. +There are also many excellent resources available on the Internet. For +example, on https://help.ubuntu.com you will find documentation on in- +stalling and using Ubuntu. At the Ubuntu Forums (http://ubuntuforums.org) +and Ask Ubuntu (http://askubuntu.com), you will find answers to many +Ubuntu-related questions. +You can find more information about Ubuntu’s +online and system documentation in Chapter 8: +Learning More. +If something isn’t covered in this manual, chances are you will find the +information you are looking for in one of those locations. We will try our +best to include links to more detailed help wherever we can. +Ubuntu Philosophy +The term “Ubuntu” is a traditional African concept originating from the +Bantu languages of southern Africa. It can be described as a way of con- +People sometimes wonder how to pronounce +Ubuntu. Each u is pronounced the same as in +the word put except for the last u which is +pronounced the same as in the word due. +6 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +necting with others—living in a global community where your actions +affect all of humanity. Ubuntu is more than just an operating system: it is +a community of people coming together voluntarily to collaborate on an +international software project that aims to deliver the best possible user +experience. +The Ubuntu Promise +‣ Ubuntu will always be free of charge, along with its regular enterprise +releases and security updates. +‣ Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hun- +dreds of companies from across the world. +‣ Ubuntu provides the best translations and accessibility features that the +free software community has to offer. +‣ Ubuntu’s core applications are all free and open source. We want you to +use free and open source software, improve it, and pass it on. +A brief history of Ubuntu +Ubuntu was conceived in 2004 by Mark Shuttleworth, a successful South +African entrepreneur, and his company Canonical. Shuttleworth recognized +To learn more about Canonical, go to http:// +www.canonical.com. +the power of Linux and open source, but was also aware of weaknesses that +prevented mainstream use. +Shuttleworth set out with clear intentions to address these weaknesses +and create a system that was easy to use, completely free (see Chapter 8: +Learning More for the complete definition of “free”), and could compete +with other mainstream operating systems. With the Debian system as a +base, Shuttleworth began to build Ubuntu. Using his own funds at first, +Debian is the Linux operating system that +Ubuntu is based upon. For more information +visit http://www.debian.org/. +installation cds were pressed and shipped worldwide at no cost to the +recipients. Ubuntu spread quickly, its community grew rapidly, and soon +Ubuntu became the most popular Linux distribution available. +With more people working on the project than ever before, its core +features and hardware support continue to improve, and Ubuntu has gained +the attention of large organizations worldwide. +While large organizations often find it useful to pay for support services, +For information on Ubuntu Server Edition, +and how you can use it in your company, visit +http://www.ubuntu.com/server. +Shuttleworth has promised that the Ubuntu desktop operating system +will always be free. Ubuntu is installed on an estimated 2% of the world’s +computers. This equates to tens of millions of users worldwide, and is +growing each year. As there is no compulsory registration, the percentage +of Ubuntu users should be treated as an estimate. +What is Linux? +Ubuntu is built on the foundation of Linux, which is a member of the Unix +family. Unix is one of the oldest types of operating systems, and together +with Linux has provided reliability and security for professional applica- +tions for almost half a century. Many servers around the world that store +data for popular websites (such as YouTube and Google) run some variant +of Linux or Unix. The popular Android system for smartphones is a Linux +variant; modern in-car computers usually run on Linux. Even OS X is based +on Unix. The Linux kernel is best described as the core—almost the brain +—of the Ubuntu operating system. +The Linux kernel is the controller of the operating system; it is responsi- +prologue +7 +ble for allocating memory and processor time. It can also be thought of as +the program which manages any and all applications on the computer itself. +While modern graphical desktop environments have generally replaced +early command line interfaces, the command line can still be a quick and +efficient way of performing many tasks. See Chapter 6: Advanced Topics +for more information, and Chapter 2: The Ubuntu Desktop to learn more +about gnome and other desktop environments. +Linux was designed from the ground up with security and hardware +compatibility in mind, and is currently one of the most popular Unix-based +operating systems. One of the benefits of Linux is that it is incredibly flex- +ible and can be configured to run on almost any device—from the smallest +micro-computers and cellphones to the largest super-computers. Unix was +entirely command line-based until graphical user interfaces (guis) emerged +in 1973 (in comparison, Apple came out with Mac os ten years later, and +Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in 1985). +The early guis were difficult to configure, clunky, and generally only +used by seasoned computer programmers. In the past decade, however, +graphical user interfaces have grown in usability, reliability, and appear- +ance. Ubuntu is one of many different Linux distributions. +To learn more about Linux distributions, see +Chapter 8: Learning More. +Is Ubuntu right for you? +New users to Ubuntu may find that it takes some time to feel comfortable +when trying a new operating system. You will no doubt notice many sim- +ilarities to both Microsoft Windows and OS X as well as some differences. +Users coming from OS X are more likely to notice similarities due to the fact +that both OS X and Ubuntu originated from Unix. The Unity shell, which +is the default in Ubuntu, is a completely new concept, which needs some +exploring to get used to it. See Chapter 2: The Ubuntu Desktop for more +information about the Unity shell. +Before you decide whether or not Ubuntu is right for you, we suggest +giving yourself some time to grow accustomed to the way things are done +in Ubuntu. You should expect to find that some things are different from +what you are used to. We also suggest taking the following into account: +Ubuntu is community based. That is, Ubuntu is developed, written, and +maintained by the community. Because of this, support is probably +not available at your local computer store. Fortunately, the Ubuntu +community is here to help. There are many articles, guides, and manuals +available, as well as users on various Internet forums and Internet Relay +Chat (irc) rooms that are willing to assist beginners. Additionally, near +the end of this guide, we include a troubleshooting chapter: Chapter 7: +Troubleshooting. +Many applications designed for Microsoft Windows or OS X will not run on +Ubuntu. For the vast majority of everyday computing tasks, you will +find suitable alternative applications available in Ubuntu. However, +many professional applications (such as the Adobe Creative Suite) are +not developed to work with Ubuntu. If you rely on commercial software +that is not compatible with Ubuntu, yet still want to give Ubuntu a try, +you may want to consider dual-booting. Alternatively, some applications +To learn more about dual-booting (running +Ubuntu side-by-side with another operating +system), see Chapter 1: Installation. +developed for Windows will work in Ubuntu with a program called +Wine. For more information on Wine, see Chapter 6: Advanced Topics. +Many commercial games will not run on Ubuntu. If you are a heavy gamer, +then Ubuntu may not be for you. Game developers usually design games +8 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +for the largest market. Since Ubuntu’s market share is not as substantial +as Microsoft’s Windows or Apple’s OS X, fewer game developers allocate +resources towards making their games compatible with Linux. If you just +See Chapter 5: Software Management to learn +more about Ubuntu Software. +enjoy a game every now and then, there are many high quality games +that can be easily installed through the Ubuntu Software application. +There are also a lot of games available at http://store.steampowered.com/ +browse/linux/. +Contact details +Many people have contributed their time to this project. If you notice any +errors or think we have left something out, feel free to contact us. We do +everything we can to make sure that this manual is up to date, informative, +and professional. Our contact details are as follows: +‣ Website: http://www.ubuntu-manual.org/ +‣ Reader feedback: feedback@ubuntu-manual.org +‣ irc: #ubuntu-manual on irc.freenode.net +‣ Bug Reports: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-manual/+filebug +‣ Mailing list: ubuntu-manual@lists.launchpad.net +About the team +Our project is an open-source, volunteer effort to create and maintain qual- +ity documentation for Ubuntu and its derivatives. +Want to help? +We are always looking for talented people to work with, and due to the size +of the project we are fortunate to be able to cater to a wide range of skill +sets: +‣ Authors and editors +‣ Programmers (Python or T +EX) +‣ User interface designers +‣ Icon and title page designers +‣ Event organizers and ideas people +‣ Testers +‣ Web designers and developers +‣ Translators and screenshotters +‣ Bug reporters and triagers +To find out how you can get started helping, please visit http://ubuntu- +manual.org/getinvolved. +Conventions used in this book +The following typographic conventions are used in this book: +‣ Button names, menu items, and other gui elements are set in boldfaced +type. +‣ Menu sequences are sometimes typeset as File ‣ Save As…, which means, +“Choose the File menu, then choose the Save As….” +‣ Monospaced type is used for text that you type into the computer, text +that the computer outputs (as in a terminal), and keyboard shortcuts. +1 +Installation +Getting Ubuntu +Before you can get started with Ubuntu, you will need to obtain a copy of +Many companies (such as Dell and System76) +sell computers with Ubuntu preinstalled. If +you already have Ubuntu installed on your +computer, feel free to skip to Chapter 2: The +Ubuntu Desktop. +the Ubuntu installation image for dvd or usb. Some options for doing this +are outlined below. +Minimum system requirements +If you are unsure whether it will work on your computer, the Live dvd is a +great way to test things out first. Below is a list of hardware specifications +that your computer should meet as a minimum requirement. +‣ 1 GHz x86 processor (Pentium 4 or better) +‣ 1 gb of system memory (ram) +‣ 8.6 gb of disk space (at least 15 gb is recommended) +‣ Video support capable of 1024×768 resolution +‣ Audio support (recommended, but not required) +‣ An Internet connection (highly recommended, but not required) +Downloading Ubuntu +The easiest and most common method for getting Ubuntu is to download +the Ubuntu dvd image directly from http://www.ubuntu.com/download. +Choose how you will install Ubuntu: +‣ Download and install +‣ Try it from a dvd or usb stick +Download and Install / Try it from a DVD or USB stick +For the Download and install, or Try it from a dvd or usb stick options, select +whether you require the 32-bit or 64-bit version (see the following section if +you are unsure), then click “Start download.” +32-bit versus 64-bit +Ubuntu and its derivatives are available in two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit. +This difference refers to the way computers process information. Comput- +32-bit and 64-bit are types of processor +architectures. Most new desktop computers +have a 64-bit capable processor. +ers capable of running 64-bit software are able to process more information +than computers running 32-bit software; however, 64-bit systems require +more memory in order to do this. Nevertheless, these computers gain per- +formance enhancements by running 64-bit software. +‣ If your computer has a 64-bit processor, install the 64-bit version. +‣ If your computer is older, a netbook, or you do not know the type of +processor in the computer, install the 32-bit version. +If your computer has a 64-bit processor, select the “64-bit” option before +you click “Start download.” +10 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Downloading Ubuntu as a torrent +When a new version of Ubuntu is released, the download servers can get +Torrents are a way of sharing files and informa- +tion around the Internet via peer-to-peer file +sharing. A file with the .torrent extension is +made available to users, which is then opened +with a compatible program such as uTorrent, +Deluge, or Transmission. These programs +download parts of the file from other people all +around the world. +“clogged” as large numbers of people try to download Ubuntu at the same +time. If you are familiar with using torrents, you can download the torrent +file by clicking “Alternative downloads,” and then “BitTorrent download.” +Downloading via torrent may improve your download speed, and will also +help to spread Ubuntu to other users worldwide. +Burning the DVD image +Once your download is complete, you will be left with a file called ubuntu- +While the 64-bit version of Ubuntu is referred +to as the “AMD64” version, it will work on Intel, +AMD, and other compatible 64-bit processors. +16.04-desktop-i386.iso or similar (i386 here in the filename refers to the 32-bit +version. If you downloaded the 64-bit version, the filename contains amd64 +instead). This file is a dvd image—a snapshot of the contents of a dvd— +which you will need to burn to a dvd. +Creating a bootable USB drive +If your pc is able to boot from a usb stick, you may prefer to use a usb +memory stick instead of burning a dvd. Scroll down on the download +webpage to the “Easy ways to switch to Ubuntu” section and you will find +a link to instructions on how to create a bootable usb stick in your current +operating system. If you select this option, your installation will be running +from the usb memory stick. In this case, references to Live dvd, will refer to +the usb memory stick. +Trying out Ubuntu +The Ubuntu dvd and usb stick function not only as installation media, but +also allow you to test Ubuntu without making any permanent changes to +your computer by running the entire operating system from the dvd or usb +stick. +Your computer reads information from a dvd at a much slower speed +In some cases, your computer will not recognize +that the Ubuntu DVD or USB is present as it +starts up and will start your existing operating +system instead. To run Ubuntu from the Live +DVD or USB, we want the computer to look +for information from the Live DVD or USB +first. Changing your boot priority is usually +handled by BIOS settings; this is beyond the +scope of this guide. If you need assistance with +changing the boot priority, see your computer +manufacturer’s documentation for more +information. +than it can read information off of a hard drive. Running Ubuntu from +the Live dvd also occupies a large portion of your computer’s memory, +which would usually be available for applications to access when Ubuntu is +running from your hard drive. The Live dvd/usb experience will therefore +feel slightly slower than it does when Ubuntu is actually installed on your +computer. Running Ubuntu from the dvd/usb is a great way to test things +out and allows you to try the default applications, browse the Internet, and +get a general feel for the operating system. It’s also useful for checking that +your computer hardware works properly in Ubuntu and that there are no +major compatibility issues. +To try out Ubuntu using the Live dvd/usb stick, insert the Ubuntu dvd +into your dvd drive, or connect the usb drive and restart your computer. +After your computer finds the Live dvd/usb stick, and a quick load- +ing screen, you will be presented with the “Welcome” screen. Using your +mouse, select your language from the list on the left, then click the button +labelled Try Ubuntu. Ubuntu will then start up, running directly from the +Live dvd/usb drive. +Once Ubuntu is up and running, you will see the default desktop. We +will talk more about how to actually use Ubuntu in Chapter 2: The Ubuntu +Desktop, but for now, feel free to test things out. Open some applications, +installation +11 +Figure 1.1: The “Welcome” screen allows you to +choose your language. +change settings and generally explore—any changes you make will not be +saved once you exit, so you don’t need to worry about accidentally breaking +anything. +When you are finished exploring, restart your computer by clicking +Alternatively, you can also use your mouse to +double-click the “Install Ubuntu 16.04” icon that +is visible on the desktop when using the Live +DVD. This will start the Ubuntu installer. +the “Power” button in the top right corner of your screen (a circle with +a line through the top) and then select Restart. Follow the prompts that +appear on screen, including removing the Live dvd and pressing Enter +when instructed, and then your computer will restart. As long as the Live +dvd is no longer in the drive, your computer will return to its original state +as though nothing ever happened! +Installing Ubuntu—Getting started +At least 8.6 gb of free space on your hard drive is required in order to install +Clicking on the underlined “release notes” link +will open a web page containing any important +information regarding the current version of +Ubuntu. +Ubuntu. We recommend 15 gb or more. This will ensure that you will +have plenty of room to install extra applications later on, as well as store +your own documents, music, and photos. To get started, place the Ubuntu +dvd in your dvd drive and restart your computer. Your computer should +load Ubuntu from the dvd. When you first start from the dvd, you will +be presented with a screen asking you whether you want to first try out +Ubuntu or install it. Select the language you want to view the installer +in and click on the Install Ubuntu button. This will start the installation +process. +If you have an Internet connection, the installer will ask you if you +would like to “Download updates while installing Ubuntu.” We recommend +you do so. The second option, “Install third-party software for graphics +and Wi-Fi hardware, Flash, MP3, and other media” includes the Fluendo +mp3 codec, and software required for some wireless hardware. If you are +not connected to the Internet, the installer will help you set up a wireless +connection. +The “Preparing to install Ubuntu” screen will also let you know if you +have enough disk space and if you are connected to a power source (in case +you are installing Ubuntu on a laptop running on battery). Once you have +selected your choices, click Continue. +12 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Figure 1.2: Preparing to install. +Internet connection +If you are not connected to the Internet, the installer will ask you to choose +a wireless network (if available). +We recommend that you connect to the +Internet during install, although updates and +third-party software can be installed after +installation completes. +1. Select Connect to this network, and then select your network from the +list. +2. If the list does not appear immediately, wait until a triangle/arrow ap- +pears next to the network adapter, and then click the arrow to see the +available networks. +3. In the Password field, enter the network wep or wpa key (if necessary). +4. Click Connect to continue. +Figure 1.3: Set up wireless. +Allocate drive space +The Ubuntu installer will automatically detect any existing operating sys- +If you are installing on a new machine with no +operating system, you will not get the first +option. The upgrade option is only available if +you are upgrading from a previous version of +Ubuntu. +tem installed on your machine, and present installation options suitable for +your system. The options listed below depend on your specific system and +may not all be available: +‣ Install alongside other operating systems +‣ Upgrade Ubuntu … to 16.04 +installation +13 +‣ Erase … and install Ubuntu +‣ Something else +Install alongside other operating systems. +For more complicated dual-booting setups, you will need to configure the parti- +tions manually. +Figure 1.4: Choose where you would like to +install Ubuntu. +Upgrade Ubuntu … to 16.04 +This option will keep all of your documents, music, pictures, and other +personal files. Installed software will be kept when possible (not all of your +currently installed software may be supported on the new version). System- +wide settings will be cleared. +Erase disk and install Ubuntu +Use this option if you want to erase your entire disk. This will delete any +existing operating systems that are installed on that disk, such as Microsoft +Windows, and install Ubuntu in its place. This option is also useful if you +have an empty hard drive, as Ubuntu will automatically create the neces- +sary partitions for you. +Formatting a partition will destroy any data currently on the partition. +Be sure to back up any data you want to save before formatting. More +information and detailed instructions on partitioning are available at: +https://help.ubuntu.com/community/HowtoPartition. +After you have chosen the installation type, click Continue, or Install +Now. +Confirm Partition choices and start install +If you chose Something else, configure the partitions as you need. Once +you are happy with the way the partitions are going to be set up, click the +Install Now button at the bottom right to move on. +To reduce the time required for installation, Ubuntu will continue the +installation process in the background while you configure important user +14 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +details—like your username, password, keyboard settings and default time- +zone. +Where are you? +Figure 1.5: Tell Ubuntu your location. +The next screen will display a world map. Using your mouse, click your +geographic location on the map to tell Ubuntu where you are. Alternatively, +you can type your location in the field below the map. This allows Ubuntu +to configure your system clock and other location-based features. Click +Continue when you are ready to move on. +Keyboard layout +Figure 1.6: Verify that your keyboard layout is +correct. +Next, you need to tell Ubuntu what kind of keyboard you are using. +In most cases, you will find the suggested option satisfactory. If you are +unsure which keyboard option to select, you can click the Detect Keyboard +Layout button to have Ubuntu determine the correct choice by asking you +to press a series of keys. You can also manually choose your keyboard +layout from the list of options. If you like, enter text into the box at the +bottom of the window to ensure you are happy with your selection, then +click Continue. +installation +15 +Who are you? +Ubuntu needs to know some information about you so it can set up the +primary user account on your computer. When configured, your name will +appear on the login screen as well as the user menu, which we discuss in +Chapter 2: The Ubuntu Desktop. +On this screen you will need to tell Ubuntu: +‣ your name +‣ what you want to call your computer +‣ your desired username +‣ your desired password +‣ how you want Ubuntu to log you in +Figure 1.7: Setup your user account. +Enter your full name under Your name. The next text field is the name +your computer uses, for terminals and networks. You can change this to +what you want, or keep the predetermined name. Next is your username, +the name that is used for the user menu, your home folder, and behind the +scenes. You will see this is automatically filled in for you with your first +name. Most people find it easiest to stick with this. However, it can be +changed if you prefer. +Next, choose a password and enter it into both password fields. When +both passwords match, a strength rating will appear to the right that will +show you whether your password is “short,” “weak,” “fair,” or “good.” You +will be able to continue the installation process regardless of your password +strength, but for security reasons it is best to choose a strong one. This is +best achieved by having a password that is at least nine characters long, +with a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers +and symbols. Avoid words that can be found in a dictionary and obvious +passwords such as your birth date, spouse’s name, or the name of your pet. +Login Options +Finally, at the bottom of this screen you have two options regarding how +you wish to log in to Ubuntu. You may also choose to have Ubuntu encrypt +your home folder. +‣ Log in automatically +‣ Require my password to log in +– Encrypt my home folder +16 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Log in automatically +Ubuntu will log in to your primary account automatically when you start +up the computer so you won’t have to enter your username and password. +This makes your login experience quicker and more convenient, but if +privacy or security are important to you, we don’t recommend this option. +Anyone who can physically access your computer will be able to turn it on +and also access your files. +Require my password to login +This option is selected by default, as it will prevent unauthorized people +from accessing your computer without knowing the password you cre- +ated earlier. This is a good option for those who, for example, share their +computer with other family members. Once the installation process has +been completed, an additional login account can be created for each family +member. Each person will then have their own login name and password, +account preferences, Internet bookmarks, and personal storage space. +Encrypt my home folder +This option provides you with an added layer of security. Your home folder +is where your personal files are stored. By selecting this option, Ubuntu +will automatically enable encryption on your home folder, meaning that +files and folders must be decrypted using your password before they can +be accessed. Therefore if someone had physical access to your hard drive +(for example, if your computer was stolen and the hard drive removed), they +would not be able to see your files without knowing your password. +If you choose this option, be careful not to enable automatic login at a later date. +It will cause complications with your encrypted home folder, and will potentially +lock you out of important files. +Finishing Installation +Ubuntu will now finish installing on your hard drive. As the installation +progresses, a slideshow will give you an introduction to some of the default +applications included with Ubuntu. These applications are covered in more +detail in Chapter 3: Working with Ubuntu. The slideshow will also highlight +the Ubuntu support options. +After approximately twenty minutes, the installation will complete and +you will be able to click Restart Now to restart your computer and start +Ubuntu. The dvd will be ejected, so remove it from your dvd drive and +press Enter to continue. +Wait while your computer restarts, and you will then see the login win- +dow (unless you selected automatic login). +Login Screen +After the installation has finished and your computer is restarted, you will +be greeted by the login screen of Ubuntu. The login screen will present you +with your username and you will have to enter the password to get past it. +Click your username and enter your password. Once done, you may click +the arrow or press Enter to get into the Ubuntu desktop. Ubuntu’s login +installation +17 +Figure 1.8: Ubuntu community support options. +Where to get help for Ubuntu. +Figure 1.9: You are now ready to restart your +computer. +screen supports multiple users and also supports custom backgrounds for +each user. In fact, Ubuntu automatically will pick up your current desktop +wallpaper and set it as your login background. +The login screen allows you to update your keyboard language, volume +intensity and enable/disable accessibility settings before you log in to your +desktop. It also displays date/time and battery power for laptops. You can +also shut down or restart your system from the login screen. +Figure 1.10: Login Screen. +2 +The Ubuntu Desktop +Understanding the Ubuntu desktop +Initially, you may notice many similarities between Ubuntu and other op- +erating systems, such as Microsoft Windows or Apple OS X. This is because +they are all based on the concept of a graphical user interface (gui)—i.e., +you use your mouse to navigate the desktop, open applications, move files, +and perform most other tasks. In short, things are visually oriented. This +chapter is designed to help you become familiar with various applications +and menus in Ubuntu so that you become confident in using the Ubuntu +gui. +Figure 2.1: The Ubuntu 16.04 default desktop. +Unity +All gui-based operating systems use a desktop environment. Desktop envi- +ronments contain many features, including (but not limited to): +‣ The look and feel of the system +‣ The organization of the desktop +‣ How the user navigates the desktop +Ubuntu uses Unity as the default desktop environment. The Unity desk- +To read more about other variants of Ubuntu, +refer to Chapter 8: Learning More. +top is comprised of the desktop background and two bars—a horizontal +one located at the top of your desktop called the menu bar and a vertically +oriented bar at the far left called the Launcher. +20 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +The desktop background +Below the menu bar at the top of the screen is an image covering the entire +desktop. This is the default desktop background, or wallpaper, belonging to +the default Ubuntu 16.04 theme known as Ambiance. To learn more about +customizing your desktop (including changing your desktop background), +see the section on Customizing your desktop below. +The menu bar +The menu bar incorporates common functions used in Ubuntu. The icons on +the far right of the menu bar are located in an area of the menu bar called +the indicator area, or notification area. Each installation of Ubuntu may +contain slightly different types and quantities of icons based on a number of +factors, including the type of hardware and available on-board peripherals +upon which the Ubuntu installation is based. Some programs add an icon +to the indicator area automatically during installation. The most common +indicators are: +For more about: +‣ +the Messaging indicator see Using instant +messaging on page 59; +‣ +the Network indicator see Getting online on +page 39; +‣ +the Session indicator see Session options on +page 33. +Network indicator ( +or +) manages network connections, allowing you to +connect quickly and easily to a wired or wireless network. +Text entry settings ( +) shows the current keyboard layout (such as En, Fr, +Ku, and so on) and, if more than one keyboard layout is chosen, allows +you to select a keyboard layout. The keyboard indicator menu contains +the following menu items: Character Map, Keyboard Layout Chart, and +Text Entry Settings. +Messaging indicator ( +) incorporates your social applications. From here, +among others, you can access instant messenger and email clients. +Sound indicator ( +) provides an easy way to adjust the sound volume as +well as access your music player and sound settings. +Clock displays the current time and provides a link to your calendar and +time and date settings. +Session indicator ( +) is a link to the system settings, Ubuntu Help, and +session options (like locking your computer, user/guest session, logging +out of a session, restarting the computer, or shutting down completely). +Figure 2.2: The indicators of the menu bar. +Every application has a menuing system where different actions can be +executed in an application (like File, Edit, View, etc.); the menuing system +for an application is appropriately called the application menu. It is located +Note that some older applications may still +display their menu within the application +window. +in the left area of the menu bar. By default in Unity, the application menu +isn’t on the title bar of the application as is commonly the case in other gui +environments. +Figure 2.3: To show an application’s menu, just +move your mouse to the desktop’s menu bar (at +the top of the screen). +To show an application’s menu, just move your mouse to the desktop’s +menu bar (at the top of the screen). While your mouse is positioned here, +the active application’s menu options will appear in the desktop’s menu bar, +allowing you to use the application’s menuing options. When clicking on +the desktop, the desktop’s menu bar reappears. This capability in Unity to +display the application’s menu only when needed is especially beneficial +for netbook and laptop users with limited viewable screen space. You can +disable this feature via Session Indicator ‣ System Settings ‣ Appearance. +In the Behavior tab, under Show the menus for a window, select In the +window’s title bar. +the ubuntu desktop +21 +The Launcher +The vertical bar of icons on the left side of the desktop is called the Launcher. +The Launcher provides easy access to applications, mounted devices, and +the Trash. All running applications on your system will place an icon in the +Launcher while the application is running. To change the Launcher icon +size, go to Session Indicator ‣ System Settings ‣ Appearance, tab Look. +Figure 2.4: The Ubuntu Launcher on the left +with a sample of applications on it. +The first icon at the top of the Launcher is the Dash, a component of +Unity. We will explore the Dash in a later section of this chapter. By default, +other applications appear in the Launcher, including the Files file manager, +LibreOffice, Firefox, any mounted devices, and the Trash, which contains +deleted folders and files, at the bottom of the Launcher. +Holding the Super key, also known as the Windows key (Win key), +located between the left Ctrl key and Alt key, will cause Ubuntu to super- +impose a number onto the first ten applications in the Launcher and also +display a screen full of useful shortcuts. You can launch an application with +a number n on it by typing Super+n. +If you open more applications than can be shown in the Launcher, the +Launcher will “fold” the application icons at the bottom of the Launcher. +Simply move your mouse to the bottom of the Launcher, and you’ll see +the Launcher icons “slide” and the folded application icons unfold for easy +access. +Running applications +To run an application from the Launcher (or cause an already-running +application to appear), just click on the application’s icon. +Applications that are currently running will have one or more triangles +on the left side of the icon indicating the number of application windows +open for this application. Running applications also have a back-lit icon on +the Launcher. +Some also refer to an application in the +foreground as being in focus. +Figure 2.5: The triangles on each side of the +Firefox icon indicate Firefox is in the foreground +and only one window is associated with Firefox +at this time. +The application in the foreground (i.e., the application that is on top of all +other open application windows) is indicated by a single white triangle on +the right side of its icon. +You can also run an application through the Dash which will be explored +in the upcoming The Dash section. +Adding and removing applications from the Launcher +There are two ways to add an application to the Launcher: +‣ Open the Dash, find the application you wish to add to the Launcher, and +drag its icon to the Launcher. +‣ Run the application you want to add to the Launcher, right-click on the +application’s icon on the Launcher, and select Lock to Launcher. +To remove an application from the