To add or remove programs, you simply open the Add/Remove Application.
It connects to the bank of programs online and also indicates which programs
you already have installed on your machine. To add new ones, simply check
the box next to each one. To remove programs, simply uncheck the box. Click
"Apply" and the additions and deletions will be performed for you. That's it!
Here's a photo of the screen with an FTP client for uploading
my images and pages to my website. The Mozilla browser is in the background.
Sample programs, all of which come with Ubuntu: GIMP (like Photoshop), an instant
messenger that works with all popular IM's at the same time, a text editor, and a small
game.
Various media applications to show video, capture audio, play and rip CDs, and organize
music (similar to iTunes).
Open Office which reads and writes files that are compatible with Microsoft Office.
Create Word-compatible documents with the application on the left and PowerPoint
compatible presentations with the application on the right.
I plugged my camera into a USB port and this screen immediately
popped up. The
same thing happens if you attach a USB thumb drive.
I bought this book for about $25 and used it as
my reference. I recommed it. The early chapters explain the
philosophy and (short) history of Ubuntu -- very interesting.
New versions of Ubuntu come out every 6 months, but, if you like stability,
version 6.06 is guaranteed (via a $10 million endowment)
to be supported for three years (5 years for servers).
From Wikipedia:
There are many possible translations in English for ubuntu, including:
"Humanity towards others"
"I am because we are"
"I am what I am because of what we all are"
"A person 'becomes human' through other persons"
"A person is a person because of other persons"
A popular definition of ubuntu is, "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that
connects all humanity."
Ubuntu
Ubuntu seems to have become the preferred distribution of Linux. I certainly see why. I have installed and played with Red Hat, Suse, Linspire and more. Ubuntu beats them all.
I deliberately did the 10-15 minute install on a computer using a flat panel screen and no internet hookup. From there, I took the computer to another room and hooked it to a LAN cable and to an old, traditional monitor. Ubuntu started right up and the Internet was immediately available.
Next, I started a program called "Sorftware Updates" and it identified 139 updates for the OS and the pieces of software on the computer. With a click of two buttons, I downloaded and installed the 139 updates with no problem -- see screen capture to the left..