Linux has come a long way in a short time. Computing itself is still relatively young by any
standard; if the era of modern computing started with the invention of the microchip, it’s
still less than 50 years old. But Linux is a youngster compared even to this; it has been
around for only 17 of those years.
In that brief time span, a student’s personal project has grown to where it now runs many
computers throughout the world. It has rampaged through the computing industry, providing
an alternative to commercial solutions such as those offered by Microsoft, and toppling longheld
beliefs about the way things should be done. This is all by virtue of the fact that Linux is
simply better than every other choice out there. Many argue that it’s more secure and faster
than other operating systems. But here’s the kicker—Linux is free of charge. Yes, that’s right. It
doesn’t have to cost a penny. It is one of the computing industry’s best-kept secrets.
I was bitten by the Linux bug in the mid-1990s. I was introduced to it by a friend who
sold it to me as a kind of alternative to DOS. At that time, I typed a few commands at the
prompt and was greeted by error messages. I must admit that I was put off. But shortly
afterwards, I revisited Linux and quickly became hooked.
Yet getting used to Linux wasn’t easy. I read as many books as I could, but they weren’t
very helpful to me. They were usually overly complicated or simply irrelevant. To start off,
I didn’t want to know how to create a program that could parse text files. I just wanted to
know how to copy and delete files. I didn’t want to set up a web server. I just wanted to know
how to play my MP3 tracks and browse the Web.
This book is my answer to the need for a fundamental, authoritative, and down-toearth
guide to Linux, done in the context of one of the most popular flavors of Linux in
existence today. It’s a book that is desperately needed in our modern world, especially as
Linux becomes more and more popular and enters homes and workplaces.
Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Third Edition purely and simply focuses on what you need to
know to use Linux. It’s concise and to the point, aiming to re-create under Linux all the
stuff you used to do under Windows, or even Apple Macintosh. But don’t think that this
means Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Third Edition cuts corners. Wherever justified, this book
spends time examining the topics you need to know in order to gain a complete and comprehensive
understanding. For example, you’ll find a hefty chapter looking at the command-line
prompt—arguably the heart of Linux and the element that gives Linux most of its power.
There’s also an entire chapter discussing (and illustrating) how to initially install Ubuntu
on your computer. Beginning Ubuntu Linux, Third Edition really is a complete guide.
