~gumara/ubuntu-desktop-course/ubuntu-desktop-course-th-gumara

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<chapter>
  <title>Ubuntu Help and Support</title>

  <formalpara>
    <title>Objectives</title>

    <para>In this lesson, you will learn how to seek help for Ubuntu from
    various sources such as system documentation, online documentation,
    commercial support, community support, Launchpad and The Fridge.</para>
  </formalpara>

  <note userlevel="instructor">
    <title>Instructor Notes:</title>

    <para>This lesson includes an optional hour. In addition to covering the
    lesson content, you can devote this hour to elaborate on topics already
    covered in the previous lessons or select something from the optional
    material, such as partitioning and booting or sections from the music and
    video lesson.</para>
  </note>

  <sect1>
    <title>Introduction</title>

    <para>Help and support for Ubuntu is readily available through a number of
    sources so you need not panic if you run into a problem. Essentially there
    are two channels for accessing support:</para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para><emphasis role="italic">The first level is: </emphasis> Free,
        community based and involves system and online documentation, mailing
        lists, forums, IRC channels and Launchpad.</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para><emphasis role="italic">The second level is: </emphasis> Paid
        for, commercial services through Canonical itself and / or various
        partners.</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>Accessing System Documentation</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_001.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>System Documentation</title>

    <para>The first resource that you should explore is the offline system
    documentation. The <ulink url="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam">Ubuntu Documentation
    Team</ulink> maintains and updates the documentation for each release.
    This documentation is very reliable and available in different
    languages.</para>

    <para>Ubuntu System documentation is organised into topic based help,
    including answers to common questions. It is accessed by clicking the
    <emphasis role="strong">Help and Support</emphasis> button located under
    the System Menu. The following screenshot shows the home page of the Help
    and Support offline system documentation.</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>System Documentation</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_002.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <para>New to Ubuntu? This section introduces you to the wonderful world of
    Ubuntu including an easy to use guide if you are migrating from Microsoft
    Windows to Ubuntu. Also in this section, the help guide will explain how
    to use your desktop, the role of the administrator and basic computer
    skills. A great resource for any newcomers and a top-up to this desktop
    course.</para>

    <para>Some applications do also offer access to the help system through
    the <emphasis>Help</emphasis> menu or keyboard shortcut
    <emphasis>F1</emphasis>.</para>

    <para>One of the great features of the system documentation is the ability
    to search the documentation to help solve the problem you have. Simply
    type in the term you are looking for and the system will search all the
    documents and guides with related information.</para>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>Online Documentation</title>

    <note userlevel="instructor">
      <title>Instructor Notes:</title>

      <para>Guide the students through each one of the options on the
      Web.</para>
    </note>

    <para>The online Ubuntu documentation is available at <ulink url="https://help.ubuntu.com"> https://help.ubuntu.com</ulink>. There are
    two different types of documentation available on this site, official and
    community.</para>

    <para>The official documentation is the documentation that is included
    with your Ubuntu installation by default and is locally accessible from
    your Ubuntu desktop. You can also access this documentation on the
    Internet at the Web site mentioned above.</para>

    <para>The following screenshot shows the home page of the Ubuntu
    documentation site:</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>Online Documentation</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_003.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <para>For your convenience, the documentation is classified under various
    categories. You can also find documentation specific to various Ubuntu
    distributions, such as Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, 7.04 and 7.10 under the multiple
    tabs on this page.</para>

    <para>To access the official documentation locally from your Ubuntu
    desktop, without connecting to the Internet, on the <emphasis role="strong">System</emphasis> menu, click <emphasis role="strong">Help
    and Support</emphasis>.</para>

    <para>The information available in the official documentation will be
    enough to guide you through most problems. However, if you are unable to
    find an answer to your queries here, you can look for answers in the
    second type of documentation available on this site. This is documentation
    created by the community, without following the stringent quality control
    process of the Ubuntu Documentation Team. Access this documentation via
    the tab labelled <emphasis role="strong">Community Docs</emphasis>. The
    community documentation is stored on a Wiki, which allows the
    documentation to be changed quickly. While the community documentation
    covers more topics and some subjects also in greater depth than the
    official documentation, the lack of quality assurance control and
    especially maintenance makes it a slightly less reliably
    alternative.</para>