Launcher, right-click on the applica- +tion’s icon, then select Unlock from Launcher. +The Dash +The Dash helps you quickly find applications and files on your computer. +For more information about the Dash and its +lenses, see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Unity. +If you’ve used Windows in the past, you’ll find the Dash to be similar to +the Windows Start menu or the Start Screen in Windows 8. OS X users will +find the Dash similar to Launchpad in the dock. If you’ve used a previous +22 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +version of Ubuntu or another gnome Linux distribution, the Dash serves +as a replacement for the various gnome 2 menus. The Dash allows you +to search for information both locally (installed applications, recent files, +bookmarks, etc.) and remotely (Twitter, Google Docs, etc.). +Figure 2.6: The Dash. +To explore the Dash, click on the topmost icon on the Launcher; the icon +contains the Ubuntu logo on it. After clicking the Dash icon, the desktop +will be overlaid by a translucent window with a search bar on top as well as +a grouping of recently accessed applications, files, and downloads. Ubuntu +also includes results from popular web services. The search bar provides +dynamic results as you enter your search terms. +Lenses +Lenses act as specialized search categories in the Dash: searching is accom- +plished by utilizing one or more lenses, also known as scopes, and each lens +is responsible for providing a category of search results through the Dash. +The six lenses installed by default at the bottom are: Home lens ( +), +Applications lens ( +), Files and Folders lens ( +), Videos lens ( +), Music +lens ( +), and Photos lens ( +). +Search for files and applications with the Dash +The Dash is an extremely powerful tool allowing you to search your com- +puter for applications and files. +Find files/folders +The Dash can help you find names of files or folders. Simply type a portion +of the file or folder name. As you type, results will appear in the Dash. The +Files and Folders lens will also assist in finding files or folders—showing +you the most recently accessed files as well as the most recent downloads. +You can use the filter results button in the top-right corner of the Dash to +the ubuntu desktop +23 +filter results by attributes such as file or folder modification times, file type +(.odt, .pdf, .doc, .txt, etc.), or size. +Find applications +A standard Ubuntu installation comes with many applications. Users can +additionally download thousands of applications from the Ubuntu Software +application. As you collect an arsenal of awesome applications (and get +The Ubuntu Software application and software +management will be discussed in detail at +Chapter 5: Software Management. +a bonus point for alliteration!), it may become difficult to remember the +name of a particular application; the Applications lens on the Dash can +assist with this search. This lens will automatically categorize installed +applications under “Recently used,” “Installed,” or “Dash plugins.” You can +If you are new to the world of Ubuntu, be sure +to read Chapter 3: Working with Ubuntu. It +will provide you with assistance in choosing +application(s) to suit your needs. +also enter the name of an application (or a part of it) into the search bar in +the Dash, and the names of applications matching your search criteria will +appear. Even if you don’t remember the name of the application at all, type +a keyword that is relevant to that application, and the Dash will find it. For +example, type music, and the Dash will show you the default music player +and any music player you’ve used. +Figure 2.7: You can see the default results when +you press the Applications lens. +External search results +In addition to searching your local computer for applications and files, the +Dash can also search various online resources (e.g., Amazon.com). Results +pertinent to your search criteria are returned to you in the Dash. The online +search results within the Dash are turned off by default during installation. +If you want external search results, go to System Settings ‣ Security & +Privacy ‣ Search and set the “Include online search results” switch to the On +position. +24 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Workspaces +Workspaces are also known as virtual desktops. These separate views of +your desktop allow you to group applications together, and by doing so, +help to reduce clutter and improve desktop navigation. For example, you +can open all of your media applications in one workspace, your office suite +in another, and your web browser in a third workspace. Ubuntu has four +workspaces by default. +The workspaces feature is not activated by default in Ubuntu. To activate +workspaces, click on Session Indicator ‣ System Settings ‣ Appearance then +click on the Behavior tab and click on the Enable workspaces box. When +this box is checked, you’ll notice that another icon is added to the bottom of +the Launcher that looks like a window pane. This is the workspace switcher. +Switching between workspaces +Figure 2.8: The workspace switcher on the +Launcher. +If you’ve activated the workspace switcher as described above, you can +switch between workspaces by clicking on the workspace switcher icon +located on the Launcher. This utility allows you to toggle through the +workspaces (whether they contain open applications or not) and choose the +one you want to use. You can also launch the workspace switcher by typing +Super+s and choose a workspace by using the keyboard arrows followed by +RET (the Return / Enter key). +Managing windows +When opening a program in Ubuntu (such as a web browser or a text editor +—see Chapter 3: Working with Ubuntu for more information on using appli- +cations)—a window will appear on your desktop. Simply stated, a window is +the box that appears on your screen when you start a program. In Ubuntu, +the top part of a window (the title bar) will have the name of the applica- +tion to the left (most often, the title will be the same as the application’s +name). A window will also have three buttons in the top-left corner. From +left to right, these buttons represent close window, minimize window, and +maximize window. Other window management options are available by +right-clicking anywhere on the title bar. +Closing, maximizing, restoring, and minimizing windows +To close a window, click on the close button ( ) in the upper-left corner of +the window—the first button on the left-hand side. +Figure 2.9: This is the top bar of a window, +named title bar. The close, minimize, and +maximize buttons are in the top-left corner of +the window. +The button immediately to the right of the close button is the minimize +button ( ), which hides the window from view and minimizes it to the +Launcher. When an application is minimized to the Launcher, the left-side +of the icon in the Launcher will display an additional triangle. Clicking the +icon of the minimized application will restore the window to its original +position. +Finally, the right-most button is the maximize button ( +) which causes +the application to completely fill the desktop space. If a window is maxi- +mized, its top-left buttons and menu are automatically hidden from view. +To make them appear, just move your mouse to the menu bar. Clicking the +maximize button again will return the window to its original size. +the ubuntu desktop +25 +Moving and resizing windows +To move a window around the workspace, place the mouse pointer over the +window’s title bar, then click and drag the window while continuing to hold +down the left mouse button. You can also move a window by holding the +Alt key and then clicking and holding the left mouse button while pointing +anywhere in the window and dragging the window to a new location. To +resize a window, place the pointer on an edge or corner of the window so +that the pointer turns into a larger, two-sided arrow (known as the resize +icon). You can then click and drag to resize the window. +Switching between open windows +In Ubuntu, there are many ways to switch between open windows: +‣ If the window is visible on your screen, click any portion of it to raise it +above all other windows. +‣ Use Alt+Tab to select the window you wish to work with. Hold down +the Alt key, and keep pressing Tab until the window you’re looking +for appears highlighted in the pop-up window. Then, release the Alt +key, and the application highlighted in the pop-up will move to the +foreground of your desktop. +‣ Click on the corresponding icon on the Launcher by moving your mouse +to the left side of the screen and right-clicking on the application’s icon. +If the application has multiple windows open, double-click on the icon in +order to select the desired window. +Press Ctrl+Super+D to hide all windows and display the desktop; the same +works to restore all windows. +Moving a window to a different workspace +To move a window to a different workspace, verify that the window isn’t +maximized. If it is maximized, click on the right-most button on the left +side of the title bar to restore it to its original size. Then right-click on the +window’s title bar and select: +You can also use Shift+Control+Alt in +combination with the arrow keys to move a +window to a different workspace. +‣ Move to Workspace Left, to move the window to the left workspace +‣ Move to Workspace Right, to move the window to the right workspace +‣ Move to Workspace Down, to move the window to the bottom workspace +‣ Move to Another Workspace, and then choose the workspace to where +you wish to move the window. +Note that the options available when moving windows to different +workspaces depends on which workspace contains the window you are +moving. If the window exists in the lower-right workspace, you will not see +a Move to Workspace Down because there is no workspace available below +the lower-right quadrant of a four quadrant workspace. +Window always on the top or on visible workspace +At times, you may want to force a window to always be in the foreground +so that it can be seen or monitored while you work with other applications. +For example, you may want to browse the web and, at the same time, view +and answer an incoming instant message. To keep a window always in +the foreground, right-click on the window’s title bar, then select Always +On Top. This window will now be on the top of all windows opened in +26 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +the current workspace. If you want to have a window always on the top +regardless of the workspace, right-click on the window’s title bar, then +select Always on Visible Workspace. This window will now be on top of all +other windows across all workspaces. +Unity’s keyboard shortcuts +When you long-press the Super key (also known as the Win key) for a few +seconds, Unity will display a list of useful keyboard shortcuts, some of +which have been mentioned above. +Figure 2.10: Common keyboard shortcuts as +displayed by Unity. +Browsing files on your computer +There are two ways to locate files on your computer—search for them or +access them directly from their directory. You can search for a file using +the Dash or the Files file manager. You can also use the Dash or Files file +manager to access commonly used directories (such as Documents, Music, +Downloads) as well as the most recently accessed files. +Your home directory +The home directory is used to store all of your personal files (rather than +The terms “directory” and “folder” are often +used interchangeably. +system files, such as applications). +In Ubuntu, by default, the contents of your home directory are acces- +sible for and can be read by other users who have an account on your +PC. +The name of your home directory matches your login name and is cre- +ated when your user account is created. When opening your personal +directory, you will see a collection of several directories, including Desk- +top (which contains any files that are visible on the desktop), Documents, +Downloads, Music, Pictures, Public, Templates, and Videos. These directo- +ries are created automatically during the installation process. You can add +more files and directories as needed. +the ubuntu desktop +27 +Files file manager +Just as Microsoft Windows has Windows Explorer and OS X has Finder to +browse files and directories, Ubuntu uses the Files file manager by default. +The Files file manager window +When you select the Files shortcut in the Launcher, click on a directory in +the Dash, or double-click a directory on the desktop, Ubuntu will open the +Files file manager. The default window contains the following features: +Figure 2.11: Files file manager displaying your +home directory. +menu bar The menu bar is located at the top of the screen. The Files menu +allows you to modify the layout of the browser, show, browse and re- +move bookmarks, open a Help document, open a new window, connect +to a server, or quit. Choosing Enter Location will open the Locations +text field where you can enter any location directly. +title bar The title bar shows the name of the currently selected directory. It +also contains the Close, Minimize, and Maximize buttons. +toolbar The toolbar displays your directory browsing history (using two +arrow buttons), your location in the file system, a search button, and +options for your current directory view. +Figure 2.12: The toolbar of the Files application +while browsing the directory /var/log/apt/, with +the Search functionality activated. +- On the upper left corner of the toolbar, there are two arrow icons. +These are similar to the “Back” and “Forward” history functionality in +web browsers. The Files application keeps track of where you are and +allows you to backtrack if necessary. As such, the buttons Previous +visited location and Next visited location allow you to navigate +through your directory browsing history. +- In the middle of the toolbar, you will see a representation of your +current directory location. +28 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +- Clicking on the Search icon opens a text field so you can search for a +file or directory by name. +- Clicking on the View items as a grid icon (the default setting) enables +you to see the files and directories as icons. In this view, previews of +photos and text files are also displayed. +- Clicking on the View items as a list icon allows you to see a list +of files and directories, along with their size, type, and date of last +modification. You may customize what information is displayed by +right-clicking on either Name, Size, Type, or Modified. This action +will display a checklist of available options. +left pane The left pane of the file browser has shortcuts to commonly used +directories. You can also bookmark a directory through the menu bar +by choosing Bookmarks ‣ Bookmark this Location. Once you have +bookmarked the directory, it should appear in the left pane. Regardless +of the directory you are currently browsing, the left pane will always +contain the same directories. +right pane The largest pane shows the files and directories within the +directory you are currently browsing. +To navigate to a directory in Files, click (or double-click) on its icon in +the right pane, the left pane, or the toolbar. +Opening files +A file, in its simplest form, is data. Data can represent a text document, +database information, or other media such as music or videos. To open a +file, you can double-click on its icon. Ubuntu will try to find an appropriate +application with which to open the selected file. In some cases, you may +wish to open the file with a different application than the one Ubuntu se- +lected. To select an application, right-click the icon and select one of the +Open With options. +Creating new directories +To create a new directory from within the Files file manager, right-click +in the blank area of the right pane and select New Folder from the pop- +up menu (this action will also work on the desktop). Replace the default +“Untitled Folder” title with your desired label (e.g., “Personal Finances”). +You can also create a new directory by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N. +Hidden files and directories +If you wish to hide certain directories or files, place a dot (.) in front of the +name (e.g., “.Personal Finances”). In some cases, it is impossible to hide files +and directories without prefixing them with a dot. +You can easily view hidden files by clicking View ‣ Show Hidden Files or +by pressing Ctrl+H. Hiding files with a dot (.) is not a security measure—it is +simply a way to help you organize your files. +Copying and moving files and directories +You can cut, copy, and paste files or directories in the Files file manager by +right-clicking on the item and selecting the corresponding button from the +pop-up menu. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and +Ctrl+V to cut, copy, and paste files and directories, respectively. +the ubuntu desktop +29 +Multiple files can be selected by left-clicking in an empty space (i.e., +not on a file or directory), holding the mouse button down, and dragging +the cursor across the desired files or directories. This “click-drag” action is +useful when you are selecting items that are grouped closely together. To +select multiple files or directories that are not positioned next to each other, +hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on each item individually. Once +the desired files and/or directories are selected, right-click on any of the +selected items to perform an action just like you would for a single item. +When one or more items have been “copied,” navigate to the desired +location, then right-click in an empty area of the window and select Paste +to copy them to the new location. While the copy command can be used to +make a duplicate of a file or directory in a new location, the cut command +can be used to move files and directories. That is, a copy will be placed in a +new location, and the original will be removed from its current location. +Note that when you “cut” or “copy” a file or directory, nothing will +happen until you “paste” it somewhere. Paste will only affect the most +recent item(s) cut or copied. +To move a file or directory, select the item to move, then click Edit ‣ Cut. +Navigate to the desired location, then click Edit ‣ Paste. If you click on a +file or directory, drag it, then hold down the Alt key and drop it to your +destination directory, a menu will appear asking whether you want to copy, +move, or link the item. +As with the copy command above, you can also perform this action using +the right-click menu, and it will work for multiple files or directories at +once. An alternative way to move a file or directory is to click on the item, +and then drag it to the new location. +Using multiple tabs and multiple Files windows +Opening multiple Files file manager windows can be useful for dragging +files and directories between locations. You can also have multiple tabs to +browse multiple locations at once. +To open a second window when browsing a directory in Files, select +File ‣ New Window or press Ctrl+N. This will open a new window, allowing +you to drag files and/or directories between two locations. To open a new +tab, click File ‣ New Tab or press Ctrl+T. A new row will appear above the +space used for browsing your files containing two tabs—both will display +the directory you were originally browsing. You can click these tabs to +switch between them and click and drag files or directories between tabs +the same as you would between windows. +When dragging items between Files windows or tabs, a small symbol +will appear over the mouse cursor to let you know which action will be +performed when you release the mouse button. A plus sign (+) indicates +you are about to copy the item, whereas a small arrow means the item will +be moved. The default action will depend on the directories you are using. +Searching for files and folders on your computer +You can search for files and folders using the Dash or the Files file manager. +Search for files and folders quickly by pressing +Ctrl+F in Files and then typing what you want +to find. +Search using the Dash +In the Dash, simply type your search terms in the search bar at the top of +the Dash. +30 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Alternatively, you may use the Applications or Files & Folders lenses; +here you can use a filter to narrow down your search. Open the drop-down +menu on the right side of the search bar. If you’ve selected Applications, +you will be able to filter by application type. If you’ve chosen Files & Fold- +ers, you can filter by a host of options, including Last modified, Type (e.g., +Documents), or Size. It is sufficient to type the first few letters of the file or +folder for which you are searching. +Search using Files file manager +In Files file manager, click on the magnifying glass button or press Ctrl+F. +This opens the search field where you can type the name of the file or folder +you want to find. +Customizing your desktop +Figure 2.13: You can change most of your +system’s settings here. +Most customizations can be reached via the Session Indicator and then +selecting System Settings to open the System Settings application window. +The Dash, desktop appearance, themes, wallpapers, accessibility, and other +configuration settings are available here. For more information see Session +options. +Appearance +The Look tab +In the Look tab you can change the background, window theme, and +Launcher icon size to further modify the look and feel of your desktop. +To begin, open Appearance by either right-clicking on your background +and selecting Change Desktop Background or selecting Session Indicator ‣ +System Settings… ‣ Appearance. Select the Look tab. +Theme +The “Appearance” window will display the current selected back- +ground wallpaper and theme. Themes control the appearance of your win- +dows, buttons, scroll bars, panels, icons, and other parts of the desktop. The +Ambiance theme is used by default, but there are other themes from which +the ubuntu desktop +31 +Figure 2.14: You can change the theme in the +Look tab of the “Appearance” window. +you can choose. Just click once on any of the listed themes to give a new +theme a try. The theme will change your desktop appearance immediately. +Desktop background +To change the Background, either select Wallpapers, +Pictures Folder, or Colors and Gradients from the drop-down list. When +Wallpapers is selected, you will see Ubuntu’s default selection of back- +grounds. To change the background, simply click the picture you would like +to use. You’re not limited to this selection. To use one of your own pictures, +click the + button and navigate to the image you would like to use. Then +click the Open button, and the change will take effect immediately. This +image will then be added to your list of available backgrounds. Selecting +Pictures Folder opens your Pictures folder where you can choose a picture +for the background. The Colors and Gradients button allows you to set +the background to a solid or gradient color. Click on the Solid Color but- +ton, then the Pick a Color to choose a solid color. The Vertical Gradient +and Horizontal Gradient buttons bring up two Pick a Color buttons. Just +choose any two colors you like and see if you have achieved the desired +result. +Launcher icon size +At the bottom of the Look tab you find a slider to +change the size of icons on the Launcher. You may choose from a range +between 32 and 64 pixels. +The Behavior tab +In the behavior tab you find several options to change the behavior of your +desktop. +Auto-hide the Launcher +Switch the Auto-hide the Launcher to either show +the Launcher or reveal it when moving the pointer to the defined hot spot. +When turned on, you can choose the reveal location—Left side or Top left +corner—and the reveal sensitivity. +Enable workspaces +By default, workspaces are not enabled. You can enable +workspaces by checking this option. +32 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Add show desktop icon to the launcher +Check this option if you want to +show the desktop icon on the Launcher. +Show the menus for a window +Here you can choose if you want menus to +show in the menu bar or in the window’s title bar. +Menus visibility +You can change the visibility of your application menus +between two options. The first is Displayed on mouse hovering, which +will show application menus when the mouse hovers over the application +window. The second option is Always displayed, which allows application +menus to always be displayed when possible. +You can restore the behavior settings by clicking the Restore Behavior +Settings button. +Accessibility +Ubuntu has built-in tools that make using the computer easier for people +with disabilities. You can find these tools by opening the Dash and search- +ing for “Universal Access,” or by selecting Session Indicator ‣ System Set- +tings… ‣ Universal Access. Use the Seeing tab to manage the text size, the +contrast of the interfaces, enable a zoom tool, a virtual keyboard, a screen +reader, and so on. Selecting high-contrast themes and larger on-screen fonts +can assist those with vision difficulties. You can activate “Visual Alerts” +through the Hearing tab if you have hearing impairment. You can also +adjust keyboard and mouse settings to suit your needs through the Typ- +ing and Pointing and Clicking tabs, respectively. The Profiles tab will +allow you to enable the Accessibility Profiles Indicator with which you may +switch between the following profiles: Minor Motor Difficulties, Screen +reader with speech, High Contrast, Braille, and On-screen Keyboard. +Figure 2.15: Universal Access allows you to +enable extra features to make it easier to use +your computer. +Once you have finished toggling the settings to your needs, you may +need to log out of the computer and log back in for the changes to take +effect. +Screen reader (Orca) +Orca is a useful tool for people who have difficulties with their vision. It +comes preinstalled with Ubuntu and provides the “Screen Reader” function- +ality in Universal Access. +the ubuntu desktop +33 +The screen reader can be activated by using one of the following meth- +ods: +‣ Using the keyboard shortcut ALT-Super-s (in that order), or +‣ Using Session Indicator ‣ System Settings… ‣ Universal Access ‣ Screen +Reader ‣ ON/OFF, or +‣ Clicking on Dash and launching Orca. +Session options +When you have finished working on your computer, you can choose to log +out, suspend, restart, or shut down through the Session Indicator on the far +right side of the top panel. +Logging out +Logging out will leave the computer running but return the desktop to +the login screen. This is useful for switching between users, such as when +a different person wishes to log in to their account or if you are ever in- +structed to “log out and back in again.” You can also log out by pressing +Ctrl+Alt+Del. Before logging out, always verify that you have saved your +work in any open application. +Suspending +To save energy, you can put your computer into suspend mode which will +save the current opened applications to internal memory (RAM), power +off most of the internal devices and hardware, and allow you to start back +up more quickly. Unlike hibernation (which is not officially supported or +enabled in Ubuntu/Unity since 14.04 but can be enabled through other +means), while in a suspended state the computer will continue operating +using minimal electricity. Note that if the power goes out during this state, +unsaved changes will be lost and data loss may also occur. To put your +computer in suspend mode, select Suspend from the “Session Indicator”. +Rebooting +To reboot your computer, select Shut Down… from the “Session Indicator,” +then click the Restart icon. +Shutting down +To totally power down your computer, select Shut Down… from the “Ses- +sion Indicator,” then click the Shut Down icon. +Other options +From the “Session Indicator”, select Lock/Switch Account… to either +lock the screen of the current user or switch user accounts. You can lock +your screen quickly by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+L. Locking +your screen is recommended if you are away from your computer for any +amount of time. +34 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Getting help +General Help +Figure 2.16: The built-in system help, accessible +via the keyboard shortcut F1, provides topic- +based help for Ubuntu. +Like with many other operating systems, Ubuntu has a built-in help +reference called the Ubuntu Desktop Guide (Figure 2.16 on page 34). To +access it, click on the Dash and type Help. Alternatively, you can press F1 +while on the desktop, or select Ubuntu Help from the Help menu in the +menu bar. Many applications have their own help section which can be +accessed by clicking the Help menu within the application window. +Online Help +If you can’t find an answer to your question in this manual or in the Ubuntu +Desktop Guide, you can ask for assistance from other Ubuntu users using +the Ubuntu Forums (http://ubuntuforums.org). To best assist you in solv- +ing the issue, it is best to provide as much information as possible when +submitting your query, such as: +‣ System information (e.g. Ubuntu version, PC make and model) +‣ The full text of any error messages you have encountered, +‣ What you were doing at the time, +‣ What were you trying to achieve / what you were expecting to happen… +Many Ubuntu users open an account on the forums to receive help and +in turn provide support to others as they gain more knowledge. Another +useful resource is the Ubuntu Wiki (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/community), +a website maintained by the Ubuntu community. You can additionally find +the Official Ubuntu Documentation, prepared by Ubuntu developers, at +https://help.ubuntu.com. +Last but not least, one other helpful resource for online help and assis- +tance is Ask Ubuntu (https://askubuntu.com/). Ask Ubuntu is provided by +Stack Overflow and can be a helpful resource in addition to the previously- +mentioned ones. +the ubuntu desktop +35 +Heads-Up Display help +Figure 2.17: The HUD (Heads-Up Display) shows +application-specific information and options +based on your general input. +The hud (Heads-Up Display) is a keyboard-friendly utility to help you +find commands, features, and preferences embedded deep within the +stacked menu structure of an application. Activate the hud by tapping +the Alt key on the keyboard. +For example, if you want to add music in Rhythmbox (the default music +player in Ubuntu) you can open the application, press Alt, and begin typing +add music. The options available in Rhythmbox will begin to appear as you +type, meaning you usually do not have to type many characters to obtain +useful results. You can use the Down/Up Arrow keys to navigate these results +and press the Enter key to active the selected option. While the hud is +primarily of use within applications, particularly those with deep menus +such as LibreOffice or GIMP, it may also be used on the Unity desktop itself +with no applications opened or given focus. With the hud, you can often +easily perform within a few keystrokes something that would otherwise +require navigating various menus and sub-menus. +3 +Working with Ubuntu +All the applications you need +Because Ubuntu is a separate operating system, some applications that are +available for other operating systems (such as FreeBSD, Windows, or OS X) +may not be available for Ubuntu and vice versa. This is especially true for +closed source (i.e., proprietary) software released by makers of closed source +operating systems. +If you are migrating from a Windows or Mac platform, some of the +Most of the applications listed in this section +can be installed via the Ubuntu Software +application, are open source, and are freely +available. Those followed by an asterisk (*) can +be downloaded directly from their respective +official websites. +programs you were using have native Linux versions. For those that lack +compatibility, there are well established free software alternatives that will +cover your needs. This section will recommend some of these free software +applications that are known to work well on Ubuntu. +Office Suites +In Ubuntu you may choose among many office suites. The most popular +suite is LibreOffice (formerly OpenOffice). Included in the suite: +‣ Writer: word processor +‣ Calc: spreadsheet +‣ Impress: presentation manager +‣ Draw: drawing program +‣ Base: database +‣ Math: equation editor +The LibreOffice Suite comes pre-installed with Ubuntu by default. Note +that Base is not installed by default but can be installed through Ubuntu +Software. +Other office productivity applications that you might want to try out are +KOffice, Gnome Office (for older Ubuntu versions), Gnumeric (spreadsheet +application), Kexi (database application), and so on. +Email Applications +As with office suites, there are multiple options for email applications. +One very popular email application is Mozilla Thunderbird, which is also +available for Windows. Thunderbird is the default email application in +Ubuntu. Other options include Evolution and KMail. +Web Browsers +The default web browser in Ubuntu is Firefox. Other browsers you may +want to try out include Epiphany, Midori, Chromium, Opera*, and Google +Chrome*. +PDF Readers +Evince is the default pdf reader in Ubuntu. Others include Okular and +Adobe Reader*. +38 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Multimedia Players +For multimedia, Ubuntu users have a wide variety of options for high qual- +ity players. While VLC is a perennial favorite among videophiles, the classic +and user-friendly Totem is the default media player in Ubuntu. Other media +players, most of which can be installed through Ubuntu Software, are: Me- +dia Player, SMPlayer, Parole Media Player, mpv Media Player, Tomahawk, +Internet DJ Console, KMPlayer, Banshee (an all-round media player), and +Kaffeine (KDE). +Music Players and Podcatchers +There are several options for listening to music with Ubuntu: Rhythmbox +(installed by default), Amarok, Audacity (also a sound editor), Miro (also +a video player), VLC, and so on. These applications allow you to listen to +music and to your favorite podcasts. Amarok is similar to Winamp. Miro +may be of use especially to those who watch video podcasts and tv shows +from the Internet. VLC is well known for its ability to play a very wide +range of multimedia file formats. +CD/DVD Burning +There are several popular disk burning applications such as Gnome-baker, +Brasero, SimpleBurn, cd burner, Xfburn, and K3b. These CD/DVD creation +tools are powerful and offer user-friendly interfaces and numerous features. +Photo Management +You can view and manage your favorite photos with Shotwell, Ubuntu’s +default photo manager, gThumb, Gwenview, or F-Spot, among others. +Graphics Editors +gimp is a very powerful graphics editor. You can create your own graphics, +taper your photographs, and modify your pictures. Another useful Graphics +Editor is Inkscape, which allows you to create and edit Scalable Vector +Graphics images. Both gimp and Inkscape can be installed through Ubuntu +Software. +Instant Messaging +You can use Pidgin, Empathy, or Kopete to communicate over most proto- +cols including: aim, msn, Google Talk, irc, Jabber/xmpp, Facebook, Yahoo!, +and icq. This means that you need only one application to communicate +with all of your friends. Note that some of these clients have limited video +support. +VoIP Applications +voip technologies allow you to talk to people over the Internet. The most +popular application is Skype, which is available for Ubuntu. An open-source +alternative, Ekiga, supports voice communication using the sip protocol. +Skype uses a proprietary protocol and is thus incompatible. +working with ubuntu +39 +BitTorrent Clients +There are a number of BitTorrent clients for Ubuntu: Transmission, Ubuntu’s +default client, is simple and light-weight. Deluge, Vuze, and KTorrent offer +many features and can satisfy the most advanced users. +Getting online +This section of the manual will help you to check your connection to the +Internet and help you configure it where needed. Ubuntu can connect to the +Internet using a wired, wireless, or dialup connection. Ubuntu also supports +more advanced connection methods, which will be briefly discussed at the +end of this section. +A wired connection is when your computer connects to the Internet +using an Ethernet cable. This is usually connected to a wall socket or a +networking device—like a switch or a router. +A wireless connection is when your computer connects to the Internet +using a wireless radio network—usually known as Wi-Fi. Most routers now +come with wireless capability, as do most laptops and netbooks. Because of +this, Wi-Fi is the most common connection type for these types of devices. +Wireless connectivity makes laptops and netbooks more portable when +moving to different rooms of a house and while travelling. +A dialup connection is when your computer uses a modem to connect to +the Internet through a telephone line. +NetworkManager +Networking in Ubuntu is by default managed with the NetworkManager +utility. NetworkManager allows you to turn network connections on or off, +manage wired and wireless networks, and make other network connections, +such as dialup, mobile broadband, and vpns. +(a) +(b) +(c) +Figure 3.1: The network connection states: (a) +disconnected, (b) wired, and (c) wireless. +You can access NetworkManager by using its icon found in the top panel. +This icon may look different depending on your current connection state. +Clicking this icon will reveal a list of available network connections. The +current connections (if any) will have the word “disconnect” underneath. +You can click on “disconnect” to manually disconnect from that network. +This menu also allows you to view technical details about your current +connection or edit all connection settings. +Figure 3.2: Here you can see the currently active +connection is “Wired connection 1.” +In the image to the right, you will see a check mark next to “Enable Net- +working.” Deselect “Enable Networking” to disable all network connections. +Select “Enable Networking” to enable networking again. This can be very +useful when you are required to turn off all wireless communications, like +in an airplane. +Establishing a wired connection +If you are already online at this point as indicated by the NetworkManager +icon in the top panel showing a connection, then you may have successfully +connected during the Ubuntu setup process. You can also simply open a +browser and see if you have access to the Internet. If so, you do not need to +do anything for the rest of this section. If not, then continue reading. +If you have an Ethernet cable running from a wall socket or networking +device, such as a switch or router, then you will want to setup a wired +connection in Ubuntu. +40 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +In order to connect to the Internet with a wired connection, you need to +know whether your network supports dhcp (Dynamic Host Configuration +Protocol). dhcp is a way for your computer to automatically be configured +to access your network and/or Internet connection. dhcp is usually auto- +matically configured on your router. This is usually the quickest and easiest +way of establishing a connection to the Internet. If you are unsure whether +your router is setup to use dhcp, you may wish to contact your isp’s (In- +ternet Service Provider) customer service line to check. If your router isn’t +configured to use dhcp then they will also be able to tell you what configu- +ration settings you need in order to get online. If you are connected to your +office LAN, you should contact your network administrator. +Automatic connections with DHCP +Figure 3.3: This window displays your IP address +and other connection information. +If your network supports dhcp, then you may already be set up for on- +line access. To check this, click on the NetworkManager icon. There should +be an “Ethernet Network” heading in the menu. If either “Wired connec- +tion 1” or “Auto Ethernet” appears directly underneath, then your machine +is currently connected and probably setup for dhcp. If “Disconnected” ap- +pears in gray underneath the wired network section, look below to see if an +option labeled “Wired connection 1” appears in the list. If so, click on it to +attempt to establish a wired connection. +An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique +number assigned to your machine so that your +router can identify you on the network. Think +of it like a phone number for your computer. +Having this unique address allows the router +to speak to your computer, and therefore +send/receive data. +If you are still not online after following these steps, you may need to try +setting up your network connection manually using a static ip address. To +check if you are online, look for the NetworkManager icon in the top panel. +If the icon shows +, then your computer was not successfully assigned +connection information through dhcp. If the icon shows either +or +, +then it is likely that your dhcp connection to the router was successful. +To test your Internet connection, you may want to open the Firefox web +browser to try loading a web page. More information on using Firefox can +be found later in this chapter. +Manual configuration with static address +If your network does not support dhcp, then you need to know a few items +of information before you can get online. If you do not know any of this +information, then you call your isp. +working with ubuntu +41 +‣ An ip address—This is a unique address used for identifying your com- +puter on the network. An ip address is always given in four numbered +groups, separated by dots, for example, 192.168.100.10. When connect- +ing using dhcp, this address will periodically change (hence, the name +“dynamic”). However, if you have configured a static ip address, your ip +address will never change. +‣ A network mask—This tells your computer the size of the network to +which it is being connected. It is formatted the same way as the ip ad- +dress, but usually looks something like 255.255.255.0. +‣ A gateway—This is the ip address of the device that your machine looks +to for access to the Internet. Usually, this will be the router’s ip address. +‣ dns server—This is the ip address of the dns (Domain Name Service) +server. dns is what your computer uses to resolve ip addresses to domain +names. For example http://www.ubuntu.com resolves to 91.189.94.156. +This is the ip address of the Ubuntu website on the Internet. dns is +used so you don’t have to remember ip addresses. Domain names (like +ubuntu.com) are much easier to remember. You will need at least one +dns server address but you can enter up to three addresses in case one +server is unavailable. If you do not know your isp’s dns server addresses, +Google has dns servers that anyone in the world can use for free. The +addresses of these servers are: Primary—8.8.8.8 Secondary—8.8.4.4. +To manually configure a wired connection, click on the NetworkManager +icon and select Edit Connections. Make sure you are looking at the Wired +tab inside the “Network Connections” window. The list may already have +an entry, such as “Wired connection 1” or a similar name. If a connection is +listed, select it and click the Edit button. If no connection is listed, click the +Add button. +If you are adding a connection, you need to provide a name for the +connection. This will distinguish the connection being added from any +other connections added in future. In the “Connection Name” field, choose a +name such as “Wired Home.” +Figure 3.4: In this window you can manually edit +a connection. +To setup the connection: +1. Make sure that the Connect automatically option is selected under the +connection name. +2. Switch to the ipv4 Settings tab. +3. Change the Method to “Manual.” +4. Click on the Add button next to the empty list of addresses. +5. Enter your ip address in the field below the Address header. +42 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +6. Click to the right of the ip address, directly below the Netmask header +and enter your network mask. If you are unsure, “255.255.255.0” is the +most common. +7. Click on the right of the network mask directly below the Gateway +header and enter the address of your gateway. +8. In the dns Servers field below, enter the address of your dns server(s). +If you are entering more than one, separate them with commas—for +example, “8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4”. +9. Click Save to save your changes. +A mac address is a hardware address for your computer’s network card. Entering +this information is sometimes important when using a cable modem connection. +If you know the mac address of your network card, this can be entered in the +appropriate text field in the Wired tab of the editing window. To find the mac +addresses for all installed networking devices, open a terminal window, and at +the command line prompt, type ifconfig. This will display a lot of informa- +tion about each of the network devices installed on the computer. The wired +devices will begin with one of the four possible prefixes, and that prefix is en, for +Ethernet devices. wl is for Wireless (or Wireless Lan), sl is for Serial Line IP (slip), +and ww is for WWAN. +When you have returned to the Network Connections screen, your +newly added connection should now be listed. Click Close to return to the +desktop. If your connection was configured correctly, the NetworkManager +icon should have changed to show an active wired connection. To test if +your connection is properly set up, simply open a web browser. If you can +access the Internet, then you are connected! +Wireless +If your computer is equipped with a wireless (Wi-Fi) card and you have a +wireless network nearby, you should be able to set up a wireless connection +in Ubuntu. +Connecting to a wireless network for the first time +If your computer has a wireless network card, you can connect to a wireless +network. Most laptops and netbooks have a built-in wireless networking +card. +Ubuntu is usually able to detect any wireless network in range of your +computer. To see a list of wireless networks, click on the NetworkMan- +ager icon. Under the “Wireless Networks” heading you should see a list of +available wireless networks. Each network will be shown by its name and a +signal meter to the left showing its relative signal strength. The signal meter +looks like a set of bars similar to what is seen when viewing signal strength +of a cell phone. Simply put, the more bars, the stronger the signal. To im- +prove speed and reliability of your wireless connection, try moving closer to +your router or wireless access point. +A wireless network can be open to anyone, or it can be protected with +a password. A small padlock will be displayed alongside the signal bar if +any wireless networks within range are password-protected. You will need +to know the correct password in order to connect to these secured wireless +networks. +To connect to a wireless network, select the desired network by clicking +on its name within the list. This will be the name that was used during the +working with ubuntu +43 +installation of the wireless router or access point. Most isps provide pre- +configured routers with a sticker on them detailing the current wireless +network name and password. Most publicly accessible wireless networks +will be easily identifiable by the name used for the wireless network—for +example “Starbucks-Wireless.” +If the network is unprotected (i.e., the signal meter does not show a pad- +lock), a connection should be established within a few seconds—and with- +out a password required. The NetworkManager icon in the top panel will +animate as Ubuntu attempts to connect to the network. If the connection +is successful, the icon will change to display a signal meter. An on-screen +notification message will also appear informing you that the connection +was successful. +If the network is password-protected, Ubuntu will display a window +called “Wi-Fi Network Authentication Required” as it tries to make a con- +nection. This means that a valid password is required to make a connection. +This is what the screen should look like: +Figure 3.5: Enter your wireless network +password. +If you know the password, enter it in the Password field and then click +on the Connect button. As you type the password, it will be obscured from +view to prevent others from reading the password as you type it. To verify +the characters you are entering for the password, you can view the pass- +word by selecting the Show Password check box. Then, you can make the +password obscure again by deselecting the Show password check box. +Once the password is entered, click on the Connect button. The Network- +Manager icon in the top panel will animate as Ubuntu attempts to connect +to the network. If the connection is successful, the icon will change to dis- +play a signal meter. An on-screen notification message will also appear +informing you that the connection was successful. +If you entered the password incorrectly, or if it doesn’t match the cor- +rect password (for example if it has recently been changed and you have +forgotten), NetworkManager will make another attempt to connect to the +network, and the “Wi-Fi Network Authentication Required” window will +re-appear so that you can re-type the password. You can hit the Cancel but- +ton to abort the connection. If you do not know the correct password, you +may need to call your isp’s customer support line or contact your network +administrator. +Once you have successfully established a wireless connection, Ubuntu +will store these settings (including the password) to make it easier to con- +nect to this same wireless network in the future. You may also be prompted +to select a keyring password here. The keyring stores passwords in one +place so you can access them all in the future by remembering just the +keyring password. +44 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Connecting to a saved wireless network +Ubuntu will automatically try to connect to a wireless network in range +if it has the settings saved. This works on both open and secure wireless +networks. +If you have numerous wireless networks in range that are saved on +your computer, Ubuntu may choose to connect to one network while you +may want to connect to another network. To remedy this action, click on +the NetworkManager icon. A list of wireless networks will appear along +with their signal meters. Simply click on the network to which you wish to +connect, and Ubuntu will disconnect from the current network and attempt +to connect to the one you have selected. +If the network is secure and Ubuntu has the details for this network +saved, Ubuntu will automatically connect. If the details for this network +connection are not saved, are incorrect, or have changed, then you will be +prompted to enter the network password again. If the network is open (no +password required), all of this will happen automatically and the connection +will be established. +Connecting to a hidden wireless network +In some environments, you may need to connect to a hidden wireless net- +work. These hidden networks do not broadcast their names, and, therefore, +their names will not appear in the list of available wireless networks even +if they are in range. In order to connect to a hidden wireless network, you +will need to get its name and security details from your network adminis- +trator or isp. +To connect to a hidden wireless network: +1. Click on NetworkManager in the top panel. +2. Select Connect to a hidden wireless network. Ubuntu will then open +the “Connect to Hidden Wireless Network” window. +3. In the Network name field, enter the name of the network. This is also +known as the ssid (Service Set Identifier). You must enter the name ex- +actly how it was given to you. For example, if the name is “Ubuntu- +Wireless,” entering “ubuntu-wireless” will not work as the “U” and “W” +are both uppercase in the correct name. +4. In the Wireless security field, select one of the options. If the network +is an open network, leave the field set to “None.” If you do not know the +correct setting for the field, you will not be able to connect to the hidden +network. +5. Click the Connect button. If the network is secure, you will be prompted +for the password. Provided you have entered all of the details correctly, +the network should then connect, and you will receive an on-screen +notification informing you that the connection was a success. +As is the case with visible wireless networks, hidden wireless network +settings will be saved once a connection is made, and the wireless network +will then appear in the list of saved connections. +Disabling and enabling your wireless card +By default, wireless access is enabled if you have a wireless card installed in +your computer. In certain environments (like on airplanes), you may need +to temporarily disable your wireless card. +working with ubuntu +45 +To disable your wireless card, click on the NetworkManager icon and +deselect the Enable Wireless option. Your wireless radio will now be turned +off, and your computer will no longer search for wireless networks. +To reactivate your wireless card, simply select the Enable Wireless op- +tion. Ubuntu will then begin to search for wireless networks automatically. +If you are in range of a saved network, you will automatically be connected. +Many modern laptops also have a physical switch/button built into the +chassis that provides a way to quickly enable/disable the wireless card. +Changing an existing wireless network +At times you may want to change the settings of a saved wireless network +—for example, when the wireless password gets changed. +To edit a saved wireless network connection: +1. Click on the NetworkManager icon and select Edit Connections… +2. A “Network Connections” window will open. Click on the Wireless tab. +3. By default, saved networks are in chronological order with the most +recently connected at the top. Find the network you want to edit, select +it, and click on the Edit button. +4. Ubuntu will now open a window called “Editing 〈connection name〉”, +where 〈connection name〉is the name of the connection you are editing. +This window will display a number of tabs. +5. Above the tabs, there is a field called Connection name where you can +change the name of the connection to give it a more recognizable name. +6. If the Connect automatically option is not selected, Ubuntu will detect +the wireless network but will not attempt a connection until it is se- +lected from the NetworkManager menu. Select or deselect this option as +needed. +7. On the Wireless tab, you may need to edit the ssid field. A ssid is the +wireless connection’s network name. If this field isn’t set correctly, +Ubuntu will not be able to connect to the wireless network in question. +8. Below the ssid is a Mode field. The “Infrastructure” mode means that +you would be connecting to a wireless router or Access Point. The “ad- +hoc” mode is for a computer-to-computer connection (where one com- +puter shares another’s connection) and is often only used in advanced +cases. +9. On the Wireless Security tab, you can change the Security field. A +selection of “None” means that you are using an open network that +doesn’t require a password. Other selections in this tab may require +additional information: +wep 40/128-bit Key is an older security setting still in use by some older +wireless devices. If your network uses this method of security, you +will need to enter a key in the Key field that will appear when this +mode is selected. +wep 128-bit Passphrase is the same older security as above. However, +instead of having a key, your network administrator should have +provided you with a passphrase to connect to the network. +wpa & wpa2 Personal is the most common security mode for wireless +networking. Once you select this mode, you will need to enter a +password in the Password field. +If your network administrator requires leap, Dynamic wep or wpa & +wpa2 Enterprise then you will need to have the administrator help +you with those modes. +46 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +10. In the ipv4 Settings tab, you can change the Method field from “Auto- +matic (dhcp)” to “Manual” or one of the other methods. For setting up +manual settings (also known as a static address), please see the section +above on manual setup for wired network connections. +11. When you finish making changes to the connection, click Apply to save +your changes and close the window. You can click Cancel at any time to +close the window without saving any changes. +12. Finally, click Close on the “Network Connections” window to return to +the desktop. +After clicking Apply, any changes made to the network connection will +take effect immediately. +Connecting to a mobile broadband network +If you have a mobile device capable of tethering, such as an Android tablet +or phone, then you may be able to utilize the mobile network connection +on your computer through the device. The steps to enable tethering on any +device can vary widely, but once you have enabled tethering on the device +and connected it to your computer (usually through usb) then it will show +up on the list of available and current connections in the NetworkManager +applet, located in the top panel. Be aware that doing this will send your +network traffic over the carrier provider’s mobile network and data rates +may apply (and add up quickly!). Many standard desktop applications do +not yet either detect mobile connections and restrict bandwidth usage or +allow you to change a setting in the application to have it do so. +Other connection methods +There are other ways to get connected with Ubuntu: +‣ With NetworkManager, you can connect to digital subscriber line (dsl) +networks, a method of connecting to the Internet through your phone +line via a modem. +‣ It is possible for NetworkManager to establish a virtual private network +(vpn) connection. These are most commonly used to create a secure +connection to a workplace network. +The instructions for making connections using dsl, or creating and +establishing vpn connections, are beyond the scope of this guide. +Browsing the web +Once you have connected to the Internet, you should be able to browse the +web. Mozilla Firefox is the default application for this in Ubuntu. +Starting Firefox +There are several ways to start Firefox. By default Ubuntu has the Firefox +icon within the Launcher (the vertical bar down the left side of the screen). +Select this icon to open Firefox. Or, open the Dash (the top-most icon in the +Launcher) and search for firefox using the search box. If your keyboard +has a “www” button, you can press that button to start Firefox. +working with ubuntu +47 +Figure 3.6: The default Ubuntu home page for +the Firefox web browser. +Navigating web pages +Viewing your homepage +When you start Firefox, you will see your home page. By default, this is the +Ubuntu Start Page. +To quickly go to your home page, press Alt+Home on your keyboard or +press on the home icon in Firefox. +Navigating to another page +To navigate to a new web page, you need to enter its Internet address (also +URL stands for uniform resource locator, which +tells the computer how to find something on +the Internet—such as a document, web page or +an email address. WWW stands for World Wide +Web, which means the web pages by which +most people interact with the Internet. +known as a url) into the Location Bar. urls normally begin with “http://” +followed by one or more names that identify the address. One example +is “http://www.ubuntu.com/.” (Normally, you can omit the “http://” part. +Firefox will fill it in for you.) +Figure 3.7: You can enter a web address or +search the Internet by typing in the location bar. +To navigate: +1. Double-click in the Location Bar, or press Ctrl+L, to highlight the url +that is already there. +2. Enter the url of the page you want to visit. The url you type replaces +any text already in the Location Bar. +3. Press Enter. +If you don’t know the url that you need, type a search term into the +Search Bar to the right of the Location bar. Your preferred search engine +—Google by default—will return a list of websites for you to choose from. +(You can also enter your query directly into the Location Bar). +48 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Selecting a link +Most web pages contain links that you can select. These are known as +“hyperlinks.” A hyperlink can let you move to another page, download a +document, change the content of the page, and more. +To select a link: +1. Move the mouse pointer until it changes to a pointing finger. This hap- +pens whenever the pointer is over a link. Most links are underlined text, +but buttons and pictures on a web page can also be links. +2. Click the link once. While Firefox locates the link’s page, status mes- +sages will appear at the bottom of the window. +Retracing your steps +If you want to visit a page you have viewed before, there are several ways +To go backwards and forwards you can also use +Alt+Left and Alt+Right respectively. +to do so. +‣ To go back or forward one page, press the Back or Forward button by +the left side of the Location Bar. +‣ To go back or forward more than one page, click-and-hold on the re- +spective button. You will see a list of pages you have recently visited. To +return to a page, select it from the list. +‣ To see a list of any urls you have entered into the Location Bar, press +the down arrow at the right end of the Location Bar. Choose a page from +the list. +‣ To choose from pages you have visited during the current session, open +the History menu and choose from the list in the lower section of the +menu. +‣ To choose from pages you have visited over the past few months, open +the History ‣ Show All History (or press Ctrl+Shift+H). Firefox opens a +“Library” window showing a list of folders, the first of which is “History.” +Select a suitable sub-folder, or enter a search term in the search bar (at +the top right), to find pages you have viewed before. Double-click a +result to open the page. +Stopping and reloading +If a page is loading too slowly or you no longer wish to view a page, press +The Reload button is at the right end of the +Location Bar. +Esc to cancel it. To reload the current page if it might have changed since +you loaded it, press on the Reload button or press Ctrl+R. +Opening new windows +At times, you may want to have more than one browser window open. This +may help you to organize your browsing session better, or to separate web +pages that you are viewing for different reasons. +There are four ways to create a new window: +‣ On the top bar, select File ‣ New Window. +‣ Press Ctrl+N. +‣ Right-click on Firefox’s icon on the Launcher and select Open New +Window. +‣ Click on Firefox’s icon on the Launcher using your middle mouse button. +Once a new window has opened, you can use it exactly the same as +the first window—including navigation and opening tabs. You can open +multiple windows. +working with ubuntu +49 +Opening a link in a new window +Sometimes, you may want to click a link to navigate to another web page, +but do not want the original to close. To do this, you can open the link in its +own independent window. +There are two ways to open a link in its own window: +‣ Right-click a link and select Open Link in New Window. +‣ Press-and-hold the Shift key while clicking a link. +Tabbed browsing +An alternative to opening new windows is to use Tabbed Browsing instead. +Tabbed browsing lets you open several web pages within a single Firefox +A new tab is independent of other tabs in the +same way that new windows are independent +of other windows. You can even mix-and-match +—for example, one window may contain tabs +for your emails, while another window has tabs +for your work. +window, each independent of the other. This frees space on your desktop +as you do not have to open a separate window for each new web page. You +can open, close, and reload web pages in one place without having to switch +to another window. +You can alternate quickly between different tabs by using the keyboard +shortcut Ctrl+Tab. +Opening a new blank tab +There are three ways to create a new blank tab: +‣ Click on the Open new tab button (a green plus-sign) on the right side of +the last tab. +‣ On the top bar, open File ‣ New Tab. +‣ Press Ctrl+T. +When you create a new tab, it contains a blank page with the Location +Bar focused. Type a web address (url) or other search term to open a web- +site in the new tab. +Opening a link in its own tab +Sometimes, you may want to click a link to navigate to another web page, +but do not want the original to close. To do this, you can open the link in its +own tab. +There are several ways to open a link in its own tab. +A tab always opens “in the background”—in +other words, the focus remains on the original +tab. The last method (Ctrl+Shift) is an +exception; it focuses the new tab immediately. +‣ Right-click a link and select Open Link in New Tab. +‣ Press-and-hold the Ctrl key while clicking a link. +‣ Click the link using either the middle mouse button or both left and right +mouse buttons simultaneously. +‣ Drag the link to a blank space on the tab bar or onto the Open new tab +button. +‣ Press-and-hold Ctrl+Shift while clicking a link. +Closing a tab +Once you have finished viewing a web page in a tab, you have various ways +to close it: +‣ Click on the Close button on the right side of the tab. +‣ Click the tab with the middle mouse button or the mouse wheel. +‣ Press Ctrl+W. +‣ Right-click the tab and select Close Tab. +50 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Restoring a closed tab +Sometimes, you may close the wrong tab by accident, or want to bring back +a tab that you have recently closed. Bring back a tab in one of the following +two ways: +‣ Press Ctrl+Shift+T to re-open the most recently closed tab. +‣ Select History ‣ Recently Closed Tabs, and choose the name of the tab to +restore. +Changing the tab order +Move a tab to a different location on the tab bar by dragging it to a new +location using your mouse. While you are dragging the tab, Firefox displays +a small indicator to show the tab’s new location. +Moving a tab between windows +You can move a tab into a new Firefox window or, if one is already open, +into a different Firefox window. +Drag a tab away from the tab bar, and it will open into a new window. +Drag it from the tab bar into the tab bar of another open Firefox window, +and it will move there instead. +Searching +You can search the web from within Firefox without first visiting the home +page of the search engine. By default, Firefox will search the web using the +Google search engine. +Searching the web +To search the web in Firefox, type a few words into the Firefox search Bar. +For example, if you want to find information about Ubuntu: +1. Move your cursor to the Search Bar using your mouse or press Ctrl+K. +2. Type the phrase Ubuntu. Your typing replaces any text currently in the +Search Bar. +3. Press the magnifying glass or Enter to search. +Search results from Google for “Ubuntu” will appear in the Firefox win- +dow. +Selecting search engines +Figure 3.8: These are the other search engines +you can use—by default—from the Firefox +search bar. +If you do not want to use Google as your search engine in the Search Bar, +you can change the search engine that Firefox uses. +To change your preferred search engine, press the search logo (at the +left of your Search Bar—Google by default) and choose the search engine of +your choice. Some search engines, such as Bing, Google and Yahoo, search +the whole web; others, such as Amazon and Wikipedia, search only specific +sites. +Searching the web for words selected in a web page +Sometimes, you may want to search for a phrase that you see on a web +page. You can copy and paste the phrase into the Search Bar, but there is a +quicker way. +working with ubuntu +51 +1. Highlight the word or phrase in a web page using your left mouse but- +ton. +2. Right-click the highlighted text and select Search [Search Engine] for +[your selected words]. +Firefox passes the highlighted text to the search engine, and opens a new +tab with the results. +Searching within a page +Figure 3.9: You can search within web pages +using the Find Toolbar. +You may want to look for specific text within the web page you are +viewing. To find text within the current page in Firefox: +1. Choose Edit ‣ Find or press Ctrl+F to open the Find Toolbar at the +bottom of Firefox. +2. Enter your search query into the Find field in the Find Toolbar. The +search automatically begins as soon as you type something into the field. +3. Once some text has been matched on the web page, you can: +‣ Click on Next to find text in the page that is below the current cursor +position. +‣ Click on Previous to find text that is above the current cursor posi- +tion. +‣ Click on Highlight all to highlight all occurrences of your search +words in the current page. +‣ Select the Match case option to limit the search to text that has the +same capitalization as your search words. +To quickly find the same word or phrase again, press F3. +You can skip opening the Find Toolbar altogether. +1. Turn on the relevant Accessibility option with Edit ‣ Preferences ‣ +Advanced ‣ General ‣ Accessibility ‣ Search for text when I start typ- +ing ‣ Close. +2. Now, provided your cursor is not within a text field, when you start +typing, it will automatically start searching for text. +Viewing web pages full screen +To display more web content on the screen, you can use Full Screen mode. +Full Screen mode hides everything but the main content. To enable Full +Screen mode, choose View ‣ Full Screen or press F11. While in full-screen +mode, move your mouse to the top of the screen to reveal the url and +search bars. +Press F11 to return to normal mode. +Copying and saving pages +With Firefox, you can copy part of a page so that you can paste it elsewhere, +or save the page or part of a page as a file on your computer. +52 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Copying part of a page +To copy text, links or images from a page: +1. Highlight the text and images with your mouse. +2. Right-click the highlighted text and select Copy, or press Ctrl+C. +To copy just a single image, it is not necessary to highlight it. Just right- +click the image and select Copy. +You can paste the results into another application, such as LibreOffice. +Copying a link +To copy a text or image link (url) from a page: +1. Position the pointer over the text, link or image. Your mouse pointer +changes to a pointing finger. +2. Right-click the link or image to open a pop-up menu. +3. Select Copy Link Location. +You can paste the link into other applications or into Firefox’s Location +Bar. +Saving all or part of a page +To save an entire page in Firefox: +1. Choose File ‣ Save Page As from the top bar, or press Ctrl+S. Firefox +opens the “Save As” window. +2. Choose a location for the saved page. +3. Type a file name for the page. +4. Press Save. +To save an image from a page: +1. Position the mouse pointer over the image. +2. Right-click the image and select Save Image As. Firefox opens the “Save +Image” window. +3. Choose a location for the saved image. +4. Enter a file name for the image. +5. Press Save. +Changing your home page +Firefox shows the home page when it opens. By default, this is the Ubuntu +Start Page. You can change your default home page to a new one, or even to +several new ones. +To change your home page: +1. Navigate to the page that you would like to become your new home +page. If you want Firefox to open more than one tab when it starts, open +a new tab and