[VIDEO] Ubuntu 11.10 Tutorial 1 - Simple Tasks (beginner)

Submitted by Webmaster on October 4, 2011 - 22:07

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#1 - Ubuntu simple tasks

    1 - Setting up system language
    2 - Finding files and folders
    3 – Installing new software
    4 - Browsing the web
    5 - Checking mail, managing contacts and calendars
    6 - Chat client
    7 - Office suite
    8 - Play music and movies
    9 - Pictures library
    10 - Backing up

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Transcript

Please download the file below to have the full transcript.

It's in the standard text format odt that you can open with LibreOffice.

Ubuntu 11.10 Tutorials 1 (transcript).odt


Comments

Submitted by yongvs on November 19, 2011 - 02:54.
I have just installed ubuntu11.10 from the internet. However after restarting, the internet connection failed. The wireless icon is blank and the edit connection dialog is all greyed out. I think the very first thing any ubuntu installation should explain is how to set up the internet connection. Otheriwse everything is a no-go. I send this from another computer.

Submitted by Webmaster on November 21, 2011 - 13:13.

Hi Yongvs,

Thank you very much for your feedback, it is very important to know about these issues to improve the tutorials. By the way, before the tutorials were recorded there was a discussion about internet connection and the decision was made to start with language support (since it is a no-go too). We assumed that the easiest way to start working is with a hard-wired Ethernet connection. We will make sure to clarify this.

The next tutorial will be about troubleshooting so stay tuned. For the time being you can check the link below to help you solve your problem.

https://help.ubuntu.com/11.10/ubuntu-help/net-wireless-troubleshooting.html

Submitted by Brendan on January 16, 2012 - 22:50.
Hi, I've just spent two days installing Ubuntu 11.10 with so much hassle I've been on the terminal typing almost all that time. All I can say is your video should be posted as a huge link in the middle of the first desktop you see after installation - it would save a lot of headaches. I like the way you mention equivalents as you introduce something.For instance on talking about libreoffice calc you mention it's windows and apple equivalents. For me, this is where Ubuntu (and all linux) falls down at the first hurdle for most migratory users. You just don't know where anything is. It's like being lost in a city and you don't even know how to call a taxi. To that end may I suggest an 'intro video' - a prequel if you like to this one. In it you simply show the desktop and mention the equivelents of windows on there. I know you touch on this in this tutorial and that is great1 but it is not obvious to a windows user that the top left button is the same as 'start - programs' on windows (and while W7 users are familiar with just typing in a program name to find a program, this is alien to XP users who are used to scrolling through a list of programs and clicking on it). Neither is it known that if you want to explore files you use the home button which will show your hard drives and folders. This is what I felt most infuriating. Having found out how to download, I also thought I could just click on the file once it was downloaded - no one told me (like you did) that you have to go LOOKING for it now (and WHY? in windows when you download something and install it there is a desktop shortcut) Also the top right button is really eqiv to the shut down button on windows but also doubles up as the 'my computer - properties - system setup' These basic things if not explained can drive you crackers and make you run away from Ubuntu and all linux OS. Another major issue I had was I couldn't find any menu items on a window that opened. I searched the net high and low and only found a solution on Firefox.com which told me to hold down alt. I then could see that the menu items are not on the window but on the bar at the top. - again something so basic that no one bothered to explain but it took me an hour to find out how to change the settings in firefox because I couldn't find a menu! (apparently this will be 'fixed' in v 12 because the menu items will appear when you open the window and linger for a while). Equivalents Equivalents Equivalents Equivalents that's what we need to understand, to translate from one OS to another. So, thanks again for explaining the basics. Please add some even MORE basic basics for us 'foreignors' to linux. The easier it is for us to learn, the more chance we will use and recommend linux and not run away screaming. One final thing as a suggestion. Seen as you are so good at these tutorials; A tutorial on 'common program stoppers' would be great. I spent hours trying to find out how to remove a partially loaded ttf-mscorefonts-installer which was preventing all installations. Any advice I got kept mentioning going to the synaptic area - which I couldn't find on my system. I got it all sorted in the end but I almost gave up and was ready to scrap Ubuntu and smash the CD, it was so infuriating. And what is the equivalent to Windows Cntl Alt Del when Ubuntu freezes - how can you exit gracefully without hard shutting down? Thanks again for all your hard work. - Ubuntu should come with your tutorials as a 'readme first' file.

Submitted by Webmaster on January 24, 2012 - 02:49.
Hello Brendan and thank you for taking the time to post your experience and your ideas. I have thought about your suggestions and they are indeed very pertinent. I will make a video aimed at explaining the equivalences for migratory users. As you can imagine I haven't used windows for a while and sometimes the difficulty of migration is not evident to me. For this reason, feedback like yours are essential to make the tutorials better. Congratulations for being persistent and finding your way (even using the command line!). As a side note, an easy way to quit running processes (Ctrl+Alt+Del sort of) can be found in the System Monitor> Processes. I hope you will enjoy your experience with GNU/Linux as you get more familiar with it!

Submitted by Brendan on January 24, 2012 - 16:23.
Thanks again. Is there a keyboard equivelent to get to System monitor> processes. When my system froze the last time I had no mouse even.

Submitted by Webmaster on January 25, 2012 - 18:13.
One possibility is to use your keyboard to navigate to the application. To launch the dash you can press the “super” key (usually it's the one that has a windows logo on it), then type “system monitor” and use the arrows (and tab key) to get to the process you want to stop and, finally, press Ctrl+k to kill the unresponsive process. Another possibility is to create your own keyboard shortcut to launch the system monitor. To do this, go to System settings > keyboard > Shortcuts > Custom shortcuts > + (to add a shorcut, at the bottom of the window). The command to open the monitor is “gnome-system-monitor”. Once this is done click on “Disabled” and press the keys you want to use as a shortcut. You could even use Ctrl+Alt+Del if you want. There are certainly other ways of quitting unresponsive applications but that's the easiest I can think of.

Submitted by Webmaster on June 3, 2012 - 02:58.

Hi Brendan, if by any chance you come visit the tutorials again, please take a look at the new "First steps" tutorials and tell me what you think. I'd be curious to know. In any case, thanks again for your suggestion!

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