    <para>The community documentation is a large collection of
    community-contributed documents, primarily covering the following
    topics:</para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Migrating from other operating systems, such as Microsoft
        Windows and Red Hat</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>Post-installation configuration for a variety of tasks such
        as</para>

        <itemizedlist>
          <listitem>
            <para>Maintaining your computer</para>
          </listitem>

          <listitem>
            <para>Connecting and configuring hardware</para>
          </listitem>
        </itemizedlist>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <para>The following screenshot displays the information available in the
    community documentation:</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>Community Documentation</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_004.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <para>The community documentation is also classified under various
    categories. You can select the desired category from the page index at the
    right of the page. You can also use the <emphasis role="strong">Search</emphasis> field in the top-right corner of the page
    to look for specific information within the community documentation. Be
    aware that <emphasis role="strong">Titles</emphasis> will restrict the
    search of your term to the pages titles only. If a search via titles does
    not produce any results, a full <emphasis role="strong">Text</emphasis>
    search may find the right page.</para>

    <para>You can also find relevant information on the <emphasis role="strong">CommonQuestions</emphasis> page. Access the <emphasis role="strong">CommonQuestions</emphasis> page by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">Common Questions</emphasis> link on the community
    documentation page.</para>

    <para>The following screenshot displays the <emphasis role="strong">CommonQuestions</emphasis> page on the Ubuntu Web
    site:</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>The CommonQuestions Page</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_005.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <para>Additional help is available to you in the form of Ubuntu
    screencasts. You can click the <emphasis role="strong">Ubuntu
    Screencasts</emphasis> link on the <emphasis role="strong">Community
    Documentation</emphasis> page to access a number of videos on using and
    installing Ubuntu. Each video is created with the aim of educating new
    users of Ubuntu. Each video is available in three sizes, large, medium and
    small, and two formats, OGG and Flash.</para>

    <para>The following is an example of a screenshot from a video on
    installing applications:</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>The Screencasts Page</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_006.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <note>
      <title>Note:</title>

      <para>These screen casts are licensed under the Creative Commons
      Attributions-Share Alike 3.0 License. You are free to modify, share,
      sell or distribute these screencasts as long as the attribution to
      Ubuntu is intact.</para>
    </note>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>Community Support</title>

    <para>The vast and ever growing Ubuntu community also offers a range of
    free support options for your Ubuntu desktop. Apart from the community
    documentation, the Ubuntu community provides support through:</para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>Mailing lists</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>Web Forums</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>IRC Channels</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>LoCo Teams</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>The Ubuntu Team Wiki</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <sect2 id="mailing-lists">
      <title id="title-mailing-lists">Mailing Lists</title>

      <para>To get help on a specific problem, all you need to do is to send
      your query through e-mail to the relevant mailing list and you will get
      a quick response from the team.</para>

      <para>You will need to subscribe to the mailing list first by visiting
      the Ubuntu Mailing Lists Web site at <ulink url="https://lists.ubuntu.com/">https://lists.ubuntu.com/</ulink>. The
      <emphasis role="strong">Mailing Lists</emphasis> page displays all the
      public mailing lists to which you can subscribe and their topic.</para>

      <para>The following screenshot displays the <emphasis role="strong">Mailing Lists</emphasis> page:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The Mailing Lists Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_007.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>To get help for your Ubuntu desktop, you should go to the
      <emphasis role="strong">Community Support</emphasis> and select the
      <emphasis role="strong">ubuntu-users</emphasis> mailing list. This will
      take you to a page like the following:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Subscribing to Ubuntu-users Mailing List</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_008.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>You need to provide your e-mail address, your name and a password
      in the appropriate boxes and then click the <emphasis role="strong">Subscribe</emphasis> button.</para>