navigate to the extra page as many times as you would +like. +The home page can also be set by entering the +addresses that should be open in the Home +Page, with a pipe (“|”) separating pages to be +opened in separate tabs. +2. Choose Edit ‣ Preferences ‣ General ‣ Startup ‣ Use Current Pages ‣ +Close. +working with ubuntu +53 +Figure 3.10: Change Firefox settings in this tab. +Download settings +In Edit ‣ Preferences ‣ General ‣ Downloads, you can tell Firefox where to +The Downloads folder in the Library lists files +downloaded in the past. It can be used to open +or re-download files. +place downloaded files, and whether or not to ask where each time. +Bookmarks +When browsing the web you may want to come back to certain web pages +again without having to remember the url. To do this, you bookmark each +page. These bookmarks are saved in the web browser, and you can use them +to re-open to those web pages. +Bookmarking a page +After navigating to a web page you can save its location by bookmarking it. +There are two ways to bookmark a page: +‣ From the top bar, choose Bookmarks ‣ Bookmark This Page, or press +Ctrl+D. A window opens, allowing you to provide a descriptive name for +the bookmark and a location (within the browser’s bookmarks) to save it. +Press Done to save. +‣ Press the star on the right-hand side in the Location Bar. It turns blue. +This saves the page in the Unsorted Bookmarks folder. +Navigating to a bookmarked page +To navigate to a bookmarked page, open the Bookmarks menu from the top +bar, and choose your bookmark. Firefox opens the bookmark in the current +tab. +You can reveal the bookmarks, including the Unsorted Bookmarks, in a sidebar +on the left of the browser window. Select View ‣ Sidebar ‣ Bookmarks, or press +Ctrl+B. Repeat, or press the close button at its top, to hide the sidebar. +54 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Deleting or editing a bookmark +To delete or edit a bookmark, do one of the following: +‣ If you are viewing the page already, the star in the Location Bar will +be blue. Press it. Firefox opens a small pop-up window, where you can +either Remove Bookmark or edit the bookmark. +‣ Select Bookmarks ‣ Show All Bookmarks or press Shift+Ctrl+O. In +the window that opens, you can navigate to bookmarks. Select the one +you would like to change. To delete, right-click and choose Delete or +press Delete on your keyboard. To edit, change the details shown at the +bottom of the window. +History +Whenever you are browsing the web, Firefox saves your browsing history. +This allows you to come back to a web page that you have recently visited +without needing to remember or bookmark the page’s url. +To see your most recent history, open the History menu from the top +bar. The menu displays several of the most recent web pages that you have +viewed. Choose one of the pages to return to it. +To view the complete history, either: +‣ Select View ‣ Sidebar ‣ History or press Ctrl+H to view the history in +a sidebar; this replaces the bookmarks sidebar if it is open. (Repeat, or +press the close button at its top, to hide the sidebar.) +‣ Select History ‣ Show All History or press Shift+Ctrl+H to view the +history in a pop-up window. +Your browsing history is categorized as “Today,” “Yesterday,” “Last 7 +days,” “This month,” the previous five months by name, and finally “Older +than 6 months.” If the history for a category does not exist, that category +will not be listed. Select one of the date categories in the sidebar to expand +it and reveal the pages that you visited during that time. Once you find the +page you want, select it to re-display it. +You can also search for a page by its title or url. Enter a few letters +from one or more words or, optionally, the url in the Search field at the +top of the history sidebar. The sidebar displays a list of web pages matching +your search words. Select the page you want. (You can even do this in the +Location Bar, saving you from having to open the History sidebar or pop-up +window.) +Clearing private data +Firefox stores all its data only on your computer. Nevertheless, if you share +your computer, you may at times want to delete all private data. +Select History ‣ Clear Recent History… or press Shift+Ctrl+Delete. +Choose your Time range to clear, and under Details which items to clear, +and press Clear Now. +Preventing Firefox from recording private data +You can start a “private browsing” session during which Firefox will not +record anything permanently. This lasts until you disable private browsing +or restart Firefox. +working with ubuntu +55 +Choose File ‣ New Private Window or press Shift+Ctrl+P. As long +as you remain in this mode, Firefox will not record browsing, download, +form or search history, or cookies, nor will it cache files. However, if you +bookmark anything or download files, these will be retained. +To end private browsing, just close the private browsing window by +clicking on its close button or pressing Shift+Ctrl+W, or restart Firefox. +Using a different web browser +Figure 3.11: The Default Applications where you +can change your preferred browser. +If you choose to install a different web browser on your computer, +you may want to use it as the default browser when you click links from +emails, instant messages, and other places. Canonical supports Firefox and +Chromium (Google’s open-source version of Chrome), but there are several +others that you can install. +To change your preferred web browser, open Session Indicator from the +top panel on the far right-hand side, and open System Settings… ‣ Details ‣ +Default Applications. Choose your preferred web browser from the drop- +down menu Web. +Reading and composing email +Introduction to Thunderbird +Thunderbird is an email client developed by Mozilla and is easy to setup and +use. It is free, fast, and comes packed full of useful features. Even if you are +new to Ubuntu and Thunderbird, you will be up and running in no time, +checking your email and staying in touch with friends and family. +Setting up Thunderbird +In the top right corner of the Ubuntu desktop you will see an envelope +icon in the notification area. This is the messaging menu. From here, you +can launch Thunderbird by clicking Set up Mail. Alternatively, you can +click the Ubuntu button in the top left corner of the screen at the top of the +Launcher to bring up the Dash and type thunderbird into the search box. +Once Thunderbird opens, you will be greeted by a pop-up box prompting +you to setup your email account. +Before a valid email account is set up in Thunderbird, the first screen to +appear will be an introductory message from Mozilla inviting you to set +up an email account through a local service provider in your area. For the +56 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Figure 3.12: Setting up Thunderbird +purposes of these instructions, we will assume you already have an email +address, so you can click on the button in the lower right corner of the +screen that says Skip this and use my existing email. +On the next screen titled Mail Account Setup, enter your name in the +first text box, your email address in the second text box (for example, user- +name@domain.com), and your email password in the third text box. +Once completed, click the Continue button. Thunderbird will auto- +If Thunderbird fails to create the account, +you may need to configure it manually, using +the parameters that were sent to you by your +email address provider and your ISP. If you +are still unable to set up your account, you +can get help from community members at +http://ubuntuforums.org. +matically set up your email account for you. When Thunderbird finishes +detecting your email settings, click Create Account and Thunderbird will do +the rest. You can also set Thunderbird as your default news and rss reader +by checking the boxes in the pop-up box that appear after you click Create +Account. If you don’t want to see this message box every time you start +Thunderbird, simply deselect Always perform this check when starting +Thunderbird. You are now ready to start using Thunderbird. +Around the Thunderbird workspace +Now that you have your email account set up, let’s get to know the Thun- +derbird workspace. Thunderbird is designed to be very user-friendly and +easy to navigate. When you open the application, you will see the main +workspace with your email folders (all folders pane) on the left. On the +right of the screen, you will see two panes. The top-right pane displays a +list of your received email, and the bottom-right pane displays the current +email you are viewing. The size of these panes can be easily resized to suit +your viewing environment. To resize the panes, simply left-click and hold +the dividing bar that separates two panes and drag it to the desired position. +The All Folders pane is where you can see your mail folders. This pane can +also include: +Inbox Where your email is stored and accessed +Email address folder You will see one of these folders for each of the ac- +counts you have setup +Drafts Where your draft emails are stored +Sent mail Where the emails you have sent are stored +Spam This is where suspected spam email is stored so you can check them +to make sure you haven’t lost any important emails +Trash This is where messages you’ve deleted are stored so you can double +check to make sure you haven’t accidentally deleted an important email +(also one of the local folders) +Important This is where emails you have marked as important are stored +Starred This is where emails you have marked with a star are stored +working with ubuntu +57 +Personal This is where emails you have marked as personal are stored +Receipts You can move important receipts to this folder. +Travel You can use this folder to store travel emails such as flight times and +bookings +Work You can store work emails in this folder to keep them separate from +your personal email +Outbox Where the emails you are in the process of sending are stored (also +one of the local folders) +Across the top of the Thunderbird workspace, you will see at least four +control buttons, Get Mail, Write, Address Book, and Tag. These are used to +get your mail, write your mail, access your address book, and tag your email +messages. +At the top-right of the All Folders pane, you will see a set of quick filter +buttons, Unread, Starred, Contact, Tags, and Attachment. You can use +these buttons to filter your email messages so that you only see your unread +mail, your favorite mail (starred), mail from people in your address book, +mail you have tagged, and mail that includes attachments. +If you are accustomed to a more traditional desktop and you have Thun- +derbird maximized to full screen, you might be wondering where the menus +are located. They are still there, and if you want to access them, move your +mouse to the top of the screen and you will see the familiar menus: File, +Edit, View, Go, Message, Tools, and Help. +At the top of the pane that displays your email, you can see six action +buttons, Reply, Reply All, Forward, Archive, Junk, and Delete. You will +find these very useful for quickly replying to email, forwarding your email +to another person, archiving (backing up) your email, marking an email as +junk mail, and quickly deleting an email. To the left of these quick action +buttons, you will see information about the email you are viewing that +includes the sender’s name, the subject of the email, the reply address, and +the recipient of the email. +Using your address book +At the top of the main workspace, you will see the Address Book button. +Click this button to access your address book. The address book opens in a +new window. From here, you can easily organize your contacts. At the top +of the address book window, you will see five buttons, New Contact, New +List, Properties, Write, and Delete. They function in the following ways: +New Contact This button allows you to add a new contact and add as much +detail as you wish to save, including name, nickname, address, email, +additional email, screen name, work number, home number, fax, pager +and mobile/cell number. +New List This button allows you to add lists for your contacts such as +family, friends, acquaintances, etc. +Properties This button allows you to rename your address book name. The +default name is personal address book, but you can change the name as +you see fit. +Write This button allows you to quickly send an email to a selected contact +without needing to go back to the main Thunderbird workspace. Simply +select a contact from your contacts list and click the Write button to +send them an email. +Delete This button allows you to quickly delete a contact from your address +58 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +book. Just select the contact you want to delete and press Delete to +remove the contact from your address book. +Checking and reading messages +Thunderbird will automatically check your email account for new mes- +sages every ten minutes, but if you need to manually check for new mes- +sages at any time, left-click the Get Mail button in the top left corner of +the workspace. Thunderbird will then check your email account for new +messages and download them. +As they are downloaded, you will see the new email appear in the mes- +sage pane on the right side of the workspace. When you click on one of +your emails, it will appear in the pane below your email list. If you want to +view your email in a full window, double-left-click your chosen email, and +Thunderbird will display the email in a full window in its own tab. +At the top of the open email, you will see information about the email +Remote content represent parts of an email +that may be hosted elsewhere. Remote content +might consist of video or audio, but most +often is graphics or HTML content. For security +purposes, Thunderbird will ask you if you wish +to view this remote content. +and the five quick action buttons, Reply, Forward, Archive, Junk and +Delete as previously discussed. If an email has remote content, you will +see a message asking if you want to display the email or not. +You may want to sort out your emails from time to time; this is easily +done with Thunderbird. When you have an email selected and you want +to tag the email, simply click the Tag button and a drop-down list will be +displayed. In this drop-down list, you have the options to Remove All Tags +or Mark as…, Important, Work, Personal, To Do, Later. You can also create +a New Tag more suited to your own personal requirements. +Composing Messages +To compose a new email message, click the Write button in the top left of +the workspace. This will bring up a new window where you can compose +your new email. In the To: field, enter the email address of the destination +—the contact to whom you are sending this email. If there is more than one +contact to whom you are writing, separate multiple recipients with commas. +If a contact that you are addressing is in your address book, you can +address them by name. Start typing the name of the contact; Thunderbird +will display the list of mailing contacts below your text. Once you see the +contact you intend to address, click on their email address or use the down +arrow key and then press Enter to select the address. +If you would like to carbon-copy (Cc) some contacts, click the To: field +and select Cc:. Contacts who are listed on the To: and Cc: lines will receive +the email, and will see the rest of the contacts to whom an email was sent. +If you would like to send an email to some contacts without disclosing to +whom your email was sent, you can send a blind carbon-copy, or Bcc. To +enable Bcc, select Bcc: by clicking the To: field and selecting Bcc:. Any +contacts entered in the Bcc: field will receive the message, but none of the +recipients will see the names or emails of contacts on the Bcc: line. +Instead of typing the email addresses or names of the contacts you are +addressing in the message, you can select the contacts from your address +book. Start typing a few letters from your contact’s first or last name in the +To: field to filter the list to only show mailing contacts. Once you identify +the contact you would like to address, click on their name in the list. If +you’ve added the contact in error, delete their address and enter the correct +address. +You may enter a subject for your email in the Subject field. Messages +working with ubuntu +59 +should have a subject to help the recipient identify the general contents of +the email while glancing at their message list. Enter the contents of your +If you do not include a subject in your email, +Thunderbird will warn you about this omission. +message in the big text field below the subject. There is no practical limit on +the amount of text you can include in your message. +By default, Thunderbird will auto-detect the correct format for your +email but you can change this by clicking Options then mouse over De- +livery Format and select your preferred option from the list. You have a +choice of Auto-Detect, Plain Text Only, Rich Text (HTML) Only, and Plain and +Rich (HTML) Text. +When you have finished composing your email, click on the Send button +on the window’s toolbar. Your message will be placed in the Outbox, and +will be sent to your desired recipient. +Attaching files +At times, you may want to send files to your contacts. To send files, you +will need to attach them to your email message. To attach a file to an email +You can attach quite a few different file types +to emails, but be careful about the size of the +attachments! If they are too big, some email +systems will reject the email you are sending, +and your recipient will never receive it! +you are composing, click on the Attach button. When the new window +opens, select the file you want to send and click Open. The file you selected +will then be attached to the email when you click send. +Replying to Messages +In addition to composing new messages, you may want to reply to messages +that you receive. There are three types of email replies: +Reply or Reply to Sender sends your reply only to the sender of the message +to whom you are replying. +Reply to All sends your reply to the sender of the message as well as any +address in To: or Cc: lines. +Forward allows you to send the message, with any additional comments +you may add, to some other contacts. +To use any of these methods, click on the message to which you want +to reply and then click the Reply, Reply to All, or Forward button on the +message toolbar. Thunderbird will open the reply window. This window +should look much like the window for composing new messages, but the +To:, Cc:, Subject:, and main message content fields should be filled in from +the message to which you are replying. Edit the To:, Cc:, Bcc:, Subject: or +main body as you see fit. When your reply is finished, click on the Send +button on the toolbar. Your message will be placed in the Outbox and will +be sent. +Using instant messaging +To communicate with people online in real time, you will first need to +install an instant messaging application such as Empathy, which lets you +connect to many instant messaging networks (such as Google Talk, Salut, +Jabber, Yahoo!, and aim). To install Empathy, open the Dash, search for +Terminal and hit Enter or click on the icon labeled “Terminal”. Once inside +the terminal, type sudo apt install empathy and hit Enter. +Running Empathy for the first time +Figure 3.13: This is the icon that Empathy +displays in the launcher. +To run Empathy for the first time, you need to start it from the Dash (see +The Dash) by searching for Empathy and hitting Enter. Altenately, you can +60 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +click on its icon, shown in 3.13. After Empathy launches, you should see a +window similar to that in figure 3.14. At this time, Empathy does not know +about any of your instant messaging accounts. +Figure 3.14: You should see a window like this +the first time you open Empathy. +Adding accounts +You must have existing chat accounts that are compatible with Empathy. If you +do not have an existing account, you will need to create one before continuing. +Be aware that when you Add or Remove +accounts using the Online Accounts manager +you will be adding or removing those accounts +to or from all the applications that they +integrate with, not just Empathy. +On the first run, the Online Accounts manager will appear, allowing you +to add accounts to be used with Empathy. You can return to this dialog at +any time by navigating to Empathy ‣ Accounts. You should see a dialog +similar to that in figure 3.15. +Figure 3.15: Add your existing chat accounts +for use in Empathy using the Online Accounts +manager. +Click Add account… on the left-hand side of the window if it is not +already selected. At the top of the window, where it says Show accounts that +integrate with:, select Empathy from the drop-down menu. Now click on +the name of the chat service with which you have an account. Shown in +figure 3.16, we have selected a Google account. You must now enter your +login credentials and authorize Ubuntu to access your account. +When you have authorized Ubuntu to access your account, you are +shown all the applications that integrate with the account, including Em- +pathy. All the applications have an ON/OFF button to control their inte- +gration with the account. Make sure the ON/OFF button is set to ON for +working with ubuntu +61 +Figure 3.16: You must enter your account +credentials and authorize Ubuntu to use your +account. +Empathy. There is also an Options button for you to edit details used by +Empathy. The details shown are specific to each application. After adding +your accounts, you can now use Empathy to chat with all of your friends, +right from your Ubuntu desktop! +Communicating with contacts +Text +To communicate with a contact, select the contact in Empathy’s main win- +dow and double-click their name. Empathy should open a new window +where you can type messages to your contact and see a record of previously +exchanged messages. +Figure 3.17: Chatting with friends in Empathy. +To send a message to the contact, enter your message in the text field +below the conversation history. When you have typed your message press +the Enter key to send the message to your contact. When the person you +are chatting with is typing to you, a small keyboard icon will appear next to +their name in the chat window. +If you are communicating with more than one person, then all of the +conversations will be shown either in tabs in your Empathy window or in +62 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +separate windows, depending on the option you have chosen in the menu +item Empathy ‣ Preferences. +Audio and Video Calling +You also can use Empathy to chat with your friends using audio and video. +To start an audio or video call, right click on the contact name, then select +Audio Call or Video Call, as shown in figure 3.18. This will notify the +person you are trying to call, and they will be asked if they would like to +answer the call. +Figure 3.18: Right-clicking a contact exposes +many ways to communicate. +If the person you are calling accepts your call request, you will be con- +nected, and you can begin talking. If the person you are calling cannot see +or hear you, your webcam or microphone may not be properly configured; +see the sections on Sound and Using a webcam, respectively. You can end +the call by clicking on the red telephone button in the chat window. +Sending and receiving files +Sending a file +When you are in a conversation with a contact and you would like to send +them a file, right-click the contact in the contact list—as in figure 3.18— +and select Send File. Empathy should open the “Select file” window. Find +the file you wish to send, and click on the Send button. A “File Transfers” +window will open showing the file and its transfer progress. When the file +transfer is complete, you can close the “File Transfers” window. +Changing your status +You can use your status to show your contacts how busy you are or what +you are doing. Your contacts see your status next to your name when they +chat with you. You can use the standard statuses, which are: +‣ Available +‣ Busy +‣ Away +‣ Invisible +‣ Offline +Two of these statuses have additional functionality. The Invisible status +lets you see which of your contacts are online, but does not allow them to +see that you are online. The Offline status logs you out entirely; you will +not be able to see which of your contacts are online, nor can they see you or +chat with you. +Figure 3.19: Change your Empathy status +from the drop-down list at the top of the main +window. +You can change your status from the drop-down list at the top of the +main Empathy window, as shown in figure 3.19. This same drop-down list +lets you set a custom status by choosing “Custom Message…” next to the +icon that matches your status. Enter what you would like your status to say, +and click on the green check mark. +Desktop Sharing +Desktop sharing is a very nice feature available with Ubuntu. It can be used +for a lot of purposes, like troubleshooting, online meetings, or just showing +off your cool desktop to your friend. It is very easy to get remote desktop +sharing working between two Ubuntu machines. +working with ubuntu +63 +To share your screen, you will first have to set up Desktop Sharing. Open +the Desktop Sharing application from the Dash (see The Dash). Next, select +Allow other users to view your desktop; you may want to deselect Allow +other users to control your desktop. +After you have Desktop Sharing configured, open Empathy. To begin +sharing your desktop, right-click on the contact you wish to share your +desktop with, and select Share my desktop. +It should be noted that the other user will obviously be able to see the +information displayed on your screen. Please be sure to keep this in mind +if you have documents or files that are of a private nature open on your +desktop. +Changing account settings +If you need to add more accounts after the initial launch of Empathy, open +the Empathy menu on the menu bar, then select Accounts. Empathy will +then display the Online Accounts manager window. +Editing an account +You might need to edit the details of an account. Select the account you +want to change on the left side of the Online Accounts window then click +the Options button for Empathy. The Online Accounts manager should +show the current information for the account. Once you have made your +changes, click Done. +Removing an account from Empathy +To stop an account from showing in Empathy, select the account on the +left hand side of the Online Accounts manager window. Then click on the +ON/OFF button for Empathy and set it to OFF. +Editing contacts +Adding a contact +To add a contact open Empathy ‣ Contacts ‣ Add contacts.. from the menu +bar. Empathy opens the “New Contact” window. +In the Account drop-down list, choose the account you want to add +contacts for. When creating a contact you must select the service that +matches the service your contact is using. +After choosing the account you wish to add the contact to, enter their +login id, their username, their screen name, or their email address in the +Identifier text field. Next, in the Alias text field, enter the name you want to +see in your contact list. Click Add to add the contact to your list of contacts. +Removing a contact +Right click on the contact that you want to remove, then select Remove. +This will open the “Removing contact” window. Click on the Delete button +to confirm that you want to remove this contact, or click Cancel to keep the +contact. +64 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Microblogging +There is no longer a default microblogging client included within the core +of Ubuntu/Unity, and so you will need to first install an appropriate applica- +tion for whatever service you intend to use. +Corebird is a modern GTK+ based Twitter client that, while not installed +by default, is available in the default repositories. +Install Corebird with sudo apt install corebird in a terminal. When +you first start Corebird, it will give you a chance to request a token from +Twitter in your web browser. This token will log you in to your Twitter +account in Corebird. +Figure 3.20: Corebird is a modern GTK+ client +for Twitter +Choqok, from an ancient Persian word for Sparrow, is a well-maintained +and fully-featured client for Twitter.com, Pump.io (Formerly known as +Identi.ca), and OpenDesktop.org services. It uses the Qt toolkit, is a part +of the KDE Project, and also has ties to the Ubuntu community project +Kubuntu. +Figure 3.21: Choqok is a powerful microblog- +ging client for Twitter.com, Pump.io, and +OpenDesktop.org services. +Install Choqok with sudo apt install choqok in a terminal. The startup +wizard will authorize the client to utilize your Twitter account via a gen- +working with ubuntu +65 +erated token you will retrieve in your web browser, which by default in +Ubuntu is Mozilla Firefox. +Viewing and editing photos +Shotwell Photo Manager is the default photo application in Ubuntu. This +application allows you to view, tag, edit, and share photos. To start Shotwell +Photo Manager, click on the Dash near the top-left of the screen, then select +the Shotwell Photo Manager icon labeled View Photos. If you do not see +Shotwell Photo Manager, simply type Shotwell in the search bar at the top +of the Dash and then select the Shotwell Photo Manager application. +Figure 3.22: Manage your photo collection, +enhance your photos while keeping the original, +and share your memories online using Shotwell +Photo Manager. +Importing Photos +When you launch Shotwell Photo Manager for the first time, you will be +greeted with the “Welcome!” window which provides instructions on how +to import photos. Click OK. You can now import photos by dragging photos +into the Shotwell Photo Manager window or by connecting your camera or +external storage device to the computer. +From a digital camera +Connect your camera to the computer using the +data cable, and power on your camera. If your camera is properly detected, +you will see a new window prompting you to launch an application. Select +Shotwell Photo Manager in the drop-down menu, then click OK. Your +camera will be listed in the Shotwell Photo Manager sidebar. Select your +camera in the sidebar. You will see a preview of the contents stored in the +camera’s memory. Select individual photos by pressing and holding Ctrl +and clicking on each photo you want to import, and then click Import +Selected on the bottom bar of the window. Or, you can choose to import all +photos by clicking Import All. +From your computer +You can import photos into Shotwell Photo Manager +by dragging photos from the file browser into the Shotwell Photo Manager +66 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +window. Alternatively, you can click File ‣ Import From Folder, then select +the folder containing the photos you want to import. +From external hard drive, usb flash drive, or cd/dvd +Importing photos +from external storage is similar to importing from your computer. Your +external storage device may also appear under the Camera label on the +Shotwell Photo Manager sidebar. Follow the instructions for importing from +a camera or computer. +Choosing where Shotwell Photo Manager saves photos +The default location for the Shotwell Photo Manager Library is your Pic- +tures folder in your home directory. When importing pictures using the +“Import” window, you will be given the option to copy the files to your +Library or keep the files in place. +If you have your photos stored on your computer, the option Import in +Place will be suitable. This will prevent photos from being duplicated. If +you are importing photos from an external source, such as a portable hard +drive, usb flash drive, or cd/dvd, you should select Copy into Library so +the photos are copied to your computer—otherwise the photos won’t appear +when you remove the external source. +Viewing photos +Choose Library or any collection in the sidebar to display photos from +your selection. Use the slider on the bottom bar to adjust the size of the +thumbnails. To view a full-window image, double-click an individual photo. +In the full-window view, you can navigate through the collection using +the backward and forward arrows, zoom in on the image using the slider, +pan by clicking and dragging the image, and exit the full-window view by +double-clicking the image. +To view the collection in full-screen mode, press F11 or go to View ‣ +Fullscreen. You can navigate through the collection using the toolbar by +moving your mouse to the bottom of the screen. To view a slideshow pre- +sentation of the collection, press F5 or go to View ‣ Slideshow. Press the Esc +key to exit the Fullscreen or Slideshow views. +Organizing photos +Shotwell Photo Manager makes finding photos of the same type easier by +using tags. You can apply as many tags to a photo as you like. To apply tags +to photos, first select the photos. Then right-click on the photos and select +Add Tags. Enter the tags you want into the text field, separated by commas. +If you are adding new tags, these will appear in the side bar on the right +under the Tags label. +Editing images +You may want to edit some of the photos you import into Shotwell Photo +Manager. For example, you may want to remove something at the edge, +adjust the color, reduce the red-eye effect, or straighten the image. To edit a +photo, double-click on the photo you want to edit, and then click on one of +the following buttons: +working with ubuntu +67 +Rotate +Click Rotate to rotate the image 90° clockwise. You can click the button +more than once and it will rotate the image clockwise in 90° intervals. +Crop +Click Crop to change the framing of the photo. The image will darken and a +selection will appear. Adjust the selection to your desired crop by dragging +a corner or side. If you want to choose a specific aspect ratio, use the drop- +down menu to select one of the preset ratios or enter your own custom +ratio. A pivot button is provided to change your selection from landscape to +portrait and vice versa. Once you are happy with the selection, click OK to +apply the crop or Cancel to discard it. +Red-eye reduction +If you have taken a photo and the flash has caused the subject to have +red eyes, you can fix this problem in Shotwell Photo Manager using the +following process. +1. Click the Red-eye button. A circle will appear. +2. Drag this circle over one of the subjects eyes and then use the slider to +adjust the circle size. +3. When the circle is over the eye, click Apply to fix the red eye. +You will need to repeat this for each individual eye. Use caution when +adjusting the size of the circle. A circle too large that covers the skin may +cause discoloration when applying the red-eye reduction. +Adjust +Clicking Adjust will bring up a window that lets you edit a few things: +Level Similar to contrast. +Exposure How bright the image is. +Saturation How colorful the image is. +Tint The overall color. +Temperature Whether the image is warm (more yellow) or cool (more blue). +Shadows How dark the shadows are. +To change these values, drag the sliders until you are satisfied with the +image. Click OK to apply the changes, Reset to undo the changes and start +over, or Cancel to discard the changes. +Auto-adjustment with Enhance +Click Enhance to let Shotwell Photo Manager automatically adjust the +color, levels, exposure, contrast, and temperature to create a more pleasing +image. +Reverting an edited photo to the original +When you edit a photo in Shotwell Photo Manager, your original image re- +mains untouched. You can undo all of the changes and revert to the original +version by right-clicking on the photo, then selecting Revert to Original. +This option is only available for edited photos. +68 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Sharing your photos +You can easily share your