Book Review: Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks

New distributions such as Ubuntu are making Linux a great choice even for folks with less-developed computer skills. This fun and friendly book leads new Linux users through the basics.

By Brian Tanaka, LinuxWorld.com
July 13, 2007 10:19 AM ET

"Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks" by Rickford Grant

No Starch Press, 2007

Those of us who know the joys of Linux often lose sight of how daunting it can be for our non-geek friends and family to make the leap to Linux from whatever operating system they're used to. For many people, computers can be a source of anxiety, and the familiarity of the one operating system they've known is a comfort to them in a way we underestimate. That's why when one of them decides to try Linux, he will appreciate every ounce of help he can get as he grows familiar with this new experience.

I've helped a number of people try out Linux for the first time. If I could go back in time, I would hand each of them Rickford Grant's "Ubuntu Linux for Non-Geeks." He does an excellent job of making Linux fun and inviting, and he clearly explains all the basics a new Linux user needs plus a little more.

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Anyone with basic computer skills and curiosity about Linux will gain much from this book. In a writing style that conveys patience and friendliness, Rickford covers all of the topics new folks need in order to do all the things they currently do on other operating systems on Linux, including: installing Ubuntu Linux, connecting to the Internet, installing applications, printing, customizing the desktop and much more. Combine all that with the included Ubuntu live CD, and readers will be up and running in no time.

Wisely, Rickford covers many of the topics relevant to home computer users, such as using Ubuntu to manage iPods and digital cameras, customizing the desktop, running office suite applications, burning CDs, playing DVDs and printing. After all, unless people can do all the things they currently do on their computers, they're unlikely to make the full leap to Linux. He even describes how to run Windows applications under Wine.

Although this is a basic Unbuntu Linux book, Rickford ventures a bit beyond the basics. For example, he devotes one basic chapter to installing applications via the Synaptic package manager. In a later chapter, he goes beyond the basics and introduces the reader to more-advanced application-installation techniques, such as compiling from source and converting RPMs. Explaining these techniques in a way that's palatable to a new user is tricky business, yet Rickford pulls it off well.

I have only two minor negative criticisms of the book. First, I believe new users with limited general computer skills would be reassured by a brief discussion early in the book about how one goes about finding help in the Linux community online. Although there's a list of resources in the last appendix, perhaps a brief discussion of finding help early on in the book would lower new-user anxiety. Second, though I think the author's approach to very gently introducing shell commands is wonderful (he calls them "Simple Kitten Ways" -- that's how gentle they are!), I think a little taste of one or two powerful Unix pipelines at the end of the chapter would show the potential power of the command line. After all, because people are so intimidated by the command line, they may not feel motivated to develop skill there unless they get a preview of what's possible -- and what's possible goes far beyond anything one can do in a GUI.