      <para>When you subscribe to a mailing list, a confirmation mail is sent
      to your provided e-mail to verify that it is your address. To activate
      this mailing list, you need to first open your e-mail account and then
      click the link provided in the confirmation e-mail.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Confirmation Mail</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_009.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>Clicking this link takes you to the <emphasis role="strong">Confirm subscription request</emphasis> page, where you
      can verify the details of your subscription request and subscribe to the
      selected mailing list by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">Subscribe
      to list ubuntu-users</emphasis> button.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Confirm Subscription Request Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_010.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>Finally, you will receive a confirmation message saying that your
      subscription request to the selected mailing list has been
      confirmed.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Confirmation of Subscription Request Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_011.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>Soon after, you will receive a welcome mail containing the mailing
      address of your selected mailing list and you will then be able to send
      e-mail messages to this list. Before sending your first query, it is
      good practice to read a bit of the archive, as the topic may have
      already been covered. The archive will also give you an idea of how much
      volume to expect from a list and get a "feel" of others who are active
      on the list.</para>

      <para>It is possible that you will be flooded with many responses to
      your posting. The level of emails received can be controlled by
      adjusting your preferences on the <emphasis role="strong">UserCP (User
      Control Panel)</emphasis>. You can use this panel to customize your
      profile and preferences too.</para>

      <note userlevel="instructor">
        <title>Instructor Notes:</title>

        <para>To use the mailing lists, some guidelines are given in
        the Mailing List Etiquette page. To read these guidelines, go
        to <ulink
        url="http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/mailinglists/etiquette">http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/mailinglists/etiquette</ulink>.</para>
      </note>

      <para>The mailing lists archive is an excellent resource of information,
      as quite a few questions have been discussed on the lists already. The
      archive can be seen as a memory for the mailing lists expertise.</para>
    </sect2>

    <sect2 id="web-forums">
      <title id="title-web-forums">Web Forums</title>

      <para>Web forums are often an easier and more immediate alternative to
      mailing lists as you can receive help on various issues without
      subscribing to a high-traffic mailing list. They are easier to use,
      available in a Web browser and are an ideal way for you to meet other
      Ubuntu users and developers.</para>

      <para>The following screenshot displays the home page of the Ubuntu
      forums Web site:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Web Forums</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_012.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>To access the Ubuntu forums, go to: <ulink url="http://ubuntuforums.org/">http://ubuntuforums.org/</ulink>
        or <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com/community/forums">http://www.ubuntu.com/community/forums</ulink>.</para>
      </note>

      <para>The Ubuntu forums are entirely maintained and moderated by
      volunteers and are available in many languages such as Chinese, Dutch,
      German, Finnish and French.</para>

      <para>The following screenshot displays a view of the Ubuntu French
      forum:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Ubuntu French Forum</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_013.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>You need to register on the forum to be able to post messages and
      get support. To do this, click the <emphasis role="strong">Register</emphasis> link displayed on the home page which
      will lead to the following page:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Ubuntu Forum Rules Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_014.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>Follow all the instructions on this and the following pages to
      sign on to the Ubuntu forum. You will then receive a confirmation that
      your registration is complete.</para>

      <para>You can now sign in with your new user name and password and start
      using the Web forum for posting new messages and searching the existing
      ones. The postings on the Web forum are segregated into several
      categories based on their subject. To get an answer for a specific
      question, you may first look into the related category. Each category
      contains threads to all the postings already made under that
      category.</para>

      <para>An alternate method to search the desired information is by using
      the <emphasis role="strong">Search</emphasis> option on the right of the
      home page. You can type your question in the <emphasis role="strong">Search Forums</emphasis> field and run a search. It is
      more than likely that you will find your desired information in these
      postings.</para>

      <para>However, if you do not find the required information in the
      questions that have already been asked, you can create a new posting on
      the Web forum. In all probability, you will soon be flooded with
      hundreds of responses from the zealous community members, providing
      assistance.</para>
    </sect2>

    <sect2 id="irc-channels">
      <title id="title-irc-channels">IRC Channels</title>

      <para>The IRC channels are a form of real-time Internet chat that enable
      users to talk directly (and immediately) with one another.</para>