photos on the web using Shotwell Photo Man- +agers’s Publish feature. Select the photos you want to share, then go to the +top menu and click File ‣ Publish. A new window will appear asking where +the photos are to be published. Choose Facebook, Flickr, or Picasa Web Al- +bums in the upper right-hand drop-down menu. Some services may require +you to authorize Shotwell Photo Manager before allowing the application to +publish photos. Follow the instructions in the window, select your desired +options, and click Publish to upload your images to the web. +Further information +We’ve only just touched on the features of Shotwell Photo Manager. To +get more help, select Help ‣ Contents. This will load the online manual, +where you can get more detailed instructions on how to use Shotwell Photo +Manager effectively. +Watching videos and movies +To watch videos and dvds in Ubuntu, you can use the Videos application. +To start Videos, click on the Dash, then search for “Videos” and select it. +This will open the “Videos” window. +Figure 3.23: The “Videos” (commonly called +“Totem”) application plays videos as well as +music. +Codecs +Watching most commercial dvds and some video files may require you +DRM, or Digital Restrictions Management, is the +practice of imposing technological restrictions +that control what users can do with digital +media. When a program is designed to prevent +you from copying or sharing a song, reading an +ebook on another device, or playing a single- +player game without an Internet connection, +you are being restricted by DRM. +to install additional software. You will need “codecs” for Ubuntu to de- +code proprietary music and video files as well as for music and video files +encumbered by drm. You will need “unscrambling software” to access com- +mercial dvds encrypted by drm. +Legal Notice: Patent and copyright laws differ depending on which country you +are in. Please obtain legal advice if you are unsure whether a particular patent or +restriction applies to a media format you wish to use in your country. +To install these additional codecs, open the Terminal either through +the Dash or the Launcher. When the “Terminal” window opens, use apt to +install the following packages via sudo apt install: +‣ ubuntu-restricted-extras +working with ubuntu +69 +‣ libdvdread4 +‣ libdvdnav4 +Double-click each item above and then click the Install button. This +may open an “Authenticate” window. If so, enter your administrative pass- +word, then click Authenticate to start the installation process. The ubuntu- +restricted-extras meta-package includes most if not all restricted codecs as +well as the Adobe Flash Player npapi plugin and Microsoft corefonts. +Playing videos from file +Open the Movie menu in the Videos application, then select Open Local +Video… or Open Web Video… which will open the “Add Videos” or “Add +Web Video” window, respectively. Find the file or files that you want to play +and click on the Add button. The video or videos will now be available for +viewing in the Videos tab, along with any other videos already located in an +indexed folder such as your Videos folder in your user home directory. +Playing a DVD +When you insert a dvd in the computer, Ubuntu should open the “You have +just inserted a Video dvd. Choose what application to launch.” window. +Make sure that Videos is chosen in the drop-down list and then click OK. +The “Movie Player” window will open and the movie will begin. You can +also choose to always perform the action you just specified when another +Video dvd is inserted. +If the “Videos” window is already open, then open the Videos tab, and +select the dvd title that should now appear in the list as a tile. +Listening to audio and music +Ubuntu comes with the Rhythmbox Music Player for listening to your mu- +sic, streaming Internet radio and managing playlists and podcasts. Rhythm- +box (Figure 3.24) can also help you find and purchase music, along with +managing subscriptions to your favorite rss feeds. +Starting Rhythmbox +There are several ways to start Rhythmbox. +‣ Open the Dash, type Rhythmbox or Music and click on the Rhythmbox +Music Player icon. +‣ Ubuntu comes with an indicator menu in the top bar for sound-related +applications and devices ( +). After you’ve opened Rhythmbox the first +time, a link to start Rhythmbox and basic controls will be placed under +this indicator. +If you close Rhythmbox by pressing Alt+F4, or CTRL+W, or clicking the +red close button ( +), it will disappear from view but continue to play in the +background. You can still control music playback or reopen the application +from the sound indicator ( +), as shown in Figure 3.25. +Playing music +To play music, you can either double-click on your music file or, alterna- +tively, import your music into your library. To do the latter, choose File ‣ +70 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Figure 3.24: Rhythmbox Music Player +Figure 3.25: Rhythmbox controls as displayed +under the sound indicator. The applica- +tion is currently playing Hexenritt, from +Humperdinck’s opera Hänsel Und Gretel. +Add Music… or press Ctrl+O on your keyboard to import a folder contain- +ing audio files. You can use the dropdown box to select the folder where +your music resides or click the Other… option to find an alternate folder. +The Rhythmbox toolbar contains most of the controls that you will use +for browsing and playing your music. If you want to play a song, double- +click a track; or click it and press the Play button on the toolbar, choose +Control ‣ Play from the menu bar, or press Ctrl+Space. When a song is +playing, the Play button will become a Pause button. Use this button, Con- +trol ‣ Play, or Ctrl+Space to toggle between playing and pausing the track. +Next and Previous buttons are next to the Play/Pause button. Click on +these buttons to play the next and previous songs in your library or playlist. +Rhythmbox also has options to toggle repeat mode (Repeat, Control ‣ +Repeat or Ctrl+R) and shuffle mode (Shuffle, Control ‣ Shuffle or Ctrl+U). +Playing Audio CDs +When you insert an audio cd in the computer, Ubuntu should open the +“You have just inserted an Audio cd. Choose what application to launch.” +window. Make sure that Rhythmbox is chosen in the drop-down list and +then click OK. The “Rhythmbox” window will open. You can also choose +to always perform the action you just specified when another Video dvd is +inserted. +To play your cd once in Rhythmbox you can use the audio controls in +working with ubuntu +71 +the Rhythmbox toolbar. Adding the music to your library, or ”Ripping” the +audio, is covered below and available in this same window. +Importing (“Ripping”) Audio CDs +Begin by inserting a cd. Rhythmbox will automatically detect it and add it +to the side menu. If you have an active Internet connection, Rhythmbox will +try to find the album details via the web. Click the cd. Uncheck any tracks +you don’t want imported. Press the Extract button, located at the upper-left +corner of the right panel. Rhythmbox will begin importing the cd. As it +finishes each track, it will appear in your Music Library. +Listening to streaming audio +Rhythmbox is pre-configured to enable you to stream audio from various +Streaming audio stations are “radio stations” +that broadcast over the Internet. Some of these +are real radio stations that also stream over the +Internet, and others broadcast only over the +Internet. +sources. These include Internet broadcast stations (Radio from the Side +Pane), Last.fm and Libre.fm. To listen to an Internet radio station, click on +the Radio icon in the Side Pane for a list of pre-configured stations. You can +filter by genre in the middle pane. To add a new radio station, select Add +and enter the radio station url. +You can browse a selected list of radio stations +at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ +Internet_stations or you can use your browser +to search for “Internet radio stations.” +Connect digital audio players +Rhythmbox can connect with many popular digital media players. Con- +nected players will appear in the Devices list. Features will vary depending +on the player (and often the player’s popularity), but common tasks like +transferring songs and playlists should be supported. If your device isn’t +shown on the Devices list, try searching for it by clicking on the + button ‣ +Check for New Devices in the bottom-left corner. +Figure 3.26: Rhythmbox connected to an +Android device +Listen to shared music +If you are on the same network as other Rhythmbox users (or most other +DAAP stands for “Digital Audio Access Proto- +col,” and is a method designed by Apple to let +software share media across a network. +music player software), you can share your music and listen to their shared +72 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +music. To do this, click File ‣ Connect to DAAP Share… Then enter the +ip address and the port number. Click OK. Clicking a shared library will +enable you to browse and play songs from other computers. +Manage podcasts +Rhythmbox can manage all of your favorite podcasts. Select Podcasts from +the Side Pane to view all added podcasts. The toolbar will display additional +options to Browse, View All, Add and Update. Choose Add on the toolbar +and enter the url of the podcasts to save it to Rhythmbox. You can also +search for podcasts to find here to add to Rhythmbox. Podcasts will be +automatically downloaded at regular intervals or you can manually update +feeds. Select an episode and click Play. You can also delete episodes. +Rhythmbox preferences +The default configuration of Rhythmbox may not be exactly what you want. +Choose Edit ‣ Preferences to alter the application settings. The Preferences +tool is broken into four main areas: general, playback, music, and Podcasts. +General includes how you want Rhythmbox to display artist and track +information. You can adjust the columns visible in your library and how +the toolbar icons are displayed. +Playback options allow you to enable crossfading and the duration of the +fade between tracks. +Music includes where you would like to place your music files and the +library structure for new tracks added to Rhythmbox. You can also set +your preferred audio format. +Podcasts designates where podcasts are stored on your computer along +with the ability to change how often podcast information is updated. +Plugins +Rhythmbox supports a wide array of plugins, which add functionality +to Rhythmbox. Many of the plugins provide basic audio playback, and +you may check a few more boxes, for example, to access Soundcloud or to +provide a consistent playback volume (ReplayGain). To view or change the +activated plugins, use the global menu bar (Tools ‣ Plugins). +Managing your music +Rhythmbox supports creating playlists. Playlists can be either static lists +of songs to be played in order or smart playlists based on filter criteria. +Playlists do not contain the actual songs, but only provide references to +them. Thus, if you remove a song from a playlist (right-click on the song ‣ +Remove from Playlist), the song will remain in your library and on your +hard drive. +To create a playlist, choose File ‣ Playlist ‣ New Playlist… or + button ‣ +New Playlist in the bottom-left corner, or press Ctrl+N. It appears in the +sidebar as “New Playlist.” Select the new playlist in the sidebar on the left +and then press F2 to give the new playlist a name of your choosing. Drag +songs from your library to the new playlist in the side pane or right-click on +songs and select Add to Playlist and pick the playlist. +Automatic Playlists are created in a similar way. Choose File ‣ Playlist ‣ +New Automatic Playlist… or + button ‣ New Automatic Playlist in the +working with ubuntu +73 +bottom-left corner. Define the filter criteria. You can add multiple filter +rules and select a name. Save. You can update any playlist (including the +predefined ones) by first selecting it on the sidebar and then selecting the +Playlist button and selecting Edit…. +Rhythmbox supports song ratings. Right-click a song in your library ‣ +Properties ‣ Details and click on the number of stars. To remove a rating, +select zero stars. Other song information such as Title, Artist and Album +can be changed. Right-click a song in your library ‣ Properties ‣ Basic. +To remove a song, right-click ‣ Remove. To delete a song from your hard +drive entirely, right-click ‣ Move to the Rubbish Bin. If you ever want to +move a song, highlight the song (or group of songs) from your library and +drag it to a folder or to your desktop. This will make a copy of the audio file +in the new location. +Audio codecs +Different audio files (mp3, wav, aac, ogg, etc.) require unique tools to de- +code them and play the contents. These tools are called codecs. Rhythmbox +attempts to detect any missing codecs on your system so you can play all of +your audio files. If a codec is missing, it automatically tries to find the codec +online and guides you through its installation. +Rhythmbox support +Rhythmbox is used by many users throughout the world. There are a vari- +ety of support resources available in many languages. +‣ Help ‣ Contents or F1 for the main help. +‣ Help ‣ Get Help Online to ask questions and report bugs. +‣ The Rhythmbox website at http://www.rhythmbox.org/. +‣ The Multimedia & Video category of Ubuntu Forums at http://ubuntuforums. +org/forumdisplay.php?f=334. +Burning CDs and DVDs +To create a cd or dvd, you will need to first install a burning application +such as Brasero (The GNOME default) or K3b (A powerful utility built +with the Qt toolkit). For the purposes of the Manual we will install and +use Brasero. To do this, click the Ubuntu Software icon on the launcher, +located to the left by default but it may also be on the bottom of the screen. +Once Ubuntu Software opens search for Brasero using the top search bar +in the “Ubuntu Software” window. Press ”Install” and enter your password. +Ubuntu Software will now create an icon for Brasero on your launcher. +Click on this icon. This opens the Brasero Disc Burner application. The +burning options (Figure 3.27) appearing within Brasero are explained below. +74 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +If you only need to burn a disc image such as an ISO file, you can do this from +the Files application’s context menu when you right-click on a disk image file. +After right-clicking the ISO file in Files, select ”Open With ‣ Disk Image Writer”. +At this point, do not select one of your hard disks in the window that appears +unless you are certain you intend to wipe that device! Select a destination (such +as your optical drive with blank media inserted) and click ”Start Restoring…”. +This uses the GNOME Disks component/utility, which is included within the base +Ubuntu/Unity system. A burning application such as Brasero or K3b is only nec- +essary if you plan on creating your own disc images, or ”projects”, or if you prefer +greater control over the burning process. +Figure 3.27: Brasero burns music, video, data +DVDs and CDs. +Getting Started +Before you can use Brasero, you need to Create a new project. There are +three types of media projects available: Audio Project, Data Project, and +Video Project. There are also two utility projects available: Disc Copy and +Burn Image. Make your selection based on your requirements. +At this current time, Brasero does not support +Blu-Ray. +The following options apply for all projects except Disc Copy and Burn Image. +Adding files to a project +To add files to the list, click the + button. This button will open the “Select +Files” window. Navigate to the file you want to add, click the desired file, +then click the Add button. Repeat this process for each file until all desired +files have been added. +Removing files +If you want to remove a file from the project, click the file in the list and +click on the - button. To remove all the files in the list click on the Broom +shaped button. +working with ubuntu +75 +Saving a project +To save an unfinished project, choose Project ‣ Save. The “Save Current +Project” window will be opened. Choose where you would like to save the +project. In the Name: text field, enter a name for the project. Click the Save +button, and your unfinished project will be saved. When saving a project, +you are only saving the parameters of the project; you’ve burned nothing to +the disc at this time. +Burning the disc +When you click the Burn… button, you will see the “Properties of …” win- +dow. +You can specify the burning speed in the Burning speed drop-down. It is +safest to choose the slowest speed to prevent a corrupted CD / DVD disc. +To burn your project directly to the disc, select the Burn the image +directly without saving it to disc option. With this option selected, no +image file is created, and no files are saved to the hard disk. All data is +saved to the blank cd or dvd. Note that Brasero only burns information +onto standard CDs and DVDs; Brasero does not burn data onto Blu-Ray +DVDs at this time. +The Simulate before burning option is useful if you encounter problems +burning discs. Selecting this option allows you to simulate the disc burning +process without actually writing data to a disc—a wasteful process if your +computer isn’t writing data correctly. If the simulation is successful, Brasero +will burn the disc after a ten second pause. During those ten seconds, you +have the option to cancel the burning process. +Blanking a disk +Some CDs and DVDs have an rw marking on them. rw simply indicates +the disc is Re-Writable, meaning the current data on the disc can be com- +pletely erased and new data can be written to it. To erase a disc, open the +Tools menu, then select Blank. The “Disc Blanking” window will be open. +In the Select a disc drop-down choose the disc that you would like to erase. +You can enable the Fast blank option if you would like to shorten the +amount of time to perform the blanking process. However, selecting this +option will not fully remove the files; if you have any sensitive data on your +disc, it would be best not to enable the Fast blank option. +Once the disc is erased (blank), you will see The disc was successfully +blanked. Click the Close button to finish. +Audio project +If you record your own music, then you may want to transfer this music +onto an audio cd so your friends and family can listen. You can start an +audio project by clicking Project ‣ New Project ‣ New Audio Project. +When burning a music cd, it is important to remember that commercial +music cds usually contains a two-second gap between the songs. To ensure +your music has this same gap between songs, click the file and then click +the pause button. +You can slice files into parts by clicking the Knife button. This opens a +“Split Track” window. The Method drop-down gives you four options; each +option lets you split the track in a different way. Once you have split the +track, click OK. +76 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +In the drop-down list at the bottom of the main “Brasero” window, make +sure that you have selected the disc where you want to burn the files. Then +click the Burn button. +Data project +If you want to, for instance, make a back up of your documents or photos, +it would be best to make a data project. You can start a data project by +clicking Project ‣ New Project ‣ New Data Project. +If you want to add a folder, click the Folder picture, then enter the name +of the folder. +In the drop-down list at the bottom of the main “Brasero” window, be +sure to select the disc where you want to burn the files. Then click the Burn +button. +Video project +If you want to, for instance, make a dvd of your family videos, it would be +best to make a video project. +You can start a video project by clicking Project ‣ New Project ‣ New +Video Project. +In the drop-down list at the bottom of the main “Brasero” window, be +sure to select the disc where you want to burn the files. Then click the Burn +button. +Disc copy +You can make a copy of an existing disc by clicking Project ‣ New Project ‣ +Disc copy. This opens the “Copy cd/dvd” window. +If you have only one drive, you will need to first make a disc image and +then burn it to a blank disc. If you have two cd/dvd drives, you can copy a +disc from one to the other directly, assuming that the source disc is in one +drive and the destination disc (the blank media) is in the other drive. +In the Select disc to copy drop-down choose the disc to copy. In the +Select a disc to write to drop-down either choose image file or the disc that +you want to copy to. +Disc image +You can make an image file of your data as well. An “image,” in this context, +is a single-file representation of the contents of the disk. The file usually has +an .iso or .img extension. An image file is similar to a set of zipped files. +Change where the image file is saved by clicking Burn…. This shows the +“Location for Image File”. You can edit the name of the file in the Name: +text field. +The default location to save the image file is your home folder, but you +can change the location by clicking the + button next to Browse for other +folders. Once you have chosen where you want to save the photo or image, +click Close. +Returning to the “Copy cd/dvd” window, click Create Image. Brasero +will open the “Creating Image” window and will display the job progress. +When the process is complete, click Close. +working with ubuntu +77 +Burn image +“Burning” an image to a disc should not be confused with copying an image file +to a disc. When burnt, the contents of the image file are copied over to the disc, +rather than the image file itself. +To burn an image, that is, to transfer the contents inside an image file +to a blank disc, open the Project ‣ New Project ‣ Burn Image. Brasero will +open the “Image Burning Setup” window. Click on the Click here to select +a disc image drop-down and the “Select Disc Image” window will appear. +Navigate your way to the image you wish to burn, click on it, and then click +Open. +In the Select a disc to write to drop-down menu, click on the disc to +which you’d like to write, then click Create Image. +Working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations +LibreOffice Suite is the default office suite when working with documents, +spreadsheets, and slide presentations. +Working with documents +If you need to work with documents, you can use the LibreOffice Word Pro- +The LibreOffice Word Processor is known as +LibreOffice Writer. LibreOffice Spreadsheet is +known as Calc, and LibreOffice Presentation is +known as Impress. +cessor. Writer has all the features you need from a modern, full-featured +word processing and desktop publishing tool including a built-in PDF cre- +ator. It also has the ability to save documents in several common formats, +such as “.doc” or “.txt” files. It’s simple enough for a quick memo, and yet +powerful enough to create complete books with contents, diagrams, in- +dexes, and more. You’re free to concentrate on your message, while Writer +will make it look great. To start the word processor, open the Dash and +search for LibreOffice Writer. Then select LibreOffice Writer. +Working with spreadsheets +If you need to work with spreadsheets, you can use LibreOffice Spreadsheet +(Calc). Calc is the spreadsheet program you’ve always needed. Newcomers +find it intuitive and easy to learn. Professional data miners and number +crunchers will appreciate the comprehensive range of advanced func- +tions. To start the spreadsheet application, open the Dash and search for +LibreOffice Calc. Then select LibreOffice Calc. +Working with presentations +If you need to work with slides for a presentation, you can use LibreOffice +Impress. Impress is a truly outstanding tool for creating effective multi- +media presentations. Your presentations can be enhanced with 2D and 3D +clip art, special effects and transition styles, animations, and high-impact +drawings. To start the presentation application, open the Dash and search +for LibreOffice Impress. Then select LibreOffice Impress. +Getting more help +Each of these applications come with a comprehensive set of help screens. +If you are looking for more assistance with these applications, press the F1 +key after starting the application. +4 +Hardware +Using your devices +Ubuntu supports a wide range of hardware, and support for new hardware +improves with every release. +Hardware identification +There are various ways to identify your hardware in Ubuntu. The easiest +would be to install an application from the Ubuntu Software application, +called Sysinfo. +Firstly, open the “Ubuntu Software” application, then use the search box +at the top of the window to search for sysinfo. Select the Application, click +Install. Enter your password when prompted, to install the application. +To run the application, search for Sysinfo at the Dash search bar. Click +on the program once you find it. The Sysinfo program will open a window +that displays information about the hardware in your system. +Displays +Hardware drivers +A driver is a piece of software which tells your computer how to communi- +cate with a piece of hardware. Every component in a computer requires a +driver to function, whether it’s the printer, dvd player, hard disk, or graph- +ics card. +The majority of graphics cards are manufactured by three well-known +Your graphics card is the component in your +computer which outputs to the display. +Whether you are watching videos on YouTube, +viewing DVDs, or simply enjoying the smooth +transition effects when you maximize/minimize +your windows, your graphics device is doing the +hard work behind the scenes. +companies: Intel, amd/ati, and nvidia Corp. You can find your video card +manufacturer by referring to your computer’s manual, by looking for the +specifications of your computer’s model on the Internet, by opening an +application such as Sysinfo, or by using the command lspci in a terminal. +The Ubuntu Software application houses a number of applications that can +tell you detailed system information. SysInfo, see the previous section, +is one such program that you can use to find relevant information about +your System devices. Ubuntu comes with support for graphics devices +manufactured by the above companies, and many others, out of the box. +That means you don’t have to find and install any drivers yourself, Ubuntu +takes care of it all. +Keeping in line with Ubuntu’s philosophy, the drivers that are used by +default for powering graphics devices are open source. This means that the +drivers can be modified by the Ubuntu developers and problems with them +can be fixed. However, in some cases a proprietary driver (restricted driver) +provided by the company may provide better performance or features that +are not present in the open source driver. In other cases, your particular +device may not be supported by any open source drivers yet. In those +scenarios, you may want to install the restricted driver provided by the +manufacturer. +For both philosophical and practical reasons, Ubuntu does not install +restricted drivers by default but allows the user to make an informed choice. +Remember that restricted drivers, unlike the open source drivers for your +80 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +device, are not maintained by Ubuntu. Problems caused by those drivers +will be resolved only when the manufacturer wishes to address them. To +see if restricted drivers are available for your system, go to System Settings, +then open Software and Updates and go to the Additional Drivers tab. If +a driver is provided by the company for your particular device, it will be +listed there. You can choose the proprietary driver for your graphics card, +then click on the Apply Changes button to enable the driver. This process +requires an active Internet connection and it will ask for your password. +Once installation is complete you may have to reboot your computer to +finish activating the driver. +The Ubuntu developers prefer open source drivers because they allow +Another useful resource is the official online +documentation (http://help.ubuntu.com), which +contains detailed information about various +graphics drivers and known problems. This +same documentation can be found by searching +for Help in the Dash search bar or by pressing +F1 on your keyboard. +any problem to be identified and fixed by anyone with knowledge within +the community. Ubuntu development is extremely fast and it is likely that +your device will be supported by open source drivers. You can use the +Ubuntu Live dvd to check your device’s compatibility with Ubuntu before +installing, or go online to the Ubuntu forums or to http://www.askubuntu. +com to ask about your particular device. +Setting up your screen resolution +One of the most common display related tasks is setting the correct screen +resolution for your desktop monitor or laptop. +Ubuntu correctly identifies your native screen resolution by itself and +Displays are made up of thousands of tiny +pixels. Each pixel displays a different color, +and when combined they all display the image +that you see. The native screen resolution is a +measure of the amount of actual pixels on your +display. +sets it for you. However, due to a wide variety of devices available, some- +times it can’t properly identify your resolution. +To set or check your screen resolution, go to System Settings ‣ Displays. +The “Displays” window automatically detects the type of display and shows +your display’s name and size. The screen resolution and refresh rate is set +to the recommended value by Ubuntu. If the recommended settings are +not to your liking, you can change them here. For example, to change the +resolution click on the triangle in the Resolution drop-down and choose +the resolution you want. Ubuntu 16.04 now includes HiDPI settings in the +System Settings Display module. You can now scale menu and title bars +according to your viewing needs. +Adding an extra display +Sometimes, you may want to add more than one display device to your +desktop, or you may want to add an external monitor to your laptop. Doing +this is quite simple. Whether it’s an extra monitor, lcd tv, or a projector, +Ubuntu can handle it all. Ubuntu supports the addition of multiple displays +by default, which is as easy as plug and play. +Ubuntu recognizes almost all the latest monitors, tvs and projectors +by default. Sometimes it may happen that your additional display is not +detected when you connect it to the machine. To resolve this, go to Sys- +tem Settings ‣ Displays and click on Detect Displays. This will detect the +monitors connected to the machine. This menu can also be found from the +Power Off menu on the top panel. You can also search for Displays at the +Dash search bar. +Now, there are two modes which you can enable for your displays. One +option is to spread your desktop across two or more monitors. This is par- +ticularly useful if you are working on multiple projects and need to keep +an eye on each of them at the same time. You can configure the screen to +be on any side of your primary screen i.e. to your right, your left or on the +hardware +81 +top (particularly nice if you are working on a large screen i.e. a big monitor +or a TV connected to your 12-13 inch laptop); just move the screen on the +Displays settings to the side of your choice. +The second option is to mirror the desktop onto each of the displays. +This is useful when you are using a laptop to display something on a larger +screen e.g. projector. To enable this option just check the box beside Mir- +ror displays and click Apply to save the settings. You will get a pop-up +notification asking if you want to keep the current setting or revert to the +previous setting. Click to keep the current setting. Starting from Ubuntu +12.04, you can also select whether you want the Unity Launcher in both the +displays or only in the primary display. Ubuntu 16.04 LTS inherited better +multi-monitor support for higher resolutions introduced in Ubuntu 13.04. +Connecting and using your printer +Ubuntu supports most new printers. You can add, remove, and change +printer properties by navigating to System Settings ‣ Printers. You can also +search for Printers from the Dash search bar. Opening Printers will display +the “Printers-localhost” window. +When you want to add a printer, you will need to make sure that it is +switched on, and plugged into your computer with a usb cable or connected +to your network. +Adding a local printer +If you have a printer that is connected to your computer with a usb cable +then this is termed a local printer. You can add a printer by clicking on the +Add Printer button. +In the left hand pane of the “New Printer” window any printers that you +can install will be listed. Select the printer that you would like to install and +click Forward. +You can now specify the printer name, description and location. Each of +If your printer can automatically do double +sided printing, it will probably have a duplexer. +Please refer to the instructions that came with +the printer if you are unsure. If you do have a +duplexer, make sure the Duplexer Installed +option is checked and then click the Forward +button. +these should remind you of that particular printer so that you can choose +the right one to use when printing. Finally, click Apply. +Adding a network printer +Make sure that your printer is connected to your network either with an +Ethernet cable or via wireless, and that it is turned on. You can add a printer +by opening Printers, and then clicking the Add button. The “New Printer” +window will open. Click on the small triangle next to Network Printer. +If your printer is found automatically it will appear under Network +Printer. Click the printer name and then click Forward. In the text fields +you can now specify the printer name, description and location. Each of +these should remind you of that particular printer so that you can choose +the right one to use when printing. Finally click Apply. +You can also add your network printer by entering the ip address of the +The default printer is the one that is automat- +ically selected when you print a file. To set a +printer as default, right-click the printer that +you want to set as default and then click Set As +Default. +printer. Select “Find Network Printer,” enter the ip address of the printer +in the box that reads Host: and press the Find button. Ubuntu will find the +printer and add it. Most printers are detected by Ubuntu automatically. If +Ubuntu cannot detect the printer automatically, it will ask you to enter the +make and model number of the printer. +82 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Changing printer options +Printer options allow you to change the printing quality, paper size and +media type. They can be changed by right-clicking a printer and choosing +Properties. The “Printer Properties” window will show; in the left pane, +select Printer Options. +You can now specify settings by changing the drop-down entries. Some +of the options that you might see are explained. +Media size +This is the size of the paper that you put into your printer tray. +Media source +This is the tray that the paper comes from. +Color Model +This is very useful if you want to print in Grayscale to save on ink, or to +print in Color, or Inverted Grayscale. +Media type +Depending on the printer you can change between: +‣ Plain Paper +‣ Automatic +‣ Photo Paper +‣ Transparency Film +‣ cd or dvd Media +Print quality +This specifies how much ink is used when printing, Fast Draft using the +least ink and High-Resolution Photo using the most ink. +Sound +Ubuntu usually detects the audio hardware automatically during installa- +tion. Audio in Ubuntu is provided by a sound server named PulseAudio. +The audio preferences are easily configurable with the help of a very easy to +use gui which comes preinstalled with Ubuntu. +Volume indicator and sound preferences +A volume icon is present on the top panel which provides quick access to a +number of