Ceci est une ancienne révision du document !
Titre : Manual Labor
With the release of 12.04, we're in a fortunate position; there's a growing user base, a healthy user community, and a lot of highly intelligent people working on and writing about Ubuntu. There are even some very thick and quite expensive printed books on the subject. But in keeping with the free and Open Source ethos, we decided to take a look at some of the free publications you can get to help you and your Ubuntu recruits along the way.
Muktware's Ubuntu Manual - 12.04 LTS - First Edition
http://www.muktware.com/articles/3556/muktware-ubuntu-manual
This manual is intended for users new to Ubuntu coming from other operating systems, and also users who are upgrading from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. It is a manual produced by the community for the community. Therefore, it is available free of charge, and is distributed under the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.
It covers all elements of the Ubuntu world – starting with preparing your computer for installation and using Ubuntu, to advanced topics. It guides a new user into the world of Ubuntu. An entire chapter devoted to working with Ubuntu effectively covers some of the key features of Ubuntu 12.04 like Virtual Workspaces, Unity Desktop, Spread View, and Switching between applications.
From a site described as an 'Open Source Magazine', the team at www.muktware.com have put together an Ubuntu manual which you can get directly from the Ubuntu Software Centre!
Released under the Creative Commons license, by a team for whom English appears not to be their first language, Muktware's Ubuntu Manual is another attempt to produce a manual for new users. Like all the beginners’ manuals, it does the right thing in principle, opening with About Ubuntu, Why Ubuntu, Who is behind Ubuntu, Ubuntu Releases, Contributing to Ubuntu.
In practice, the chances are, if you've got it, you know a lot of this, or you've been recommended it and don't give a monkey’s, or you just want to get on with it. Why can nobody produce a fly-leaf PDF page with a little info graphic, and the hot links to skip to the section you want – in this case Chapter 4 on page 11, Obtaining Ubuntu followed by Chapter 5, Installing?
Part II, Using Ubuntu, gets into its stride, with an overview of the Unity desktop, the Launcher, and HUD. The manual has some slightly strange page layouts and breaks and eccentric captioning. It's not a particularly great explanation of the HUD either. The Software Centre is much better explained, with warnings in the appropriate places.
Next, there's a whole section on Terminal Basics. This is well written and presented content, but I'm of two minds about terminal use. Who is the audience for this manual? Do you stick to describing the graphical interface – after all you can do 95% of common tasks via Nautilus – including setting ordinary permissions. Or do you acknowledge there are quicker ways for the technically competent, and live in the real world where the Linux terminal still exists? Taking that second option, Terminal Basics is done well.
The next section is about Performing Basic Tasks, which it covers very, very briefly in a very random order – Micro-blogging, playing media, the Office suite, connecting and configuring Internet, Printing, email, web browsing, file sharing and games.
Advanced Topics then goes off the rails a bit, installing alternative desktops actually describes only one – Gnome Shell. Does anyone run Gnome Shell on Ubuntu? Any new users?
Working Effectively Using Ubuntu then talks about Workspaces. Surely this belongs in an earlier section? Switching between applications, perhaps? Next comes Customising Ubuntu, which demonstrates the scope and ambition of this manual – installing lenses and scopes, third party applications, and customising the appearance. The Privacy Manager also gets a mention. Part III, Getting Help contains pointers to various forums, wikis and newletters.
As a free “manual produced by the community for the community,” it is an excellent effort; time and experience may well suggest to the team some better ways of doing things.
Ubuntu, An Absolute Beginners Guide by Courtney Loo, edited by Justin Pot
http://courtneyloo.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/ubuntu-an-absolute-beginners-guide/
You can tell when a technology is becoming popular when the general tech press starts producing material for it:
Ubuntu is a free/libre, open-source computer operating system, with 20 million users worldwide. But it’s also so much more than that: it is an ethos, a collaborative project, and, first and foremost, Ubuntu is a community of people.
If you’re reading this guide, you’re probably interested in moving away from proprietary operating systems such as Windows and Mac OS X; perhaps you’ve already installed Ubuntu on your computer but are not sure where to start.
Honestly, these manuals are starting to drive me crazy. How can so many people get this so wrong? Take a tip from a good marketing department. Grab the viewer from the get-go; show, tell, sell. Give them pictures, colour. Give them the gee-whizz..
They don't want a history lesson. They don't need Sociology-101. They need answers. What is it, why do I need it, why is it so much better than what I'm using now?
Courtney Loo's manual is only 32 pages long. Less than half that is the material that should be in An Absolute Beginners Guide.
It begins with the classic mistake; What is it, the Ubuntu Philosophy, How can it be free. Jokingly referring to Linux, the dreaded L-word, it tries to demystify and explain Linux. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting…
Chapter 3, Ubuntu Releases, is an entirely unnecessary history lesson in a horrible looking page full of version numbers, code names and releases. BORED! CUT!!!
Page 10: Installing. Finally! Different ways of installing Ubuntu is quite a useful run-down; via ISO, USB stick, Dual-boot, co-existing with Windows and Mac, or through Wubi. Better!
Chapter 5 is Support and Community. Hang on, I haven't seen any of it yet! You haven't shown me? Why do I care about other free documentation and Launchpad Answers?
Chapter 6, page 16: Getting Started with Unity. Except it doesn't. “Before Unity There Was GNOME: A Little Bit Of History” NOOO!!! I don't CARE!!! I don't give a rat’s-tail about Gnome and its Fisher-Price foot-print logo. This is Chapter 6! GET ON WITH IT!!!