      <para>IRC channels are available on the freenode network,
      irc.freenode.net. The best channel for you to interact with other Ubuntu
      users is #ubuntu. Other specialised channels related to Ubuntu variants,
      such as #kubuntu, #edubuntu and #xubuntu are also available. In
      addition, channels related to bugs, development, LoCo teams,
      accessibility and documentation are also available.</para>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>To see a list of IRC channels and clients, go to <ulink
        url="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat">https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat</ulink>.</para>
      </note>

      <para>There are many ways to connect to an IRC channel and one of them
      is by using the Pidgin instant messenger. Connecting to Pidgin was
      covered in Lesson 3.</para>

      <procedure>
        <title>Once in Pidgin, you can access various IRC channels by:</title>

        <step performance="required">
          <para>Open the <emphasis role="strong">Buddies</emphasis> menu to
          view the available options, and click <emphasis role="strong">Add
          Chat</emphasis>. This displays the <emphasis role="strong">Add
          Chat</emphasis> dialogue box.</para>

          <figure float="0">
            <title>Buddies Menu</title>

            <mediaobject>
              <imageobject>
                <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_015.png" width="3cm" format="PNG"/>
              </imageobject>
            </mediaobject>
          </figure>
        </step>

        <step performance="required">
          <para>To interact with ubuntu users, type <emphasis role="strong">#Ubuntu</emphasis> in the <emphasis role="strong">Screen name</emphasis> field. Then click <emphasis role="strong">Add</emphasis>. This adds the Ubuntu users' account to
          your <emphasis role="strong">Buddies List</emphasis>.</para>

          <figure float="0">
            <title>Add Chat Dialogue Box</title>

            <mediaobject>
              <imageobject>
                <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_016.png" width="8cm" format="PNG"/>
              </imageobject>
            </mediaobject>
          </figure>
        </step>

        <step performance="required">
          <para>Notice that <emphasis role="strong">#ubuntu</emphasis> is
          added as an IRC account to your <emphasis role="strong">Buddy
          List</emphasis>. Double-click the account name to enter the IRC
          channel for Ubuntu users.</para>

          <figure float="0">
            <title>Buddy List</title>

            <mediaobject>
              <imageobject>
                <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_017.png" width="3cm" format="PNG"/>
              </imageobject>
            </mediaobject>
          </figure>
        </step>

        <step performance="required">
          <para>You have now entered the IRC channel for Ubuntu users. You can
          use the box at the bottom of the window to type your messages, and
          press <emphasis role="strong">Enter</emphasis> to send them.</para>

          <figure float="0">
            <title>IRC Channel for Ubuntu Users</title>

            <mediaobject>
              <imageobject>
                <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_018.png" width="7cm" format="PNG"/>
              </imageobject>
            </mediaobject>
          </figure>
        </step>
      </procedure>
    </sect2>

    <sect2 id="loco-teams">
      <title id="title-loco-teams">LoCo Teams</title>

      <para>The Ubuntu LoCo (short for 'local') teams are a vital resource for
      providing localised support. With the incredible success of Ubuntu
      around the world, the Loco project helps groups of Ubuntu fans and
      enthusiasts work together in their regional teams to help advocate,
      promote, translate, develop and otherwise improve Ubuntu.You can access
      them through: <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/locallanguage">http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/locallanguage</ulink>.</para>

      <para>The following screenshot displays the list of languages in which
      you can receive help and support on Ubuntu:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The LoCo Teams Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_019.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>To receive help and support on Ubuntu in your local language,
      select the desired language from the <emphasis role="strong">Non-English
      Support</emphasis> list.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Non-English Support Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_020.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>If you want to start a LoCo team or join an existing one, go to:
        <ulink url="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams</ulink>. To view the list of LoCo
        teams, visit <ulink url="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList</ulink>.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>

    <sect2 id="ubuntu-wiki">
      <title id="title-ubuntu-wiki">The Ubuntu Team Wiki</title>

      <para>A wiki is a Web site that allows users to add, edit or remove
      content collectively. The Ubuntu Team Wiki is a central Web site that
      acts as an information hub. It provides access to useful information on
      Ubuntu and Ubuntu projects and contains more than 6,000 documents and
      pages which are continually updated by the Ubuntu community members. The
      Ubuntu Team Wiki can be accessed at <ulink url="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/</ulink>.</para>