audio related functions. When you click on the volume icon you +are greeted with four options: A mute option at the very top, a slider but- +ton which you can move horizontally to increase/decrease volume, another +slider button to increase/decrease the volume of the microphone, a shortcut +to the default music player, Rhythmbox, and an option for accessing the +Sound Settings. Selecting Sound Settings… opens up another window, which +provides access to options for changing input and output hardware prefer- +ences for speakers, microphones and headphones. It also provides options +for setting the volume level for each application. Sound Settings can also be +found from System Settings…. It is known as Sound. +hardware +83 +Output +The Output tab will have a list of all the sound cards available +By default, the volume in Ubuntu is set to +maximum during installation. +in your system. Usually there is only one listed; however, if you have a +graphics card which supports hdmi audio, it will also show up in the list. +The Output tab is used for configuring the output of audio. You can in- +If you change your sound output device, it will +remain as default. +crease/decrease and mute/unmute output volume and select your preferred +output device. If you have more than one output device, it will be listed in +the section which reads “Choose a device for sound output.” The default +output hardware, which is automatically detected by Ubuntu during instal- +lation will be selected. This section also allows you to change the balance +of sound on the left and right speakers of your desktop/laptop. A new op- +tion introduced in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS will allow you to increase the output +volume past 100. You need to check the box ”Allow louder than 100%”. +Input +The second tab is for configuring audio Input. You will be able to +A microphone is used for making audio/video +calls which are supported by applications like +Skype or Empathy. It can also be used for sound +recording. +You should note that by default in any Ubuntu +installation, the input sound for mic is either +very low or muted. You will have to manually +increase the volume or unmute the input to +enable your microphone to record sound or use +it during audio/video calls. +use this section when you have an in-built microphone in your system or +if you’ve plugged in an external microphone. You can also add a Bluetooth +headset to your input devices which can serve as a microphone. You can +increase/decrease and mute/unmute input volume from this tab. If there is +more than one input device, you will see them listed in the white box which +reads Choose a device for sound input. If you run VoIP applications such as +Skype, you will find the microphone slider just below the volume slider in +the top panel sound menu during a voice or video call. +Sound Effects +The third tab is Sound Effects. You can enable, disable, or +change the existing sound theme from this section. You can also change the +alert sounds for different events. +Applications +The Applications tab is for changing the volume for running +applications. This comes in handy if you have multiple audio applications +running, for example, if you have Rhythmbox, Totem Movie Player and a +web-based video playing at the same time. In this situation, you will be able +to increase/decrease, mute/unmute volume for each application from this +tab. +More functionality +The icon can control various aspects of the system, application volume +and music players like Rhythmbox, Banshee, Clementine and Spotify. The +volume indicator icon can now be easily referred to as the sound menu, +given the diverse functionality of the icon. Media controls available include +You can start and control the default music +player, Rhythmbox, by simply left clicking on +the sound menu and selecting Rhythmbox from +the list. Clicking the play button also starts the +player. +play/pause, previous track, and next track. You can also switch between +different playlists from the Choose Playlist option. If the current playing +song has album art, it will show up beside the name of the current track, +otherwise you will see only the details of the song. It displays the track +name, the artist name and the album name of the current track. +Using a webcam +Webcams often come built into laptops and netbooks. Some desktops, such +as Apple iMacs, have webcams built into their displays. If you purchase a +webcam because your computer doesn’t have its own, it will most likely +have a usb connection. To use a usb webcam, plug it into any empty usb +port of your desktop. +84 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Almost all new webcams are detected by Ubuntu automatically. You can +There are several applications which are useful +if you have a webcam. Cheese can capture +pictures with your webcam and VLC media +player can capture video from your webcam. +You can install these from the Ubuntu Software +application. +configure webcams for individual applications such as Skype and Empathy +from the application’s setup menu. For webcams which do not work right +away with Ubuntu, visit https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Webcam for help. +Scanning text and images +Scanning a document or an image is very simple in Ubuntu. Scanning is +handled by the application Simple Scan. Most of the time, Ubuntu will +simply detect your scanner and you should just be able to use it. To scan a +document, follow these steps: +1. Place what you want to scan on the scanner. +2. Click to open the Dash and enter scan. +3. Click on Simple Scan. +4. Click to choose between Text or Photo from Document ‣ Scan ‣ Text. +5. Click Scan. +6. Click the Paper Icon to add another page. +7. Click Save to save. +You can save the scanned documents and pictures in jpeg. You can also +save in pdf format to enable opening in Acrobat Reader. To do that, add the +extension .pdf at the end of the filename. +Troubleshooting your scanner +If your scanner is not detected, Ubuntu may give you a “No scanners de- +tected” message when trying to scan. There may be a reason why Ubuntu +cannot find your scanner. +‣ Simply unplug the scanner and plug it back in. If it is a newer usb scan- +ner, it is likely that it will just work. +‣ The driver for your scanner is not being automatically loaded. Restart +your system. It might help! +‣ Try restarting the scanner service. Open a terminal from the Dash and +type in sudo /etc/init.d/saned restart +‣ Your scanner is not supported in Ubuntu. The most common type +of scanner not supported is old parallel port or Lexmark All-in-One +printer/scanner/faxes. +‣ sane project listing of supported scanners. The sane (Scanner Access +Now Easy) project provides most of the back-ends to the scanning soft- +ware on Ubuntu. +‣ Check https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsScanners +to find out which scanners work with Ubuntu. +Keyboard and mouse +The keyboard and mouse are essential input devices for a large number +of computer users today. There are many different makes and models of +keyboards and mice, including lots of keyboards with support for different +languages. +In this section we will look at the different settings for your keyboard +and mouse. This will be of great use to international users. +hardware +85 +Keyboard +The keyboard is likely to be one of the main ways that you interact with +your computer. Unfortunately not all keyboards are uniform in design; +they can differ by country, by language or appearance. In Ubuntu 16.04, the +default language set for the keyboard now appears as an applet menu right +next to the Network Manager icon. Clicking on the keyboard applet menu +will show you what is the default language set for the keyboard and also +enable you to access three options: 1. Character Map 2. Keyboard Layout +3. Text Entry Settings…. +Figure 4.1: Keyboard applet menu. +Mouse and Touchpad +A mouse is another mode of input and goes hand in hand with the key- +board. Ubuntu supports all types of plug and play mice, including touch- +pads and trackballs. If you are planning to use a mouse with your laptop, +just plug it in and Ubuntu will recognize it instantly. +There is a settings menu under System Settings ‣ Mouse and Touch- +pad where you can change the mouse settings such as double-click speed, +pointer speed and left handed or right handed clicks. If you are using touch- +pad on your laptop/netbook you can also increase the sensitivity of your +touchpad. You can also enable horizontal, edge scrolling and two finger +scrolling on your laptop/netbook. +Multitouch and gesture support +Ubuntu has full support for multitouch gestures. This means that anyone +with a touch-enabled device or interface can use the multitouch features. +Once triggered, resizing and moving windows in touch-friendly devices can +be done using three fingered tap on an application window. +Ubuntu also supports two-finger scrolling similar to OS X laptops and +desktops. This setting can be enabled from System Setting ‣ Mouse and +Touchpad ‣ Touchpad. Select “Two-finger scrolling” from the Scrolling +options. You can also search for Mouse and Touchpad from the Dash search +bar and enable the option. Please note that enabling two finger scrolling +will disable edge scrolling. +Other devices +USB +usb ports are available as standard on almost all computers available now. +They are used to connect a multitude of devices to your computer. These +could include portable hard drives, flash drives, removable cd/dvd/Blu-ray +drives, printers, scanners and mobile phones. +When connected, flash drives and portable hard drives are automatically +detected—the file manager will open and display the contents of the drive. +You can then use the drives for copying data to and from the computer. +All new cameras, camcorders and mobile phone sd cards are automati- +cally detected by Ubuntu. These sd cards have different types of data, so a +window will appear with a drop-down menu to choose between video, au- +dio import and the file manager—you can choose your desired action from +this menu. +86 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Firewire +Firewire is a connection on some computers that allows you to transfer data +Firewire is officially known as IEEE 1394. It +is also known as the Sony i.LINK and Texas +Instruments Lynx. +from devices. This port is generally used by camcorders and digital cameras. +If you want to import video from your camcorder you can do so by +connecting your camcorder to the Firewire port. You will need to install a +To find out more about Kino, visit http://www. +kinodv.org/. +program called Kino which is available in Ubuntu Software. +Bluetooth +Bluetooth is a wireless technology that is widely used by different types of +devices to connect to each other. It is common to see a mouse or a keyboard +that supports Bluetooth. You can also find gps devices, mobile phones, +headsets, music players and many other devices that can connect to your +desktops or laptop and let you transfer data, listen to music, or play games +as an example. +If your computer has Bluetooth support then you should be able to see +a Bluetooth icon on the top panel, usually on the left side of the volume +icon. If you click on the Bluetooth icon it will open a drop down menu with +choices to Turn on/off Bluetooth, to Turn on/off visibility of the device, +setup access to a Bluetooth device and also access Bluetooth settings. +Figure 4.2: The Bluetooth applet menu. +The Bluetooth preferences can also be accessed from System Settings ‣ +Bluetooth. If you want to connect (pair) a new device—for example, to +have a mobile phone send pictures or videos to your computer—click on the +Bluetooth icon on the top panel and select Setup new device…. +Ubuntu will open a window for new device setup. When you click For- +ward, Ubuntu will show you how many Bluetooth devices are present near +your computer. The list of available devices might take a minute or so to +appear on the screen as your system scans for these devices. Each device +will be displayed as soon as it is found by Ubuntu. Once a device you’d like +to connect with appears in the list, click on it. Then, choose a pin number +by selecting PIN options. +Three predefined pin numbers are available, but you can also create a +When you pair two Bluetooth devices, you are +letting each device trust the other one. After +you pair two devices, they will automatically +connect to each other in the future without +requiring a PIN. +custom pin. You will need to enter this pin on the device you will be pairing +with Ubuntu. +Once the device has been paired, Ubuntu will open the “Setup com- +pleted” window. In Ubuntu, your computer is hidden by default for security +reasons. This means that your Ubuntu system can search other Bluetooth +devices, but others cannot find your Ubuntu system when they perform a +search on their own computer. If you would like to let another device find +your computer, you will have to explicitly allow your computer to be found. +To allow your computer to be found by other bluetooth devices, turn ’on’ +the “Visibility of yourcomputername” from System Settings ‣ Bluetooth. You +can also click on the Bluetooth icon and click on Visible to turn on visibility +which will make your computer discoverable. +You can also add a fancy name for your Bluetooth-enabled Ubuntu sys- +tem by changing the text under Friendly Name. +Another feature present in the Bluetooth icon menu is “Send files to +Android devices need to be paired at all times, +even while transferring files. +device.” Use this option to send a file to a mobile phone without pairing +with the computer. +5 +Software Management +Software management in Ubuntu +Installing software in Ubuntu extends the functionality and usability of this +operating system. This chapter describes the way Ubuntu manages software +installation and how it keeps all software current. +Package management system +Ubuntu and various other Linux variants use a collection of software tools +called a package management system, or package manager. A package man- +ager is a collection of tools that make installing, deleting, upgrading, and +configuring software easy. A package management system has a database +of software called a repository where individual software is arranged into +a collection called a package. These packages, apart from the software, +contain important information about the software itself, such as the soft- +ware’s name, description, version, name of the vendor, and a list of various +dependencies upon which the software relies for proper installation. +Most other operating systems require a user to purchase commercial +software (online or through a physical store) or search the Internet for +a free alternative (if one is available). The correct installation file must +then be verified for integrity, downloaded, and located on the computer, +followed by the user proceeding through a number of installation prompts +and options. A package management system removes the user interaction +from these steps and automates most, if not all, of the installation process. +Ubuntu comes with a package management system called Advanced +Packaging Tool or apt. +As discussed in Chapter 3: Working with Ubuntu, Ubuntu offers a wide +range of applications for your daily work. Ubuntu comes with a basic set +of applications for common tasks, like surfing the Internet, checking email, +listening to music, and organizing photos and videos. At times, you may +need an extra level of specialization. For example, you may want to retouch +your photos, run software for your business, or play new games. In each of +these cases, you can search for an application, install it, and use it—usually +with no extra cost. +Figure 5.1: Software Center icon +By default, Ubuntu provides a centralized point with two different ways +to browse the repositories for searching, installing, and removing software. +‣ The Ubuntu Software application +‣ Command line apt-get +Ubuntu Software makes searching, installing, and/or removing appli- +cations easy and convenient; it is most often the application management +system used by both beginning and expert Ubuntu users. We highly recom- +mend Ubuntu Software for searching, installing, and removing applications, +although you can still use the command-line application apt-get or install +and use the advanced application Synaptic Package Manager. Since soft- +ware in Ubuntu is delivered in the form of packages, software installation +becomes a one-click, one-step process when using the Ubuntu Software +application. +88 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Using Software Center +There are numerous ways to install software on an operating system. In +Ubuntu, the quickest and easiest way to find and install new applications +is through Ubuntu Software. Ubuntu Software is your very own store- +In Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu Software Center is +replaced by GNOME Software which has been +renamed as Ubuntu Software. Ubuntu Software +Center can still be installed optionally via +Ubuntu Software. +front and gives you instant access to thousands of great applications. Some +of these applications are free to download whereas others are available +commercially. Each application within Ubuntu Software comes with ratings +and reviews making it easier for you to decide which of the applications +you want to install. +To start Ubuntu Software, click on its icon in the Launcher, or click on +the Dash and search for Ubuntu Software. +Figure 5.2: You can install and remove appli- +cations from your computer using Ubuntu +Software. +Ubuntu Software can be used to install applications available in the of- +ficial Ubuntu repositories. The Ubuntu Software window has four sections +—Featured Application, Editor’s Picks, Recommended Applications and +Categories. Clicking on a category will take you to a list of related applica- +tions. For example, the Internet category contains the Firefox web browser +application. +At the top of the window there are three buttons. Click the All button +to go to Ubuntu Software’s main page, click the Installed button to see a +list of software already installed on your computer, or click Updates to see +available updates. +Find your application +If you are looking for an application, you may already know its specific +name (for example, vlc Media Player). Just type the name of the applica- +tion in the search box at the top of the window and Ubuntu Software will +show the application in the main window. Or you may just have a general +category in mind (for example, the Audio category includes a number of +different software applications, such as audio editors and music players). +To help you find the right application, you can browse the Ubuntu Soft- +ware catalog by clicking on the category reflecting the type of software you +software management +89 +seek. When you select a category, you will be shown a list of applications. +Most categories have sub-categories—for example, the Games category has +sub-categories such as Simulation, Action, Adventure, Card Games. To go +to a sub-category, select one in the left pane; Ubuntu Software will show all +available applications in this category in the main window. +Figure 5.3: Searching for an application in +Ubuntu Software. +Installing software +Once you have found an application you would like to try, installing it is +just one click away. +To install software: +1. Click the Install button. +2. After clicking Install, enter your password into the authentication win- +dow. This is the same password you use to log in to your account. You +are required to enter your password whenever installing or removing +software in order to prevent someone without administrator access from +making unauthorized changes to your computer. If you receive an Au- +thentication Failure message after typing in your password, check that +you typed it correctly and try again. +3. Wait until the package is finished installing. During the installation +of programs, you will see an animated icon of the application in the +Launcher. This animated icon shows the Progress of the installation. If +you like, you can go back to the main browsing window and choose +additional software packages to be installed by following the steps above. +Once Ubuntu Software has finished installing an application, it is ready +to be used. You can start the newly installed application by going to the +Dash and typing the name of the application in the search bar. +Removing software +Removing applications is very similar to installing software. First, find the +installed software in Ubuntu Software. You can click on the Installed button +90 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Figure 5.4: Here, clicking on “Install” will +download and install the package “Stellarium.” +to see all installed software listed in alphabetic order. Scroll down to the +application you wish to remove, then click on the Remove button. Before +actually removing the application, you get a dialog asking you if you are +sure you want to remove it. In this dialog you see two buttons, Cancel and +Remove. This way you can decide whether you really want to remove the +application, or cancel the action. +Figure 5.5: Here, clicking on “Remove” will +remove the package “SuperTuxKart.” +To remove software: +1. Click the Remove button to the right of the application you want to +remove. +2. Enter your password into the authentication window. Similar to in- +stalling software, removing software requires your password to help +software management +91 +protect your computer against unauthorized changes. After confirming +the remove action, the package will be removed. +Removing a package will also update your menus accordingly. +Software Recommendations +On its main page Ubuntu Software shows recommended software in The +“Recommended” section. The content of this section changes regularly. +Figure 5.6: Software Recommendations. +Managing additional software +Although Ubuntu Software provides a large library of applications from +which to choose, you may be interested in a particular application not avail- +able in these repositories. It is important to understand alternative methods +for accessing and installing software in Ubuntu, such as downloading an +installation file manually from the Internet, or adding extra repositories. +First, we will look at how to manage your repositories through Software & +Updates. +Software Sources +Ubuntu Software lists only those applications that are available in your +enabled repositories. Repositories can be added or removed through the +Software & Updates application. To open Software & Updates, simply open +System Settings and click on Software & Updates in the System section. +Figure 5.7: The Software & Updates program +enables you to add, remove and manage +package repositories. +Managing the official repositories +When you open Software & Updates, you will see the Ubuntu Software tab +where the first four options are enabled by default. +Canonical-supported free and open-source software (main) This repository +contains all the open-source packages maintained by Canonical. +92 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Community-maintained free and open-source software (universe) This reposi- +tory contains all the open-source packages developed and maintained by +the Ubuntu community. +Proprietary drivers for devices (restricted) This repository contains propri- +etary drivers which may be required to utilize the full capabilities of +some of your devices or hardware. +Figure 5.8: Drivers can be installed or removed +via the Additional Drivers application. +Software restricted by copyright or legal issues (multiverse) This repository +contains software possibly protected from use in some states or countries +by copyright or licensing laws. By using this repository, you assume +responsibility for the usage of any packages that you install. +Source code This repository contains the source code used to build software +packages from some of the other repositories. Building applications from +source is an advanced process for creating packages, and usually only +concerns developers. The Source code option should not be selected +unless you have experience with building applications from source. +Selecting the best software server +To distribute applications and software, Ubuntu grants permission to many +servers all across the world to act as official mirrors to host an exact copy of +all the files contained in the official Ubuntu repositories. +When selecting a server, you may want to consider the following: +Distance to server. This will affect the speed you can achieve with the file +server—the closer the server to your location, the faster the potential +connection. +Internet Service Provider. Some Internet service providers offer low-cost or +unlimited free downloads from their own servers. +Quality of server. Some servers may only offer downloads at a capped +speed, limiting the rate at which you can install and update software on +your computer. +Ubuntu will automatically choose an appropriate server while installing. +It is recommended these settings not be changed unless your physical loca- +tion significantly changes or if you feel a higher speed should be achieved +by your Internet connection. The guide below will help in choosing an +optimal server. +Ubuntu provides a tool for selecting the server that provides the fastest +connection with your computer. +1. Click the dropdown box next to “Download from:” in the Software & +Updates window. +software management +93 +Figure 5.9: You can use automatic selection or +choose a server manually. +2. Select “Other…” from the list. +3. In the “Choose a Download Server” window, click the Select Best Server +button in the upper-right. Your computer will now attempt a connection +with all the available servers, then select the one with the fastest speed. +If you are happy with the automatic selection, click Choose Server to +return to the Software & Updates window. +If you are not happy with the automatic selection or prefer not to use +the tool, the fastest server is often the closest server to you geographically. +In this case, simply choose “Other” then find the nearest location to your +location. When you are happy with the selection, click Choose Server to +return to the Software & Updates window. +If you do not have a working Internet connection, updates and programs +can be installed from the installation media itself by inserting your media +and clicking the box under “Installable from cd-rom/dvd.” Once this box is +checked, the media within the cd-rom/dvd drive will function as an online +repository, and the software on the media will be installable from Ubuntu +Software. +Adding more software repositories +Ubuntu makes it easy to add additional third-party repositories to your list +of software sources. The most common repositories added to Ubuntu are +called ppas. A ppa is a Personal Package Archive. These are online reposito- +ries used to host the latest versions of software packages, digital projects, +and other applications. ppas allow you to install software packages that are +not available in the official repositories. ppas also allow you to automati- +cally be notified whenever updates for these packages are available. +If you know the web address of a ppa’s Launchpad site, adding it to your +list of software sources is relatively simple. To do so, you will need to use +the Other Software tab in the “Software & Updates” window. +On the Launchpad site for a ppa, you will see a heading to the left called +“Adding this PPA to your system.” Underneath will be a short paragraph +containing a unique url in the form of ppa:test-ppa/example. Highlight this +url by selecting it with your mouse, then right-click and select Copy. +Return to the “Software & Updates” window, and in the Other Software +tab, click Add… at the bottom. A new window will appear, and you will +see the words “Apt line:” followed by a text field. Right-click on the empty +space in this text field and select Paste. You should see appear the url you +copied from the ppa’s Launchpad site earlier. Click Add Source to return +to the “Software & Updates” window. You will see a new entry has been +added to the list of sources in this window with a selected check box in +front (meaning it is enabled). +94 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Figure 5.10: This is an example of the Launch- +pad page for the Sublime Text PPA. Sublime +Text is an application that is not available in +the official Ubuntu repositories. However, +by adding this PPA to your list of software +sources, it will be easy to install and update +this application through the Ubuntu Software +application. +If you click Close in the bottom right corner of this window, a message +will appear informing you that “The information about available software +is out-of-date.” This is because you have just added a new repository to +Ubuntu, and it now needs to connect to that repository and download a list +of the packages it provides. Click Reload, and wait while Ubuntu refreshes +all of your enabled repositories (including this new one you just added). +When it has finished, the window will close automatically. +Congratulations, you have just added a ppa to your list of software +sources. You can now open Ubuntu Software and install applications from +this ppa in the same way you previously installed applications from the +default Ubuntu repositories. +Manual software installation +Although Ubuntu has extensive software available, you may want to man- +ually install a software package not available in the repositories. If no ppa +exists for the software, you will need to install it manually. Before you +choose to do so, make sure you trust the package and its maintainer. +Packages in Ubuntu have a .deb extension. Double-clicking a package +will open an overview page in Ubuntu Software which will give you more +information about that package. +The overview provides technical information about that package, a +website link (if applicable), and the option to install. Clicking Install will +install the package just like any other installation in Ubuntu Software. +Updates and upgrades +Ubuntu also allows you to decide how to manage package updates through +the Updates tab in the Software & Updates window. +software management +95 +Figure 5.11: Installing .deb files manually using +Ubuntu Software. +Ubuntu updates +In this section, you are able to specify the kinds of updates you wish to +install on your system. The type of update usually depends upon your +preferences with regards to system stability versus having access to the +latest developments. +Figure 5.12: You can update installed software +by using the Software Updater application in +Ubuntu. +Important security updates (xenial-security) These updates are highly rec- +ommended to ensure your system remains as secure as possible. These +updates are enabled by default. +Recommended updates (xenial-updates) These updates are not as important +in keeping your system secure. Rather, updates listed in this section will +keep your software updated with the most recent bug fixes or minor +updates that have been tested and approved. This option is also enabled +by default. +Unsupported updates (xenial-backports) These are updates that have not +yet been fully tested and reviewed by Canonical. Some bugs may occur +when using these updates, and so this option is also not enabled by +default. +96 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +An additional option “Pre-released updates (xenial-proposed)” has been moved +to a separate tab Developer Options. This option is for those who would rather +remain up-to-date with the very latest releases of applications at the risk of in- +stalling an update that has unresolved bugs or conflicts. Note that it is possible +you will encounter problems with these updated applications, therefore, this +option is not enabled by default. +Automatic updates +The middle section of this window allows you to customize how your sys- +tem manages updates, such as the frequency with which it checks for new +packages, as well as whether it should install important updates right away +(without asking for your permission), download them only, or just notify +you about them. +Release upgrade +At the bottom of the Updates tab in the Software & Updates window, you +will see a dropdown box labeled Notify me of a new Ubuntu version:. This +option allows you to tell Ubuntu how you would like to handle release +updates. This dropdown box contains the following options for notification: +Never Choose this option if you would rather not be notified about any +new Ubuntu releases. +For any new version Choose this option if you always want to have the +latest Ubuntu release, regardless of whether it is a long-term support +release or not. This option is recommended for normal home users. +For long-term support versions Choose this option if you need a release +that will be more stable and have support for a longer time. If you use +Ubuntu for business purposes, you may want to consider selecting this +option. +Canonical will release a new version of the Ubuntu operating system ev- +ery six months. Almost every release is a normal release. However, every +fourth release—or every 2 years—Canonical releases a long-term support +(lts) version of the operating system. Long-term support releases are +intended to be the most stable releases available and are supported for a +longer period of time. Ubuntu 16.04 is an LTS release. Ubuntu 16.10 will +be a normal release. +6 +Advanced Topics +Ubuntu for advanced users +To this point, we’ve provided detailed instructions on getting the most from +Ubuntu’s basic features. In this chapter, we’ll detail some of Ubuntu’s more +advanced features—like the terminal, a powerful utility that can help you +accomplish tasks without the need for a graphical user interface (gui). We’ll +also discuss some advanced security measures you can implement to make +your computer even safer. +This chapter has been written with advanced users in mind. If you’re +new to Ubuntu, don’t feel as though you’ll need to master these topics to +get the most out of your new software (you can easily skip to the next chap- +ter without any adverse impact to your experience with Ubuntu). However, +if you’re looking to expand your knowledge of Ubuntu, we encourage you +to keep reading. +Introduction to the terminal +Throughout this manual, we have focused primarily on the GUI. In order +to fully realize the power of Ubuntu, you will need to learn how to use the +terminal. +What is the terminal? +Most operating systems, including Ubuntu, have two types of user inter- +faces. The first is a GUI. This is the desktop, windows, menus, and toolbars +you click to get things done. The second, much older type of interface is the +command-line interface (cli). +The terminal is Ubuntu’s CLI. It is a method of controlling some aspects +of Ubuntu using only commands that you type on the keyboard. +Why would I want to use the terminal? +You can perform most day-to-day activities without ever needing to open +the terminal. However, the terminal is a powerful and invaluable tool that +can be used to perform many useful tasks you might not be able to accom- +plish with a GUI. For example: +‣ Troubleshooting any difficulties that may arise when using Ubuntu +sometimes requires you to use the terminal. +‣ A command-line interface is sometimes a faster way to accomplish a +task. For example, it is often easier to perform operations on many files +concurrently using the terminal. +‣ Learning the command-line interface is the first step towards more +advanced troubleshooting, system administration, and software develop- +ment skills. If you are interested in becoming a developer or an advanced +Ubuntu user, knowledge of the command-line is essential. +98 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Opening the terminal +You can open the terminal by clicking Dash then searching