Page 17 finally shows me and describes Ubuntu Unity. The next few pages are dense (more whitespace here, please), and finally give me some decent information about Ubuntu, Unity, the Dash, navigating and pinning. Section 7 is entitled Ubuntu Applications (How Do I…?); update My Computer, Install Software and Applications, download, surf, manage photos, listen to music.
Now here's a thing. The first item in Further Reading is an article on MakeUseOf.com: Ubuntu Restricted Extras: The First Thing You Should Install on Ubuntu. Loo's Listening to Music section doesn't mention this. If you've got .MP3 music files, this is the first thing you want to know. But it doesn't. This is in the footnotes to a guide which stops on page 30. I'm an Absolute Beginner and you've done little more than tease…
The Makeuseof guide appears to have been written to a house style under a restrictive brief (and a proprietary licence!). While I like elements of the writing style, there is quite a number of things wrong with this guide. RC
Ubuntu Manual Project: Getting Started with Ubuntu 12.04
Getting Started with Ubuntu 12.04 is a comprehensive beginners guide for the Ubuntu operating system. It is written under an open source license, and is free for you to download, read, modify and share.
The manual will help you become familiar with everyday tasks such as surfing the web, listening to music, and scanning documents. With an emphasis on easy to follow instructions, it is suitable for all levels of experience.
The project homepage actually does a good job of describing and reviewing the manual for me: • Easy to understand – our manual has step-by-step instructions and is jargon-free (mostly) • A picture is worth a thousand words – lots of screen-shots to show you how to do tasks (cool) • Progressive learning curve – start with the basics, and learn as you work through each chapter • Dozens of languages – translated into more than 52 languages, including localized screen-shots • CC-BY-SA licensing – download, modify, reproduce, and share as much as you like • Printer friendly – we have a version optimized for printing to save the trees • Troubleshooting section – to help you solve common Ubuntu problems quickly
Now, the title is Getting Started. Unfortunately, the team is still committing the same error I pointed out for the very first edition. There's too much boring stuff at the beginning. Intellectually important stuff; ethically important stuff. But boring. Why does it need to be the first section? Even if you call it Prologue: Welcome, Ubuntu Philosophy, A brief history of Ubuntu, Is Ubuntu right for you (this I like), Contact details, About the team, Conventions used in this book (useful).
With the section on Installation, the quality begins to show through. This is a proper step-by-step guide with the right pictures.
The Desktop section has sidebars and definitions and illustrations, and works through the things you need to know in the right order; Unity, Launcher, Dash, Managing Windows, Workspaces, file manager, searching, customising, accessibility.
Working with Ubuntu is a comprehensive section almost 50 pages long, working through the standard applications. Importantly, it addresses the subject of codecs for playing different media formats.
There's a section on hardware – an area in which a lot of computer users get stuck in “Driver Hell,” setting up and configuring various devices. Displays, printers, cameras, sound, scanning are all covered in sufficient depth to get through common configuration.
Software Management then goes through installing and maintaining the software stack on your machine, the Software Centre, and the mechanics of package installs. It mentions the terminal, but doesn't go into any detail. Security is outlined – covering firewalls, permissions, users and groups. There's a short but sweet section on Troubleshooting. Finding Additional Help is a good list of sources.
At the back, where it belongs, the Open Source Licence is included in full. There's also a decent glossary.
Criticisms? I have very few as the Ubuntu Manual is now a mature publication. Yes, it could do with a few more pictures, if only to relieve some of the pages that are quite bland and text-heavy. The sidebar text is in far too small a typeface so you can miss some really useful snippets.
Simplify Your Life: the “Unity Orientation Guide” Revised
http://ubuntu-za.org/sites/default/files/unity-5-10-0-final-pdf.pdf
With the release of Ubuntu Linux 12.04 LTS, the Ubuntu Vancouver Local Community (UVLC) has updated its guide to the Unity desktop. The fully revised “Unity Orientation Guide,” formerly “Simplify Your Life with Ubuntu Unity”, is publicly available and deserves to be easier to find.
To quote editor-in-chief and Ubuntu Buzz Generator Randall Ross: • If you're new to Ubuntu, or Unity, or both, it's definitely worth a read. • If you've just installed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, then this guide is for you. • If you doubt that Unity is powerful and useful, we think this guide just might sway your opinion. No matter what your familiarity is with Ubuntu, please share this guide with your neighbours, friends, and family members, especially those on the other side of the chasm!
It's another stand-out job by the Vancouver team to produce a straight-forward guide on a technical subject (I know, I've done them, including a Unity Guide for Full Circle Magazine). Plaudits go to managing editor Charlene Tessier and the team of guest editors/proof-readers from Ubuntu Vancouver.
On first glance, the Unity Orientation Guide is a lighter and much faster read than the original. It's geared towards those learning and experiencing the Ubuntu Unity interface for the first time. Its focus is getting you oriented quickly, and thus allowing you to get on with your day-o-day computer tasks.
This is more tightly focused than the other guides here, since it assumes you already have Ubuntu with Unity installed, and so gets on with the job. Using very simple page layouts with lots of white space, the instructions are unfailingly clear and concise.
It does what it says on the cover for the most part, although I was initially confused to find the explanation of the Unity HUD (Head Up Display) at the back, feeling it really ought to go near the front just after the description of the Unity Dash. After all, the HUD is a much trumpeted feature of 12.04. Then the thinking became clear – the HUD is the labour-saver when you are in applications, so the guide talks about applications first.
This is a well structured, well designed team effort. I heartily recommend it.
Conclusion
Overall I still think the Vancouver team book, Unity Orientation Guide strikes the best balance of style and content, but the Ubuntu Manual is the larger reference work and a good one at that.