      <para>The following is a screenshot of the Ubuntu Team Wiki home
      page:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The Ubuntu Team Wiki</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_021.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>As an Ubuntu user, you can also contribute to the wiki content and
      edit any of the pages on this site. However, you must observe the Ubuntu
      code of conduct while editing any content.</para>

      <para>Although the official Ubuntu wiki is available only in English,
      many wikis exist through the LoCo Web sites. For instance, the French
      wiki URL is <ulink url="http://wiki.ubuntu-fr.org">http://wiki.ubuntu-fr.org</ulink>. You
      can find other LoCo teams in <ulink url="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList</ulink>.</para>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>For more information on editing the Ubuntu wiki, visit <ulink url="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HelpOnEditing">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HelpOnEditing</ulink>.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>Launchpad</title>

    <para>Launchpad is a collaborative Web-based suite that helps people
    develop directly or contribute to the development of free and open source
    software. It is a collaborative system developed by Canonical, with Ubuntu
    as the most popular project hosted on it. You can use Shipit with your
    Launchpad ID and order Ubuntu CDs, report a bug, assist in translation of
    Ubuntu and more. This course covers the Launchpad Technical Answers
    section, Launchpad Bug Tracking and Shipit (ordering Ubuntu CDs).</para>

    <para>You can visit Launchpad at <ulink url="https://launchpad.net">https://launchpad.net</ulink>. The following
    screenshot displays the home page of the Launchpad site:</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>The Launchpad Page</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_022.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <para>Information stored on Launchpad can be retrieved anonymously. To
    submit information on Launchpad, you need to first create an account on
    Launchpad. You can create a Launchpad account by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">Register</emphasis> link at the top-right corner of the home
    page and filling the required details under the <emphasis role="strong">Not registered yet?</emphasis> section. Click <emphasis role="strong">Register</emphasis> to complete the registration
    process.</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>Registration Page</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_023.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>

    <para>After you register, you can log on again and return to the home page
    to search the required information. You can do this by either asking a
    fresh question or searching the relevant information within the existing
    answers on the Launchpad site.</para>

    <sect2 id="lp-tech-answers">
      <title>Launchpad Technical Answers</title>

      <para>To search for an answer in the existing questions, click the
      <emphasis role="strong">Answers</emphasis> icon on the right. This
      displays the <emphasis role="strong">Questions and answers</emphasis>
      page. To obtain information about a specific project, such as Ubuntu,
      you can select the project name from the <emphasis role="strong">Most
      active projects</emphasis> list. This displays the <emphasis role="strong">Question for Ubuntu</emphasis> page on Launchpad.</para>

      <tip>
        <title>Nice to Know</title>

        <para>Many applications on Ubuntu provide the <emphasis role="strong">Get Help Online</emphasis> menu entry in their Help
        menu. This can be used as a shortcut to visit the Technical Answers
        section in Launchpad.</para>
      </tip>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Questions and Answers Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_024.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>On this page, all answers specific to the Ubuntu project are
      listed under various categories. You can type your question in the
      <emphasis role="strong">Search</emphasis> field to search for an answer
      in the existing questions. Alternatively, you can click the <emphasis role="strong">Ask a question</emphasis> button to display the <emphasis role="strong">Ask a question</emphasis> page.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Questions for Ubuntu Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_025.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>You can ask a question by selecting your preferred language and
      then typing the summary of your question in the <emphasis role="strong">Summary</emphasis> field. Clicking <emphasis role="strong">Continue</emphasis> displays a list of questions that may
      be similar to what you asked.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Ask a Question Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_026.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>If you still do not find the required answer, go ahead and type
      the description of the problem in the <emphasis role="strong">Description</emphasis> field. You can then click <emphasis role="strong">Add</emphasis> to add the question to the main Launchpad
      database.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Question Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_027.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>When your question is answered, you will receive an e-mail
      notification, stating that your question has been replied to.</para>
    </sect2>