for word “term”. +You’ll see an application named terminal. Click on this application to open +a terminal. Alternatively, you can open the terminal by hitting Ctrl+Alt+T +simultaneously. +The terminal gives you access to what is called a shell. When you type +a command in the terminal, the shell interprets this command, resulting in +the desired action. Different types of shells accept slightly different com- +mands. The most popular is called “bash,” and is the default shell in Ubuntu. +When the terminal window opens, it will be largely blank with the excep- +tion of some text at the top left of the screen, followed by a blinking block, +known as a cursor. This text is your prompt—it displays, by default, your +login name and your computer’s name, followed by the current directory. +The tilde (~) means that the current directory is your home directory. Fi- +nally, the blinking block is called the cursor—this marks where text will be +entered as you type. +To test a terminal command, type pwd and press Enter. The terminal +should display /home/yourusername. This text is called the “output.” You +have just used the pwd (print working directory) command, which outputs +(displays) the current directory. +Figure 6.1: The default terminal window allows +you to run hundreds of useful commands. +All commands in the terminal follow the same approach: Type a com- +mand, possibly followed by some parameters, and press Enter to perform +the specified action. Parameters (also called switches) are extra segments +of text, usually added at the end of a command, that change how the com- +mand itself is interpreted. These usually take the form of -h or --help, for +example. In fact, --help can be added to most commands to display a short +description of the command, as well as a list of any other parameters that +can be used with that command. +Often, some type of output will be displayed confirming the action was +completed successfully, although this can depend on the command being +executed. For example, using the cd command to change your current direc- +tory (see above) will change the prompt but will not display any output. +The rest of this chapter covers some very common uses of the termi- +nal. Throughout the second part of this manual, we will continue to refer +to the command line, particularly when discussing steps involved in trou- +bleshooting as well as when describing more advanced management of your +computer. +advanced topics +99 +Ubuntu file system structure +Ubuntu uses the Linux file system, which is based on a series of folders +in the root directory. These folders contain important system files that +cannot be modified unless you are running as the root user or use sudo. This +restriction exists for both security and safety reasons; computer viruses will +not be able to change the core system files, and ordinary users should not +be able to accidentally damage anything vital. +Figure 6.2: Some of the most important +directories in the root file system. +We begin our discussion of the Ubuntu file system structure at the top +—also known as the root directory—as denoted by /. The root directory +contains all other directories and files on your system. Below the root +directory are the following essential directories: +/bin and /sbin Many essential system applications (equivalent to C:\Windows). +/etc System-wide configuration files. +/home Each user will have a subdirectory to store personal files (for +example, /home/yourusername) which is equivalent to C:\Users or +C:\Documents and Settings in Microsoft Windows. +/lib Library files, similar to .dll files on Windows. +/media Removable media (cd-roms and usb drives) will be mounted in this +directory. +/root This contains the root user’s files (not to be confused with the root +directory). +/usr Pronounced “user,” it contains most program files (not to be con- +fused with each user’s home directory). This is equivalent to C:\Program +Files in Microsoft Windows. +/var/log Contains log files written by many applications. +Every directory has a path. The path is a directory’s full name—it de- +scribes a way to navigate the directory from anywhere in the system. +For example, the directory /home/yourusername/Desktop contains all the +files that are on your Ubuntu desktop. It can be broken down into a handful +of key pieces: +‣ /—indicates that the path starts at the root directory +‣ home/—from the root directory, the path goes into the home directory +‣ yourusername/—from the home directory, the path goes into the you- +rusername directory +‣ Desktop—from the yourusername directory, the path ends up in the +Desktop directory +100 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Every directory in Ubuntu has a complete path that starts with the / (the +root directory) and ends in the directory’s own name. +Directories and files that begin with a period are hidden. These are +usually only visible with a special command or by selecting a specific op- +tion. In the Files file manager, you can show hidden files and directories +by selecting the Show Hidden Files option in the View menu. Hidden files +can also be shown by simply pressing Ctrl+H in the Files file manager. If +you are using the terminal, then you would type ls -a and press Enter +to see the hidden files and directories. There are many hidden directo- +ries in your home folder used to store program preferences. For example, +/home/yourusername/.thunderbird stores preferences used by the Thun- +derbird mail application. +Mounting and unmounting removable devices +Any time you add storage media to your computer—an internal or external +hard drive, a usb flash drive, a cd-rom—it needs to be mounted before it is +accessible. Mounting a device means to associate a directory name with the +device, allowing you to navigate to the directory to access the device’s files. +When a device, such as a usb flash drive or a media player, is mounted in +Ubuntu, a folder is automatically created for it in the media/yourusername +directory, and you are given the appropriate permissions to be able to read +and write to the device. +Most file managers will automatically add a shortcut to the mounted +device in the side bar of your home folder or as a shortcut directly on the +desktop so that the device is easily accessible. You shouldn’t have to physi- +cally navigate to the media directory in Ubuntu unless you choose to do so +from the command line. +When you’ve finished using a device, you can unmount it. Unmounting a +device disassociates the device from its directory, allowing you to eject it. If +you disconnect or remove a storage device before unmounting it, you may +lose data. +Securing Ubuntu +Now that you know a bit more about using the command line, we can use it +to make your computer more secure. The following sections discuss various +security concepts, along with procedures for keeping your Ubuntu running +smoothly, safely, and securely. +Why Ubuntu is safe +Ubuntu is secure by default for a number of reasons: +‣ Ubuntu clearly distinguishes between normal users and administrative +users. +‣ Software for Ubuntu is kept in a secure online repository containing no +false or malicious software. +‣ Open-source software like Ubuntu allows security flaws to be easily +detected. +‣ Security patches for open-source software like Ubuntu are often released +quickly. +‣ Many viruses designed to primarily target Windows-based systems do +not affect Ubuntu systems. +advanced topics +101 +Just because Ubuntu implements strong security model by default doesn’t +mean the user can “throw caution to the wind.” Care should always be +taken when downloading files, opening email, and browsing the Internet. +Using a good antivirus program is warranted as well. +Basic security concepts +The following sections discuss basic security concepts—like file permissions, +passwords, and user accounts. Understanding these concepts will help you +in securing your computer. +Permissions +In Ubuntu, files and folders can be set up so that only specific users can +view, modify, or run them. For instance, you might wish to share an impor- +tant file with other users, but do not want those users to be able to edit the +file. Ubuntu controls access to files on your computer through a system of +“permissions.” Permissions are settings configured to control exactly how +files on your computer are accessed and used. +To learn more about modifying permissions, visit https://help.ubuntu. +com/community/FilePermissions. +Passwords +You should use a strong password to increase the security of your computer. +Your password should not contain names, common words, or common +phrases. By default, the minimum length of a password in Ubuntu is four +characters. We recommend a password with more than the minimum num- +ber of characters. A password with a minimum of eight characters which +includes both upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols is consid- +ered strong. +Locking the screen +When you leave your computer unattended, you may want to lock the +screen. Locking your screen prevents another user from using your com- +puter until your password is entered. To lock the screen: +‣ Click the session menu icon in the right corner of the top panel, then +select Lock/Switch Account…, or +‣ Press Ctrl+Alt+L to lock the screen. This keyboard shortcut can be +changed by going to Session Indicator ‣ System Settings… ‣ Keyboard ‣ +Shortcuts and then selecting System from the list in the left column and +clicking on Lock Screen in the right column. +Users and groups +User accounts +When Ubuntu is installed, it is automatically configured for use by a single +user. If more than one person will use the computer, each person should +have his or her own user account. This way, each user can have separate +settings, documents, and other files. If necessary, you can also protect files +from being viewed or modified by users without administrative privileges. +102 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Like most operating systems, Ubuntu allows you to create separate user +accounts for each person. Ubuntu also supports user groups, which allows +you to administer permissions for multiple users at the same time. +Every user in Ubuntu is a member of at least one group. At a bare min- +imum, the user of the computer has permissions in a group with the same +name as the user. A user can also be a member of additional groups. You +can configure some files and folders to be accessible only by a user and a +group. By default, a user’s files are only accessible by that user, and system +files are only accessible by the root user. +Figure 6.3: Add, remove and change the user +accounts. +Managing users +If the account you are using is an administrator account, you can manage +users and groups using the Users and Groups administration application. +To find this application, click Session Indicator ‣ System Settings… ‣ User +Accounts. Then click the Unlock button and enter your password to unlock +the user settings. Next, select the user that you want to modify from the list. +Then click on the element that you want to change. +Adding a user +Click the + button underneath the list of the current user +accounts. A window will appear with three fields. The Account Type field +contains a list of user account types. Take care in determining what type +of account to assign a user. An Administrator has full access to all areas +of Ubuntu, whereas the Standard account type is more limited. The Full +Name field contains a friendly display name. The Username field is for the +actual username. As you enter the user’s full name, the Username field +will automatically fill with a lowercase, no space version of the user’s full +name. If you prefer to use a different username for this user, highlight +the existing username and type in the username of your choice. Once all +fields are filled in, click Add. The new user will be added to the list of user +accounts. New accounts are disabled by default. To enable an account, click +the Account disabled field next to the Password label. A new window will +appear allowing you to set the password for the new user. +At the top of the new window is a dropdown menu next to the label +Action. By default, the “set a password now” option will be automatically +selected. You may also choose “log in without a password”, however, this +is not advised as the account will be available to anyone. The final option, +“enable this account” is available once a password has been set. Using this +option allows an administrator to enable or disable an account without +losing the password. +advanced topics +103 +Ubuntu provides a way to create a secure password by clicking the gears +button located inside of the New password field. A random sequence of +numbers, letters, and symbols will be entered into this field. You can also +simply enter a password of your choosing by entering it into the New +password field. Then, re-enter this same password into the space next to +Confirm password. +Ubuntu enforces the password policies on this screen, so pay attention to the +status information located between the New password and Confirm password +fields for information about the password you’re setting. If there are problems +with the password, Ubuntu will tell you what is wrong with the password and +will prevent you from entering the same password into the Confirm password +field until the new password meets the requirements. +Modifying a user +Click on the name of a user in the list of users, then click +on the text entry next to any of the following options: +‣ Account type: +‣ Language: +‣ Password: +‣ Automatic Login: +You may also change the username by clicking on the username at the top +and entering a new name. +Deleting a user +Select a user from the list and click -. Ubuntu will deacti- +vate the user’s account, and you can choose whether to remove the user’s +home folder or leave it in place. If a user is removed and the user’s files re- +main, the only user who can access the files are the root user—also known +as the superuser—or anyone associated with the file’s group. +Managing groups +Group management is accomplished through the command line (Terminal) +or by adding third-party applications (the latter is beyond the scope of this +manual). You will find more information in the section below titled “Using +the command line”. +Adding a group +To add a group, type sudo addgroup groupname and press +Enter, replacing groupname with the name of the group you wish to add. +For example, sudo addgroup ubuntuusers will add the group ubuntuusers +to the list of groups. +Modifying a group +To alter the users in an existing group, type sudo +adduser username groupname to add a user, or sudo deluser username +groupname to remove a user, and press Enter, replacing username and +groupname in these commands with the actual user and group name with +which you’re working. +Deleting a group +To delete a group, type sudo delgroup groupname and +press Enter, replacing groupname with the name of the group you wish to +delete. +104 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Applying groups to files and folders +To change the group associated with a file or folder, open the Files file man- +ager and navigate to the appropriate file or folder. Then, either select the +menu Files and choose Properties, or right-click on the file or folder and +select Properties. In the Properties dialog window, click on the Permissions +tab and select the desired group from the Groups drop-down list. Then +close the window. +Using the command line +You can also modify user and group settings via the command line, but +we recommend you use the graphical method above unless you have a +good reason to use the command line. For more information on using the +command line to modify users and groups, see the Ubuntu Server Guide at +https://help.ubuntu.com/13.04/serverguide/user-management.html. +System updates +Good security happens with an up-to-date system. Ubuntu provides free +software and security updates. You should apply these updates regularly. +See Updates and upgrades to learn how to update your Ubuntu computer +with the latest security updates and patches. +Trusting third party sources +Normally, you will add applications to your computer via Ubuntu Software +which downloads software from the Ubuntu repositories as described in +Chapter 5: Software Management. However, it is occasionally necessary +to add software from other sources. For example, you may need to do this +when an application is not available in the Ubuntu repositories or when +you need a version of software newer than what is currently in the Ubuntu +repositories. +Additional repositories are available from sites such as http://www. +getdeb.net and Launchpad ppas which can be added as described in Soft- +ware Sources. You can download the deb packages for some applications +from their respective project sites on the Internet. Alternatively, you can +build applications from their source code. +Using only recognized sources, such as a project’s site, ppa or various +community repositories (such as http://www.getdeb.net), is more secure +than downloading applications from an arbitrary (and perhaps less rep- +utable) source. When using a third party source, consider its trustworthi- +ness, and be sure you know exactly what you’re installing on your com- +puter. +Firewall +A firewall is an application that protects your computer against unautho- +rized access by people on the Internet or your local network. Firewalls +block connections to your computer from unknown sources. This helps +prevent security breaches. +Uncomplicated Firewall (ufw) is the standard firewall configuration pro- +gram in Ubuntu. It runs from the command line, but a program called Gufw +allows you to use it with a graphical user interface gui. See Chapter 5: +Software Management to learn more about installing the Gufw package. +advanced topics +105 +Once Gufw is installed, start Gufw by clicking Dash ‣ Applications ‣ +Firewall configuration. To enable the firewall, select the Enable option. By +default, all incoming connections are denied. This setting should be suitable +for most users. +If you are running server software on your Ubuntu system (such as a +web server, or an ftp server), then you will need to open the ports these +services use. If you have no need to run any server applications or services, +you will likely not need to open any additional ports. +To open a port click on the Add button. For most purposes, the Precon- +figured tab is sufficient. Select Allow from the first box and then select the +program or service required. +The Simple tab can be used to allow access on a single port, and the +Advanced tab can be used to allow access on a range of ports. +Encryption +You may wish to protect your sensitive personal data—for instance, finan- +cial records—by encrypting it. Encrypting a file or folder essentially “locks” +that file or folder by encoding it with an algorithm that keeps it scrambled +until it is properly decoded with a password. Encrypting your personal data +ensures that no one can open your personal folders or read your private +data without your authorization through the use of a private key. +Ubuntu includes a number of tools to encrypt files and folders. This +chapter will discuss two of them. For further information on using en- +cryption with either single files or email, see Ubuntu Community Help +documents at https://help.ubuntu.com/community. +Home folder +When installing Ubuntu, it is possible to encrypt a user’s home folder. See +Chapter 1: Installation for more on encrypting the home folder. +Private folder +If you have not chosen to encrypt a user’s entire home folder, it is possible +to encrypt a single folder—called Private—in a user’s home folder. To do +this, follow these steps: +1. In the terminal, install the ecryptfs-utils software package using the +command sudo apt install ecryptfs-utils. +2. Use the terminal to run ecryptfs-setup-private to set up the private +folder. +3. Enter your account’s password when prompted. +4. Either choose a mount passphrase or generate one. +5. Record both passphrases in a safe location. These are required if you ever +have to recover your data manually. +6. Log out and log back in to mount the encrypted folder. +After the Private folder has been set up, any files or folders in it will +automatically be encrypted. +If you need to recover your encrypted files manually see https://help. +ubuntu.com/community/EncryptedPrivateDirectory. +106 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Running Windows Programs on Ubuntu +As many Windows users will know, some programs that you can use on a +Windows system cease to work on Ubuntu. For example, LibreOffice works +on both Windows and Ubuntu systems, but Microsoft Office works only on a +Windows system. Since many Windows users who use Ubuntu want all of +their Windows programs back, many programmers have worked together to +create Wine. Wine is an acronym for “Wine Is Not an Emulator”. +This section will discuss what Wine is, and how to use it on your Ubuntu +installation. For recent information about Wine, please visit the official +Wine website at http://www.winehq.org. +What is Wine? +Wine is a background application that allows Linux and OS X users to +install and run Windows programs on their system. While not every Win- +dows program is compatible with Wine, many programs seem to be com- +pletely compatible with Wine while running on Linux or OS X. For example, +Microsoft Office may not be compatible without installing additional com- +ponents (such as Microsoft.NET Framework 4.0). The current stable version +of Wine is 1.8.2, and the most recent development version is 1.9.8. +Installing Wine +To install Wine Version 1.8.2, follow the following steps: +If you have a previous version of Wine installed, uninstall Wine before continuing +using the command, sudo apt remove --purge wine1.* winetricks && sudo +apt-get autoremove +1. Open the terminal and type: sudo apt-add-repository ppa:ubuntu- +wine/ppa. This will install the Official Wine ppa. +2. After the terminal has finished installing the Wine ppa, type: sudo apt +update. This will update the ppa list. +3. Once the terminal has finished refreshing the ppa list, type: sudo apt +install -y wine1.8 winetricks. This will install Wine 1.8.2 and Winet- +ricks. Winetricks is a software center for Wine, and is, in most cases, +optional. +Figure 6.4: The Terminal showing the installa- +tion of the Wine PPA. +During the installation of Wine and Winetricks, you will have to ac- +cept the Microsoft End User License Agreement and the Microsoft Core +advanced topics +107 +Fonts License Agreement so that the Microsoft fonts and native files can be +installed. +Figure 6.5: The Microsoft Core Fonts EULA +dialog opened in the Terminal. +When accepting the Microsoft Core Fonts License Agreement, the Ok +button is not highlighted. To highlight and accept the Microsoft EULA, +press the Tab key and then the Enter key. The Microsoft End User License +Agreement will be shown after you accept the Microsoft Core Fonts EULA. +By default, the No button is highlighted. To highlight the Yes button and +accept the Microsoft EULA, press the Tab key and then the Enter key. +Figure 6.6: The Microsoft Core Fonts EULA +dialog opened in the Terminal. +Please Note: It is recommended to reboot your system after installing +Wine and Winetricks, although this is not always required. +Configuring Wine +Wine 1.8.2 contains many features that will change the look and feel of the +Windows applications you are trying to run. For example, you can change +the theme of the Windows interface, and what version of Windows you +would like to run (from Windows 2.0 to Windows 8). +To change these settings, open the Dash and search for Configure Wine. +Then, open the application. You may see a dialog asking you to install the +packages Mono and Wine Gecko. You can either press the Install button, or +go to the Wine website for details. +Application Tab +In the Application tab, you can change the way Wine +runs applications. Some Windows programs work only for specific versions +of Windows. This feature allows you to change the version of Windows +Wine will run as for a specific application, or for all of them to run under +one version. +108 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Figure 6.7: The Wine configuration open to the +Application Tab. +Libraries Tab +In the Libraries tab, you can change core Windows files, +to suit your needs. Many Windows programs install dll files, or Dynamic +Link Libraries. These files contain all of the information needed for an +application to work on a Windows system. Many dll files are needed for +a Windows system to run, and are different between versions of Windows. +In this feature, you may edit or replace existing dll files. This allows you to +change the Windows System files, to suit you needs. +These files should not be edited. These are core files needed for Wine to run +correctly. Only edit these files if you have to. +Graphics Tab +In the Graphics tab, you can change the look and feel of +how Wine runs. You can make Wine emulate a Virtual Desktop (this feature +opens a new window that will contain any Windows application that is +currently running while this option is in effect), how the applications look, +and what resolution to run the application in. +Desktop Integration Tab +In the Desktop Integration tab, you can change +the way buttons, menus, and other elements appear in an application. Each +version of Windows has brought its own unique visual style for its ap- +plications. In this feature, you can install and change the applied theme. +In this tab, you can also change major file folders. For example, while +using Ubuntu, your picture folder is located at /home/user/Pictures/ +but in Windows, your picture folder is located at C:\Documents and Set- +tings\User\My Documents\My Pictures\ or C:\Users\User\My Pictures\. +This feature allows you tell Wine where your folders are, for quick refer- +ence. +Drives Tab +In the Drives tab, you can manage the connected drives that +Wine will be able to access. Unlike Ubuntu, Windows applies a Drive Letter +to each drive. This letter identifies the drive. For example, on every Win- +dows system, the C: drive is the core drive. It contains all of the needed files +for the operating system to work. The C: drive is the equivalent to root (File +System, or / ) in Ubuntu. This feature allows you to change the drive letters +for any drive, or add a drive letter for a specific folder in your file system, or +for a cd drive. +advanced topics +109 +Audio Tab +In the Audio tab, you can change the audio settings. This fea- +ture allows you to change the audio source that Wine will use for Windows +applications (speakers, microphones, etc.). +About Tab +In the About tab, you can see the current Wine version you +have installed, including Wine’s note to all users. This feature also allows +you to add a Name and Company Name to the Windows information. Ap- +plications use this information to identify you by name. +Microsoft .NET Framework and Wine +Microsoft has created many programs that are needed to run commonly +used applications, Microsoft .NET Framework being the most common. .NET +Framework is needed to run most of the newer applications created by +Microsoft, and by other companies as well. Wine is not fully supported by +all versions of .NET, but is compatible with most versions. Here is a list of +.NET versions, and their compatibility with Wine: +‣ .NET Framework 1.0 +‣ .NET Framework 1.1 +‣ .NET Framework 2.0 +‣ .NET Framework 3.0 +‣ .NET Framework 3.5 +‣ .NET Framework 4.0 +‣ .NET Framework 4.5* +* This framework has known issues running +under Wine and is, in most cases, installable and +stable enough to use for most applications. +‣ .NET Framework 4.5.1** +** This framework has not been tested using a +current version of Wine running on Ubuntu, so it +is unknown if it will be compatible or not. Use at +your own risk. +‣ .NET Framework 4.5.2** +For more compatibility information about installing and running Mi- +crosoft .NET Framework using Wine, go to: http://appdb.winehq.org/ +objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=2586. +7 +Troubleshooting +Resolving problems +Sometimes things may not work as they should. Luckily, problems encoun- +tered while working with Ubuntu are often easily fixed. This chapter is +meant as a guide for resolving basic problems users may encounter while +using Ubuntu. If you need any additional help beyond what is provided +in this chapter, take a look at other support options that are discussed in +Finding additional help and support later in this book. +Troubleshooting guide +The key to effective troubleshooting is to work slowly, complete all of the +troubleshooting steps, and to document the changes you made to the utility +or application you are using. This way, you will be able to undo your work, +or give fellow users the information about your previous attempts—the +latter is particularly helpful in cases when you look to the community of +Ubuntu users for support. +Ubuntu fails to start after I’ve installed Windows +Occasionally you may install Ubuntu and then decide to install Microsoft +Windows as a second operating system running side-by-side with Ubuntu. +This is supported in Ubuntu, but you might also find after installing Win- +dows that you will no longer be able to start Ubuntu. +When you first turn on your computer, a “bootloader” is responsible for +initiating the start of an operating system, such as Ubuntu or Windows. +A bootloader is the initial software that loads +the operating system when the computer is +powered up. +When you installed Ubuntu, you automatically installed an advanced +bootloader called grub. grub allows you to choose between the various +operating systems installed on your computer, such as Ubuntu, Windows, +Solaris, or OS X. If Windows is installed after Ubuntu, the Windows instal- +lation removed grub and replaced the bootloader with it’s own. As a result, +you can no longer choose an operating system to use. You can restore grub +and regain the ability to choose your operating system by following the +steps below, using the same dvd you used to install Ubuntu. +First, insert your Ubuntu dvd into your computer and then restart the +computer, making sure to instruct your computer to boot from the dvd +drive and not the hard drive (see Chapter 1: Installation). Next, choose your +language (e.g., English) and select Try Ubuntu. Once Ubuntu starts, click +on the top-most icon in the Launcher (the Dash icon). Then, search for +Terminal using the search box. Then, select Terminal in the search results +(or press Ctrl+Alt+T). A window should open with a blinking prompt line. +Enter the following, and press the Enter key: +$ sudo fdisk -l +Disk /dev/hda: 120.0 GB, 120034123776 bytes +255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 14593 cylinders +Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes +Device Boot +Start +End +Blocks +Id +System +112 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +/dev/sda1 +1 +1224 +64228+ +83 +Linux +/dev/sda2 +* +1225 +2440 +9767520 +a5 +Windows +/dev/sda3 +2441 +14593 +97618972+ +5 +Extended +/dev/sda4 +14532 +14593 +498015 +82 +Linux swap +Partition table entries are not in disk order +This output shows that your system (Linux, on which Ubuntu is based) +The device (/dev/sda1, /dev/sda2, etc.) we +are looking for is identified by the word “Linux” +in the System column. Modify the instructions +below if necessary, replacing /dev/sda1 with +the name of your Linux device. +is installed on device /dev/sda1, but as indicated by the asterisk in the +Boot column, your computer is booting to /dev/sda2 (where Windows is +located). We need to fix this by telling the computer to boot to the Linux +device instead. +To do this, create a place to connect your existing Ubuntu installation +with your temporary troubleshooting session: +$ sudo mkdir /mnt/root +Next, link your Ubuntu installation and this new folder: +$ sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/root +If you’ve done this correctly, then you should see the following: +$ ls /mnt/root +bin dev home lib mnt root srv usr +boot etc initrd lib64 opt sbin sys var +cdrom initrd.img media proc selinux tmp vmlinuz +Now, you can reinstall grub: +$ sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/root /dev/sda +Installation finished. No error reported. +This is the contents of the device map /boot/grub/device.map. +Check if this is correct or not. If any of the lines is incorrect, +fix it and re-run the script grub-install. +(hd0) /dev/sda +Next you’ll want to unmount the hard drive. This ensures that the drive +won’t become corrupted when you reboot: +$ sudo umount /mnt/root +Finally, remove the Ubuntu disc from your dvd-rom drive, reboot your +computer, and then start enjoying your Ubuntu operating system once +again. +This guide may not work for all Ubuntu users due to differences in the +various system configuration. Still, this is the recommended and most +successful method for restoring the grub bootloader. If you are following +this guide and if it does not restore grub on your computer, then try the +other troubleshooting methods at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ +RecoveringUbuntuAfterInstallingWindows. +I forgot my password +If you forgot your password in Ubuntu, you will need to reset it using the +“Recovery mode.” +To start the Recovery mode, shut down your computer and then start +again. As the computer starts up, press Shift. Select the Recovery mode +option using the arrow keys on your keyboard. Recovery mode should be +under the heading Advanced Options in the list. +Wait until Ubuntu starts up—this may take a few minutes. Once booted, +you will not be able to see a normal login screen. Instead, you will be pre- +sented with the Recovery Menu. Select root using the arrow keys and press +Enter. +You will now be at a terminal prompt: +troubleshooting +113 +Figure 7.1: This is the grub screen in which you +can choose recovery mode. +root@ubuntu:~# +To reset your password, enter: +# passwd username +Replace “username” above with your username, after which Ubuntu will +prompt you for a new password. Enter your desired password, press the +Enter key, and then re-type your password again, pressing Enter again +when done. (Ubuntu asks for your password twice to make sure you did +not make a mistake while typing). Once you have restored your password, +return to the normal system environment by entering: +# init 2 +Login as usual and continue enjoying Ubuntu. +I accidentally deleted some files that I need +If you’ve deleted a file by accident, you may be able to recover it from +Ubuntu’s Trash folder. This is a special folder where Ubuntu stores deleted +files before they are permanently removed from your computer. +To access the Trash folder click on the trash icon at the bottom of the +Unity Launcher. +If you want to restore deleted items from the Trash: +1. Open Trash +2. Click on each item you want to restore to select it. Press and hold Ctrl +to select multiple items. +3. Click Restore to move the deleted items back to their original locations. +How do I clean Ubuntu? +Ubuntu’s software packaging system accumulates unused packages and +temporary files through regular updates and use. These temporary files, also +called caches, contain files from all of the installed packages. Over time, this +cache can grow quite large. Cleaning out the cache allows you to reclaim +space on your computer’s hard drive for storing your documents, music, +photographs, or other files. +To clear the cache, you can either use the clean, or the autoclean option +for the command-line program apt-get. +To run clean, open Terminal and enter: +The clean command will remove every +single cached item, while the autoclean +command only removes cached items that can +no longer be downloaded (these items are +often unnecessary). +$ sudo apt-get clean +114 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Packages