This is the Safari online edition of the printed book.

Ubuntu is a complete, free operating system that emphasizes community, support, and ease of use without compromising speed, power, or flexibility. It’s Linux for human beings—designed for everyone from computer novices to experts. Ubuntu 9.04 is the latest release—more powerful, more flexible, and friendlier than ever. The Official Ubuntu Book, Fourth Edition, will get you up and running quickly.

Written by expert leading Ubuntu community members, this book covers all you need to know to make the most of Ubuntu 9.04, whether you’re a home user, small business user, server administrator, or programmer. The authors cover Ubuntu 9.04 from start to finish: installation, configuration, desktop productivity, games, management, support, and much more. Among the many topics covered in this edition: Edubuntu, Kubuntu, and Ubuntu Server.

The Official Ubuntu Book, Fourth Edition, covers standard desktop applications, from word processing, spreadsheets, Web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, music, video, and games to software development, databases, and server applications. In addition, you will
•    Learn how to customize Ubuntu for home, small business, school, government, and enterprise environments
•    Learn how to quickly update Ubuntu to accommodate new versions and new applications
•    Find up-to-the-minute troubleshooting advice from Ubuntu users worldwide
•    Learn Ubuntu Server installation and administration, including LVM and RAID implementation
•    Learn about how to take advantage of Ubuntu user forum to get the help you need quickly

The DVD includes the complete Ubuntu Linux operating system for installation on PC platforms, preconfigured with an outstanding desktop environment for both home and business computing. It can be used to install other complete variants of Ubuntu, including Kubuntu (with the KDE environment), Ubuntu Server, and Edubuntu (for use in schools).

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 58 Ratings

Disjointed but useful - 2009-11-06
Reviewer Rating:
If you are looking to learn about Ubuntu, then the official book would seem the obvious place to start. Ubuntu insiders (including founder Mark Shuttleworth) present a rich and readable history of their labors, as well as insight into the structure and philosophy of their wing of the GNU/Linux community. Also, as you would expect, the book contains a full OS distribution on disc.

Unfortunately, the 4th Edition has some significant flaws. Clearly written by committee, the authors shift from speaking to computer newbies in one paragraph to veteran sysadmins in the next, not always pausing to properly explain new material. Further, the layout of the book simply makes no sense: chapter 10 "introduces" Ubuntu variants which were each individually covered by chapters 8, 9, and 5 - yes, in that order!

Never the less, this book does its primary job quite well - chapters 2 through 4 provide one of the finest introductions to desktop GNU/Linux currently in print, backed up with a fairly thorough troubleshooting section and a decent command line primer. In short, it is a great book for new users to outgrow... and to those who prefer the reassurance of a printed manual, I recommend it.

Good, for what it is - 2009-10-14
Reviewer Rating:
The Official Ubuntu Book is useful primarily as an introduction to and overview of the cultural phenomenon that is Ubuntu. From this perspective, I found chapter 1 "Introducing Ubuntu" the most useful and informative. Don't expect this 461-page book to be a comprehensive reference source (which one might assume from its size) -- it's not. As a reference work, it's useful mainly for those without any prior experience with Linux, and even there, I would recommend Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference, by Keir Thomas -- it's briefer, cheaper (free, if you get the PDF version), more informative, and better written.

That said, I don't regret purchasing The Official Ubuntu Book, which provides me with a new perspective on this very popular Linux distribution, as well as on how GNU/Linux distributions have evolved.

Ubuntu again - 2009-08-24
Reviewer Rating:
Helpful but very beginner oriented. I give it 4 stars for beginners but probably fewer for more advanced techs like me. One of the newer ones though so up to date.

Linux Novice - 2009-11-05
Reviewer Rating:
This is a very good read. I have had this book for two days, and I have read halfway through it. IT are not typically very readable. I have not started to install Ubuntu at this time, but that will start in about a week.

Official Ubuntu book - 2009-05-15
Reviewer Rating:
although this book is already a bit out-dated (it covers the 8.04 build of Ubuntu, and 9.04 is out), it covers with plain-English language, all aspects of getting this fine system up and running. I recommend this book for anyone considering Linux, because the latest build of Ubuntu is stable and easy to use, thanks to this book.

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