The Official Ubuntu Book, Ninth Edition

by Matthew Helmke (Author), Elizabeth K. Joseph (Author), Jose Antonio Rey (Author)

The free Ubuntu operating system has won the hearts and minds of millions of users worldwide. It combines a strong technical platform, impressive quality, and an enthusiastic global community of users who relentlessly support, document, and test it.

The Official Ubuntu Book, Ninth Edition, has been extensively updated with a single goal: to make running today’s Ubuntu even more pleasant and productive for you. It’s the ideal one-stop knowledge source for Ubuntu novices, those upgrading from older versions or other Linux distributions, and anyone moving toward power-user status.

Its expert authors focus on what you need to know most about installation, applications, media, administration, software applications, and much more. You’ll discover powerful Unity desktop improvements that make Ubuntu even friendlier and more convenient. You’ll also connect with the amazing Ubuntu community and the incredible resources it offers you.

Learn how to

Reliably install, customize, and update Ubuntu for any home, business, school, or government environment
Get up and running quickly, and then explore Ubuntu and download powerful free software
Customize Ubuntu for performance, accessibility, and fun
Get comfortable with the highly efficient Ubuntu command line
Install, administer, and secure Ubuntu Server, including advanced features such as LVM and RAID
Get involved with related Ubuntu projects
Help build, promote, distribute, support, document, or translate Ubuntu
Get up-to-the-minute help and troubleshooting advice from Ubuntu users worldwide

Review
Praise for Previous Editions of The Official Ubuntu Book

“The Official Ubuntu Book is a great way to get you started with Ubuntu, giving you enough information to be productive without overloading you.”

—John Stevenson, DZone book reviewer

“OUB is one of the best books I’ve seen for beginners.”

—Bill Blinn, TechByter Worldwide

“This book is the perfect companion for users new to Linux and Ubuntu. It covers the basics in a concise and well-organized manner. General use is covered separately from troubleshooting and error-handling, making the book well suited both for the beginner as well as the user who needs extended help.”

—Thomas Petrucha, Austria Ubuntu User Group

“I have recommended this book to several users who I instruct regularly on the use of Ubuntu. All of them have been satisfied with their purchase and have even been able to use it to help them in their journey along the way.”

—Chris Crisafulli, Ubuntu LoCo Council, Florida Local Community Team

“This text demystifies a very powerful Linux operating system. . . . In just a few weeks of having it, I’ve used it as a quick reference a half-dozen times, which saved me the time I would have spent scouring the Ubuntu forums online.”

—Darren Frey, Member, Houston Local User Group

“This is a book that the new Ubuntu user would find helpful in getting started and the more experienced computer user would find informative enough to keep as a reference manual. I also enjoyed the computing humor.”

—Dr. Gregory Chapelle, General Atomics, Electromagnetics Division, San Diego, California

“In short, this book is something that I can honestly recommend to anyone using Ubuntu. It works great as a reference and equally well as a how-to guide. I respect the work that’s been done, and I can’t overstate how knowledgeable the authors are, as well as the reviewers.”

—Paul Tagliamonte, Ubuntu Member, and Debian Developer
About the Author
Matthew Helmke has been an Ubuntu user since April 2005 and an Ubuntu Member since August 2006. He served from 2006 to 2011 on the Ubuntu Forum Council, providing leadership and oversight of the Ubuntu Forums, and spent two years on the Ubuntu regional membership approval board for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He has written articles about Ubuntu for magazines and Web sites, is the lead author of Ubuntu Unleashed, and has written several books and articles on other topics.

Elizabeth K. Joseph is a professional Linux Systems Administrator currently working at Hewlett-Packard, with a focus on managing the infrastructure for the OpenStack project. She has been working with Linux and around Linux communities since 2002. Elizabeth began contributing to Ubuntu in 2006 and currently contributes to various teams, including Documentation, News, Quality Assurance, and Classroom. Over the years she has served on the Ubuntu Membership Board and is now serving her third term as a member of the Ubuntu Community Council. At home in San Francisco, she serves as one of the leaders of the Ubuntu California team and is on the board of a nonprofit that provides Ubuntu-based computers to schools in need.


José Antonio Rey is a community contributor who has been actively participating since 2011. He is a student residing in Peru, whose contributions include helping with the News and Classroom teams, managing Ubuntu On Air!, and being the contact of the Ubuntu Peru team and a member of the LoCo Council. Even though he is not a developer, he has helped with Juju Charms and is the author for the Postfix and Mailman charms.