can also become unused over time. If a package was installed +to assist with running another program—and that program was subse- +quently removed—you no longer need the supporting package. You can +remove it with apt-get autoremove. +Load Terminal and enter: +$ sudo apt-get autoremove +I can’t play certain audio or video files +Many of the formats used to deliver rich media content are proprietary, +meaning they are not free to use, modify, or distribute with an open-source +operating system like Ubuntu. Therefore, Ubuntu does not include the ca- +pability to use these formats by default; however, users can easily configure +Ubuntu to use these proprietary formats. For more information about the +differences between open source and proprietary software, see Chapter 8: +Learning More. +If you find yourself in need of a proprietary format, you can install the +required files from the Terminal. This is covered in the Codecs portion of +Chapter 3. Ensure that you have the Universe and Multiverse repositories +enabled before continuing. See the Software Sources section to learn how to +enable these repositories. +One program that can play many of these formats is vlc. It can be in- +stalled from the Terminal or Ubuntu Software. Once Ubuntu has success- +fully installed this software, your rich media content should work properly. +How can I change my screen resolution? +The image on every monitor is composed of millions of little colored dots +called pixels. Changing the number of pixels displayed on your monitor is +called “changing the resolution.” Increasing the resolution will make the +displayed images sharper, but will also tend to make them smaller. The +opposite is true when screen resolution is decreased. Most monitors have +a “native resolution,” which is a resolution that most closely matches the +number of pixels in the monitor. Your display will usually be sharpest when +your operating system uses a resolution that matches your display’s native +resolution. +The Ubuntu configuration utility Displays allows users to change the +resolution. Open it by clicking on the session indicator and then on Dis- +plays…. The resolution can be changed using the drop-down list within +the program. Picking options higher up on the list (for example, those with +larger numbers) will increase the resolution. +You can experiment with various resolutions by clicking Apply at the +bottom of the window until you find one that is comfortable. Typically, +the highest resolution will be the native resolution. Selecting a resolution +and clicking Apply will temporarily change the screen resolution to the +selected value, and a dialog box will also be displayed for 30 seconds. This +dialog box allows you to revert to the previous resolution setting or keep +the new resolution setting. If you’ve not accepted the new resolution and/or +30 seconds have passed, the dialog box will disappear and the display’s +resolution will return to its previous setting. +This feature was implemented to prevent someone from being locked out +of the computer by a resolution that distorts the monitor output and makes +it unusable. When you have finished setting the screen resolution, click +Close. +troubleshooting +115 +Figure 7.2: You can change your display +settings. +Figure 7.3: You can revert back to your old +settings if you need to. +Ubuntu is not working properly on my Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro +When installed on notebook computers from Apple—such as the MacBook +or MacBook Pro—Ubuntu does not always enable all of the computer’s +built-in components, including the iSight camera and the Airport wireless +Internet adapter. Luckily, the Ubuntu community offers documentation +on fixing these and other problems. If you are having trouble installing or +using Ubuntu on your Apple notebook computer, please follow the instruc- +tions at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook. You can select the +appropriate guide after identifying your computer’s model number. +Ubuntu is not working properly on my Asus EeePC +When installed on netbook computers from Asus—such as the EeePC— +Ubuntu does not always enable all of the computer’s built-in components, +including the keyboard shortcut keys and the wireless Internet adapter. +The Ubuntu community offers documentation on enabling these com- +ponents and fixing other problems. If you are having trouble installing +or using Ubuntu on your Asus EeePC, please follow the instructions at +https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EeePC. This documentation page con- +tains information pertaining specifically to EeePC netbooks. +To enable many of the features and Function Keys, a quick fix is to add +“acpi_osi=Linux” to your grub configuration. From the Terminal +$ gksudo gedit /etc/default/grub +and very carefully change the line +GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash" +to +GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi_osi=Linux" +Save and close the file. Then, from the terminal: +$ sudo update-grub +After the command finishes, and you restart the computer, you will be able +to use the Fn keys normally. +116 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +My hardware is not working properly +Ubuntu occasionally has difficulty running on certain computers, usually +when hardware manufacturers use non-standard or proprietary compo- +nents. The Ubuntu community offers documentation to help you trou- +bleshoot many common issues in this situation, including problems with +wireless cards, scanners, mice, and printers. You can find the complete +hardware troubleshooting guide on Ubuntu’s support wiki, accessible at +https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport. If your hardware problems +persist, please see Getting more help for more troubleshooting options or +information on obtaining support or assistance from an Ubuntu user. +Getting more help +This guide does not cover every possible workflow, task, issue, or problem +in Ubuntu. If you require assistance beyond the information in the manual, +you can find a variety of support opportunities online. +More details about many support options available to you can be found +at Finding additional help and support later in this book. +8 +Learning More +What else can I do with Ubuntu? +At this point, you should now be able to use Ubuntu for most daily activ- +ities—such as browsing the web, sending email, and creating documents. +Now, you may be interested in learning about other versions of Ubuntu +that may integrate into your digital lifestyle. In this chapter, we’ll introduce +additional versions of Ubuntu designed and specialized for certain tasks. +We’ll also provide resources for answering any remaining questions as well +as direct you to how you can get involved in the worldwide community +of Ubuntu users. First, we’ll discuss the technologies that make Ubuntu a +powerful collection of software and a progressive operating system. +Open source software +Ubuntu is open source software (OSS). OSS differs from proprietary soft- +ware. Proprietary software is defined as software whose source code is +not freely available for modification or distribution by anyone but the +rightsholder. Microsoft Windows and Adobe Photoshop are examples of +proprietary software. +Unlike proprietary software applications, the software included with +Ubuntu is specifically licensed to promote sharing and collaboration. The +legal rules governing Ubuntu’s production and distribution ensure that +anyone can obtain, run, or share it for any purpose. Users can modify open +source software to suit their individual needs, to share it, to improve it, or to +translate it into other languages—provided they release the source code for +these modifications so others can do the same. In fact, the terms of many +open source licensing agreements actually make it illegal not to do so. This +understanding helps explain why Ubuntu is called open source software. +For more information regarding Ubuntu’s software licensing standards, see +http://www.ubuntu.com/project/about-ubuntu/licensing. +Because OSS is developed by large communities of programmers located +throughout the world, it benefits from both rapid development cycles and +speedy security releases when bugs are identified in the software. In other +words, OSS is updated, enhanced, and made more secure every day as +programmers all over the world continue to improve it. +In addition to these technical advantages, OSS also has economic bene- +fits. While users must adhere to the terms of an OSS licensing agreement +when installing and using Ubuntu, they needn’t pay to obtain this license. +While not all OSS is free of monetary costs, a vast majority of OSS is avail- +able for free. +To learn more about open source software, see the Open Source Initia- +tive’s open source definition, available at http://www.opensource.org/docs/ +definition.php. +Distribution families +Ubuntu is one of several popular operating systems based on Linux. These +Linux-based operating systems—called Linux “distributions”—may look +118 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +different from Ubuntu at first glance, but they share similar characteristics +because of their common roots. +Linux distributions can be divided into two broad families: the Debian +family and the Red Hat family. Each family is named for a distribution on +which subsequent distributions are based. For example, “Debian” refers to +both the name of a Linux distribution as well as the family of distributions +derived from Debian. Ubuntu is part of this family. When describing rela- +tionships between various open source projects, software developers often +use the metaphor of tributaries connecting to a common body of water. +For this reason, you may hear someone say that Ubuntu is located “down- +stream” from Debian, because alterations to the Debian family ”flow” into +new versions of Ubuntu. Additionally, improvements to Ubuntu usually +trickle “upstream”—back to Debian and its family members as the Debian +family benefits from the work of the Ubuntu community. Other distribu- +tions in the Debian family include Linux Mint, Xandros, and CrunchBang +Linux. Distributions in the Red Hat family include Fedora and Mandriva. +The most significant difference between Debian-based and Red Hat- +based distributions is the system each uses for installing and updating +software. These systems are called Package management systems. Package +management systems are the means by which users can install, remove, +and organize software installed on computers with open source operating +systems like Ubuntu. Debian software packages are deb files, while Red Hat +software packages are rpm files. The two systems are generally incompati- +ble. For more information about package management, review the chapter +on Chapter 5: Software Management. +You will also find specialized Linux distributions for certain tasks. Next, +we’ll describe these versions of Ubuntu and explain the uses for which each +has been developed. +Choosing amongst Ubuntu and its derivatives +Just as Ubuntu is based on Debian, several distributions are subsequently +based on Ubuntu. Each differs with respect to the software included as part +of the distribution. Some are developed for general use, while others are +designed for accomplishing a more narrow set of tasks. +Alternative interfaces +Ubuntu features a graphical user interface (gui) based on the open source +unity7 desktop. Previous versions of Ubuntu used the gnome desktop. +As we explained in Chapter 2: The Ubuntu Desktop, a “user interface” is +a collection of software elements—icons, colors, windows, themes, and +menus—that determine how someone may interact with a computer. Some +people prefer using alternatives to gnome, so they have created Ubuntu +distributions featuring different user interfaces. These include: +‣ Kubuntu, which uses the kde graphical environment +‣ Lubuntu, which uses the lxde graphical environment +‣ Xubuntu, which uses the xfce graphical environment +Additionally, each of these distributions may contain default applications +different from those featured in Ubuntu. For instance, the default music +player in Ubuntu is Rhythmbox. In Lubuntu, the default music player is +Audacious, and in Kubuntu, the default is Amarok. Be sure to investigate +learning more +119 +these differences if you are considering installing an Ubuntu distribution +with an alternative desktop environment. +For more information about these and other derivative distributions, see +http://www.ubuntu.com/project/derivatives. +Task-specific distributions +Other Ubuntu distributions have been created to accomplish specific tasks +or run in specialized environments and settings. +Ubuntu Server Edition +The Ubuntu Server Edition is an operating system optimized to perform +multi-user tasks. Such tasks may include file sharing, website, or email +hosting. If you are planning to use a computer to perform these types of +tasks, you may wish to use this specialized server distribution in conjunc- +tion with server hardware. While it is possible to run a server-type envi- +ronment using only the desktop version of Ubuntu, it is not advised as the +Server Edition is better optimized for the multi-user environment. +This manual does not explain the process of running a secure web server +or performing other tasks with Ubuntu Server Edition. For details on using +Ubuntu Server Edition, refer to the manual at http://www.ubuntu.com/ +business/server/overview. +Edubuntu +Edubuntu is an Ubuntu derivative customized for use in schools and other +educational institutions. Edubuntu contains software similar to that offered +in Ubuntu but also features additional applications like a collaborative text +editor and educational games. +For additional information regarding Edubuntu, visit http://www. +edubuntu.org/ +Ubuntu Studio +The derivative of Ubuntu called Ubuntu Studio is designed specifically for +people who use computers to create and edit multimedia projects. Ubuntu +Studio features applications to help users manipulate images, compose +music, and edit video. While users can install these applications on comput- +ers running the desktop version of Ubuntu, Ubuntu Studio makes them all +available immediately upon installation. +If you would like to learn more about Ubuntu Studio (or obtain a copy +for yourself), visit http://ubuntustudio.org/. +Mythbuntu +Mythbuntu allows users to turn their computers into entertainment sys- +tems. Mythbuntu helps users organize and view various types of multime- +dia content such as movies, television shows, and video podcasts. Users +with tv tuners in their computers can also use Mythbuntu to record live +video and television shows. +To learn more about Mythbuntu, visit http://www.mythbuntu.org/. +120 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +Finding additional help and support +This guide cannot possibly contain everything you’ll ever need to know +about Ubuntu. We encourage you to take advantage of Ubuntu’s vast com- +munity when seeking further information, troubleshooting technical issues, +or asking questions about your computer. +It’s important to note that the Internet is full of third-party resources +as well as individuals who post information on blogs and forums. While +these resources can often seem like great resources, some could be mis- +leading or outdated. It’s always best to verify information from third-party +sources before taking their advice. When possible, rely on official Ubuntu +documentation for assistance with Ubuntu. +Now, let’s discuss a few of the available resources to learn more about +Ubuntu and other Linux distributions. +Live chat +If you are familiar with Internet Relay Chat (irc), you can use chat clients +such as XChat or Pidgin to join the channel #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net. In +this channel, hundreds of volunteer users can answer your questions or of- +fer technical support in real time. To learn more about using Internet Relay +Chat to seek help with Ubuntu, visit https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ +InternetRelayChat. +LoCo teams +The Ubuntu community contains dozens of local user groups called “LoCo +teams.” Distributed throughout the world, these teams offer support and +advice, answer questions, and promote Ubuntu in their communities by +hosting regular events. To locate or contact the LoCo team nearest you, +visit http://loco.ubuntu.com/. +Books and Magazines +Many books have been written about Ubuntu, and professional magazines +often feature news and information related to Ubuntu. You will frequently +find these resources at your local bookstore or newsstand. If you know the +name of a book or magazine, e.g. this manual or Full Circle Magazine, you +can search for it on the Internet. +Official Ubuntu Documentation +The Ubuntu Documentation Team maintains a series of official wiki pages +designed to assist both new and experienced users wishing to learn more +about Ubuntu. The Ubuntu community endorses these documents, which +serve as a reliable first point of reference for users seeking online help. You +can access these resources at http://help.ubuntu.com. To get to the built-in +Ubuntu Desktop Guide, type help in the Dash. +The Ubuntu Forums +The Ubuntu Forums are the official forums of the Ubuntu community. Mil- +lions of Ubuntu users use them daily to seek help and support from one +another. You can create an Ubuntu Forums account in minutes. To create +learning more +121 +an account and learn more about Ubuntu from community members, visit +http://ubuntuforums.org. +Launchpad Answers +Launchpad, an open source code repository and user community, provides a +question and answer service that allows anyone to ask questions about any +Ubuntu-related topic. Signing up for a Launchpad account takes just a few +seconds. You can ask a question by visiting Launchpad at https://answers. +launchpad.net/ubuntu. +Ask Ubuntu +Ask Ubuntu is a free, community-driven website for Ubuntu users and +developers. Like the Ubuntu Forums, it allows users to post questions for +other members of the Ubuntu community to answer. But Ask Ubuntu also +allows visitors to “vote” on the answers users provide, so the most useful or +helpful responses get featured more prominently on the site. Ask Ubuntu is +part of the Stack Exchange network of websites and is one of the best free +Ubuntu support resources available. Visit http://www.askubuntu.com to get +started. +Search Engines +Because Ubuntu is a popular open source operating system, many users +have written about it online. Therefore, using search engines to locate +answers to your questions about Ubuntu is often an effective means of +acquiring help. When using search engines to answer questions about +Ubuntu, ensure that your search queries are as specific as possible. In other +words, a search for “Unity interface” will return results that are less useful +than those associated with the query “how to use Ubuntu Unity interface” +or “how to customize Ubuntu Unity interface.” +Community support +If you’ve exhausted all these resources and still can’t find answers to your +questions, visit Community Support at http://www.ubuntu.com/support/ +community. +The Ubuntu community +Ubuntu is the flagship product created by a global community of passionate +users who want to help others adopt, use, understand, and even modify or +enhance Ubuntu. By choosing to install and run Ubuntu, you’ve become +part of this community. As you learn more about Ubuntu, you may wish +to collaborate with others as you promote Ubuntu to new users, to share +Ubuntu advice, or to answer other users’ questions. In this section, we’ll +discuss a few community projects that can connect you to other Ubuntu +users. +Full Circle Magazine +Full Circle Magazine is “the independent magazine for the Ubuntu Linux +community.” Released every month, Full Circle Magazine contains reviews +of new software (including games) for Ubuntu, step-by-step tutorials for +122 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +projects you can accomplish with Ubuntu, editorials discussing important +issues in the Ubuntu community, and Ubuntu tips from other users. Full +Circle Magazine is released in many different formats and is always free. +You can download current and back issues of Full Circle Magazine at http:// +fullcirclemagazine.org/. +The Ubuntu UK Podcast +Produced by members of the UK’s Ubuntu LoCo team, this bi-weekly online +audio broadcast (or “podcast”) features lively discussion about Ubuntu and +often includes interviews with Ubuntu community members who work to +improve Ubuntu. Episodes are available at http://ubuntupodcast.org/. +OMG! Ubuntu! +OMG! Ubuntu! is a weblog that aims to inform the Ubuntu community +about Ubuntu news, events, announcements, and updates in a timely fash- +ion. It also allows Ubuntu users to discuss ways they can promote or share +Ubuntu. You can read this blog or subscribe to it at http://www.omgubuntu. +co.uk/. +Contributing +Contributing to Ubuntu +As we mentioned earlier in this chapter, Ubuntu is a community-maintained +operating system. You can help make Ubuntu better in a number of ways. +The community consists of thousands of individuals and teams. If you +would like to contribute to Ubuntu, please visit https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ +ContributeToUbuntu. +You can also participate in the Ubuntu community by contributing to +this manual. You might choose to write new content for it, edit its chapters +so they are easier for new Ubuntu users to understand and use, or translate +it in your own language. Or maybe taking screenshots is your passion! +Regardless of your talent or ability, if you have a passion to contribute to +the Ubuntu community in a meaningful way, then the Ubuntu Manual +Project invites you to join! 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Notwithstanding the +foregoing two (2) sentences, if Creative Commons has expressly identified +itself as the Licensor hereunder, it shall have all rights and obligations of +Licensor. +Except for the limited purpose of indicating to the public that the Work +is licensed under the CCPL, Creative Commons does not authorize the use +by either party of the trademark “Creative Commons” or any related trade- +mark or logo of Creative Commons without the prior written consent of +Creative Commons. Any permitted use will be in compliance with Creative +Commons’ then-current trademark usage guidelines, as may be published +on its website or otherwise made available upon request from time to time. +For the avoidance of doubt, this trademark restriction does not form part of +the License. +Creative Commons may be contacted at http://creativecommons.org/. +Glossary +Access Point A device that allows for a wireless connection to a local net- +work using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. +applet A small program that runs in a panel. Applets provide useful func- +tions such as starting a program, viewing the time, or accessing the main +menu of an application. +Canonical Canonical, the financial backer of Ubuntu, provides support for +the core Ubuntu system. It has over 500 staff members worldwide who +ensure that the foundation of the operating system is stable, as well as +checking all the work submitted by volunteer contributors. To learn +more about Canonical, go to http://www.canonical.com. +cli cli or command-line interface is another name for the terminal. +desktop environment A generic term to describe a gui interface for humans +to interact with computers. There are many desktop environments such +as Unity, gnome, kde, xfce and lxde, to name a few. +dhcp dhcp stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, it is used by a +dhcp server to assign computers on a network an ip address automati- +cally. +dialup connection A dialup connection is when your computer uses a mo- +dem to connect to an isp through your telephone line. +distribution A distribution is a collection of software that is already com- +piled and configured ready to be installed. Ubuntu is an example of a +distribution. +dual-booting Dual-booting is the process of being able to choose one of +two different operating systems currently installed on a computer from +the boot menu. Once selected, your computer will boot into whichever +operating system you chose at the boot menu. The term dual-booting is +often used generically, and may refer to booting among more than two +operating systems. +encryption Encryption is a security measure, it prevents others from access- +ing and viewing the contents of your files and/or hard drives, the files +must first be decrypted with your password. +Ethernet port An Ethernet port is what an Ethernet cable is plugged into +when you are using a wired connection. +gui The gui (which stands for Graphical User Interface) is a type of user in- +terface that allows humans to interact with the computer using graphics +and images rather than just text. +isp isp stands for Internet Service Provider, an isp is a company that provides +you with your Internet connection. +Live dvd A Live dvd allows you to try out an operating system before you +actually install it, this is useful for testing your hardware, diagnosing +problems and recovering your system. +lts lts stands for long-term support and is a type of Ubuntu release that is +officially supported for far longer than the standard releases. +132 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +maximize When you maximize an application in Ubuntu it will fill the +whole desktop, excluding the panels. +minimize When you minimize an open application, the window will no +longer be shown. If you click on a minimized application’s icon in the +Launcher, it will be restored to its normal state and allow you to interact +with it. +notification area The notification area is an applet on the panel that pro- +vides you with all sorts of information such as volume control, the cur- +rent song playing in Rhythmbox, your Internet connection status and +email status. +output The output of a command is any text it displays on the next line +after typing a command and pressing enter, e.g., if you type pwd into a +terminal and press Enter, the directory name it displays on the next line +is the output. +package Packages contain software in a ready-to-install format. Most of +the time you can use Ubuntu Software instead of manually installing +packages. Packages have a .deb extension in Ubuntu. +panel A panel is a bar that sits on the edge of your screen. It contains ap- +plets which provide useful functions such as running programs, viewing +the time, or accessing the main menu. +parameter Parameters are special options that you can use with other +commands in the terminal to make that command behave differently, this +can make a lot of commands far more useful. +ppa A personal package archive (ppa) is a custom software repository that +typically contains either packages that aren’t available in the primary +Ubuntu repositories or newer versions of packages that are available in +the primary repositories. +prompt The prompt displays some useful information about your computer. +It can be customized to display in different colors, display the time, date, +and current directory or almost anything else you like. +proprietary Software made by companies that don’t release their source +code under an open source license. +router A router is a specially designed computer that, using its software +and hardware, routes information from the Internet to a network. It is +also sometimes called a gateway. +server A server is a computer that runs a specialized operating system and +provides services to computers that connect to it and make a request. +shell The terminal gives access to the shell, when you type a command into +the terminal and press enter the shell takes that command and performs +the relevant action. +Synaptic Package Manager Synaptic Package Manager is a tool that, instead +of listing applications (like Ubuntu Software) lists individual packages +that can then be installed, removed and fixed. +terminal The terminal is Ubuntu’s text-based interface. It is a method of +controlling the operating system using only commands entered via the +keyboard as opposed to using a gui like Unity. +Ubuntu Software Ubuntu Software is where you can easily manage soft- +glossary +133 +ware installation and removal as well as the ability to manage software +installed via Personal Package Archives. +usb Universal Serial Bus is a standard interface specification for connecting +peripheral hardware devices to computers. usb devices range from +external hard drives to scanners and printers. +wired connection A wired connection is when your computer is physically +connected to a router or Ethernet port with a cable. This is the most +common method of connecting to the Internet and local network for +desktop computers. +wireless connection A network connection that uses a wireless signal to +communicate with either a router, access point, or computer. +Credits +This manual wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts and contribu- +tions from the following people: +Team leads +Kevin Godby—Lead T +EXnician +Hannie Dumoleyn—Editors Coordinator & Translation Maintainer +Sylvie Gallet—Screenshots +Thorsten Wilms—Designer +Authors, Editors & Reviewers +Pravin Dhayfule +Hannie Dumoleyn +Sylvie Gallet +Kevin Godby +Eric Marsh +Miles Robinson +Tiffany Tisler +Translation editors +Fran Diéguez (Galician) +Hannie Dumoleyn (Dutch) +Sylvie Gallet (French) +Aleksey Kabanov (Russian) +Xuacu Saturio (Asturian) +Daniel Schury (German) +Susah Sebut (Malay) +Jose Luis Tirado (Spanish) +Chris Woollard (British English) +John Xygonakis (Greek) +Andrej Znidarsic (Slovenian) +Past contributors +Bryan Behrenshausen (Author) +Senthil Velan Bhooplan (Author) +Mario Burgos (Author/Editor) +John Cave (Author) +Edmond Condillac (Editor) +Jim Connett (Author/Editor/Coordinator) +Thomas Corwin (Author/Editor) +Sayantan Das (Author/Editor) +Che Dean (Author) +Patrick Dickey (Author) +Mehmet Atif Ergun (Author/Editor) +Rick Fosburgh (Editor-in-Chief) +Herat Gandhi Amrish (Author) +Benjamin Humphrey (Project Founder) +Mehmet Kani (Author/Editor) +Sam Klein (Author) +Will Kromer (Author) +Paddy Landau (Author/Editor) +Simon Lewis (Author) +Andrew Montag (Editor) +Ryan Macnish (Author) +Mez Pahlan (Author) +Vibhav Pant (Editor) +Brian Peredo (Author) +Joel Pickett (Author) +David Pires (Editor) +Eric Ponvelle (Author) +Tony Pursell (Author/Editor) +Kev Quirk (Author) +Scott Stainton (Editor) +Kartik Sulakhe (Author) +Tom Swartz (Author) +David Wales (Author) +Chris Woollard (Editor) +Index +32-bit versus 64-bit, 9 +accessibility, 32 +screen reader, 32 +alternative interfaces, 118–119 +Apple, see MacBook +applications +adding and removing, 21 +presentation, see LibreOffice +running, 21 +searching, 23 +spreadsheet, see LibreOffice +word processor, see LibreOffice +audio, see sound and music +audio, playing, see Rhythmbox +Bluetooth, 86 +booting +troubleshooting, 111 +camera, importing photos, 65 +Canonical, 6 +cds and dvds +blanking, 75 +burning, 73–77 +codecs, 68 +copying, 76 +playing, 69, 70 +ripping, 71 +Choqok, 64–65 +codecs +audio, 73 +video, 68 +command line, see terminal +Corebird, 64 +Dash, 21 +Debian, 6, see also Linux +derivatives, 118 +desktop +background, 20 +customization, 30 +appearance, 30 +background, 31 +theme, 30 +menu bar, 20 +sharing, 62 +disk, see cds and dvds +display +adding secondary, 80–81 +changing resolution, 80 +troubleshooting, 114 +drivers, 79–80 +DRM, 68 +dual-booting, 13 +dvds and cds, see cds and dvds +Edubuntu, 119 +EeePC +troubleshooting, 115 +email, see Thunderbird +Empathy, 59–63 +add accounts, 59 +chatting, 61–62 +desktop sharing, 62 +setup, 59 +encryption, see security +file system structure, 99–100 +Files, 27 +multiple tabs, 29 +multiple windows, 29 +window, 27 +files +browsing, 26 +opening files, 28 +recovering, 113 +files and folders +copying, 28 +creating, 28 +displaying hidden, 28 +moving, 28 +searching, 29–30 +Firefox, 46–55 +firewall +installing, 104 +using, 104 +FireWire, see ieee 1394 +gestures, 85 +groups, see also users +adding, 103 +deleting, 103 +files and folders, 104 +managing, 103 +modifying, 103 +hardware +troubleshooting, 116 +help +Ask Ubuntu, 121 +documentation, 120 +forums, 120 +Full Circle Magazine, 121 +general help, 34 +heads-up display (hud), 35 +Launchpad Answers, 121 +live chat, 120 +online, 34 +home folder, 26 +ieee 1394, 86 +instant messaging, see Empathy +Internet +browsing, 46–55 +connecting, 39–46 +wireless, 42 +Internet radio, 71 +kernel, 6 +keyboard, 85 +Launcher, 21 +running applications, 21 +LibreOffice, 77 +Linux, 6–7 +Linux distributions, 117–118 +Live dvd, see Ubuntu Live dvd +locking the screen, 33 +logging out, 33 +login options, 15–16 +Mac OS X, see MacBook +MacBook +troubleshooting, 115 +microblogging, see Choqok, see Corebird +monitor, see display +mounting devices, 100 +mouse, 85 +Movie Player, 68 +multitouch, 85 +music, see Rhythmbox +Mythbuntu, 119 +NetworkManager, 39 +open-source software, 117 +OS X, see MacBook +password, see security +photos, see also Shotwell +editing, 66 +importing, 65 +viewing, 65 +podcasts, 72 +presentation application, 77 +printer, 81, 82 +add via usb, 81 +adding via network, 81 +138 +getting started with ubuntu 16.04 +rebooting, 33 +ReplayGain, 72 +Rhythmbox, 69–73 +Internet radio, 71 +playing music, 69 +podcasts, 72 +scanner, 84 +troubleshooting, 84 +screen, see display +security +encryption, 105 +introduction, 100–101 +passwords, 101 +permissions, 101 +resetting passwords, 112 +screen locking, 101 +system updates, 104 +Shotwell, 65–68 +shutting down, 33 +Shuttleworth, Mark, 6 +slide show, see LibreOffice +software +adding repository, 93–94 +email, 37 +finding applications, 88–89 +installing, 89 +managing, 91 +manual installation, 94 +movie players, 38 +multimedia players, 38 +music players, 38 +office suites, 37 +pdf reader, 37 +podcast readers, 38 +presentation, 37 +recommendations, 91 +removing, 89–91 +repositories, 91 +servers, 92–93 +spreadsheet, 37 +video players, 38 +web browser, 37 +word processor, 37 +Software Center, 88 +sound +input, 83 +output, 83 +recording, 83 +troubleshooting, 114 +volume, 82 +sound effects, 83 +spreadsheet, 77 +start up, see boot +suspending the computer, 33 +system requirements, 9 +terminal +about, 97 +using, 98 +Thunderbird, 55–59 +setup, 55 +torrent +Ubuntu image, 10 +touchpad, 85 +Twitter, see Choqok, see Corebird +Ubuntu +bootable usb drive, 10 +definition of, 5 +downloading, 9 +history of, 6 +installing, 11–16 +philosophy of, 5–6 +Ubuntu Live dvd, 10–11 +Ubuntu Promise, 6 +Ubuntu Server Edition, 119 +Ubuntu Studio, 119 +Unity, 19 +Unix, 6, 7 +unmounting devices, 100 +updates +about, 95–96 +automatic, 96 +release updates, 96 +usb, 85 +users, see also groups +adding, 102 +creating during installation, 15–16 +deleting, 103 +managing, 102 +modifying, 103 +video +troubleshooting, 114 +videos +codecs, 68 +playing, 68 +volume, see sound +webcam, 83 +Wi-Fi, 42 +windows, 24 +closing, 24 +force on top, 25 +minimizing, 24 +moving, 25 +moving between, 25 +resizing, 25 +restoring, 24 +switching, 25 +word processor, 77 +workspaces, 24 +colophon +This book was typeset with XƎL +AT +EX. +The book design is based on the Tufte-L +AT +EX document classes available at http:// +code.google.com/p/tufte-latex/. +The text face is Linux Libertine, designed by Philipp H. Poll. It is an open font +available at http://linuxlibertine.sf.net/. +The captions and margin notes are set in Ubuntu, a font commissioned by Canonical +and designed by Dalton Maag. It is freely available for download at http://font. +ubuntu.com/. +The terminal text and keystrokes are set in DejaVu Sans Mono (available at http:// +dejavu-fonts.org/), originally developed by Bitstream, Inc. as Bitstream Vera. +The cover and title page pictograms contain shapes taken from the Humanity icon +set, available at https://launchpad.net/humanity. +The title page and cover were designed using Inkscape, available at http://inkscape. +org/.