Features
Linux for beginners
Adding new applications is easy, too. Ubuntu automatically creates a list of applications that you can download from the internet. Select Add/Remove... from the Applications menu. At first, this tool won't get updates from the internet, so select Preferences. From the Ubuntu Software tab, select Canonical supported Open Source software (main) and Community maintained Open Source software (universe). Click on the Third Party Software tab and select everything. Then select all the Ubuntu updates under the Updates tab. Click Close and select Reload. Close the Add/Remove Applications program and start it again.
You can browse applications through the main list, select categories or type in keywords. When you find an application you like the look of, put a tick in its box and click Apply changes. The application is downloaded from the internet and installed automatically. Removing an application is just as easy: check the list to find the one you want to delete, remove its tick and click Apply changes. There's a huge range of applications to pick from, and the simple install is even easier than in Windows.
Once Add/Remove Applications is working, you'll start getting automatic updates. A pop-up window should tell you when updates are ready; otherwise you'll need to click the orange icon at the top-right of the screen. The Update Manager will pop up and you can simply click
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Changing the look and feel
While Windows puts all its configuration options inside its Control Panel, Ubuntu uses the System menu. This gives you quick access to the applications that control your hardware and determine the look and feel of the system. We used the Network option at the start of this article to set up our network, but have a look at the other options available to get a feel for how the system works.
One thing that can confuse Windows users is that Ubuntu generally has a different utility for each option, rather than using the Windows approach of grouping lots of related options in a single utility. For example, the Displays properties dialog box in Windows lets you select resolution, look and feel; Ubuntu has different utilities for each, such as Screen Resolution to change the desktop's resolution.
Again, looking through the options will help you understand how the system works, but the more you use it, the easier it gets.
The next step
As you become more familiar with Ubuntu, you'll probably find that you want to do more. The Ubuntu forums at http://tinyurl.com/qxt4o are a good starting point, and you'll find that there are lots of people ready and willing to help you if you post a question. Check the documentation first, though.
Running Linux in a Virtual PC is a good introduction, but you won't be able to use USB hardware and it'll never run quite as quickly as if you installed it directly on your PC. If you find that you really like Ubuntu and want to use it more seriously, follow our How To... below for full instructions on setting up a dual-boot system with Windows. Once you're done you can choose to boot into Windows or Linux every time you start your PC. We're sure that the more you use Linux, the easier and more rewarding you'll find it. You may even get to the point where you don't need Windows any more.