    <sect2 id="lp-bugtracker">
      <title>Launchpad Bug Tracker: Malone</title>

      <para>Malone is a Web-based, collaborative, bug-tracking tool available
      with Launchpad. It provides you with a location to report any bugs that
      you find in Ubuntu and its various applications. It also enables you to
      track the bugs during their life, right until they have been
      resolved.</para>

      <para>If you find any problems in Ubuntu and its related applications,
      you can report it on Launchpad by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">Bugs</emphasis> icon on home page. This displays the
      <emphasis role="strong">Bug tracking</emphasis> page of the Launchpad
      Web site.</para>

      <para>The <emphasis role="strong">Bug tracking</emphasis> page displays
      all the recently reported and recently fixed bugs. Before reporting a
      new bug on Launchpad, you must run a search in the existing bug reports
      to ensure that this bug has not been reported already.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The Bug Tracking Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_028.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>You can report a fresh bug on the <emphasis role="strong">Report a
      bug</emphasis> page, which can be displayed by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">Report a bug</emphasis> button on the <emphasis role="strong">Bug tracking</emphasis> page.</para>

      <para>Type a small description of the bug in the <emphasis role="strong">Summary</emphasis> field, and click <emphasis role="strong">Continue</emphasis> to report the bug.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Report a Bug Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_029.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>When you click the <emphasis role="strong">Continue</emphasis>
      button, the bug tracker displays a list containing similar bugs reported
      earlier on Launchpad. If you do not find your bug listed here, you can
      still report the bug as a fresh bug by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">No, I'd like to report a new bug</emphasis> radio button
      at the bottom of this page. This displays a new section at the bottom of
      the page.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Look for the Reported Bug</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_030.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>You are then required to provide further detailed information
      about the bug, such as the steps to reproduce the bug and version
      information. After providing the required details, you can finally
      submit the bug report by clicking the <emphasis role="strong">Submit Bug
      Report</emphasis> button.</para>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>Visit Malone at <ulink url="https://launchpad.net/malone">https://launchpad.net/malone</ulink>.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>

    <sect2>
      <title>Shipit</title>

      <para>Shipit is an application you can use to request the delivery of
      Ubuntu CDs. Although Ubuntu can be freely downloaded from the Internet,
      you can also request a free-of-charge mail delivery of the Ubuntu CD.
      This is especially useful if you have slow Internet connection, as
      downloading the OS can take a while. Delivery may take up to 10
      weeks.</para>

      <para>The following screenshot displays the Shipit site:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The Shipit Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_031.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>Visit Shipit at <ulink url="http://Shipit.ubuntu.com">http://Shipit.ubuntu.com</ulink>.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>The Fridge</title>

    <para>The Fridge is an information hub for the Ubuntu community, bringing
    together news, grassroots marketing, advocacy, team collaboration and
    great original content. Just like the family fridge at home, this is where
    the Ubuntu family can exhibit its best work for everyone to see, along
    with the requisite jokes, reminders, invitations, news clippings and
    photos.</para>

    <note>
      <title>Note:</title>

      <para>Visit The Fridge at <ulink url="http://fridge.ubuntu.com/">http://fridge.ubuntu.com/</ulink>.</para>
    </note>

    <para>The following is a screenshot of The Fridge home page:</para>

    <figure float="0">
      <title>The Fridge</title>

      <mediaobject>
        <imageobject>
          <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_032.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
        </imageobject>
      </mediaobject>
    </figure>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>Paid For Commercial Services</title>

    <para>Canonical provides professional support across the globe. You can
    purchase this support by contacting the Global Support Services team on
    the Ubuntu Web site at <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com/support/paid">http://www.ubuntu.com/support/paid</ulink>.
    Professional support services can also be obtained through the network of
    companies and partners listed in the Canonical Marketplace.</para>

    <sect2>
      <title>Professional Support Services from Canonical</title>

      <para>Canonical Global Support Services are deployed to enable 24x7
      assistance to customers. The Global Support Services team utilises its
      vast experience and knowledge base to identify the challenges that
      customers may face when installing and maintaining new platforms and
      applications. From optimising your small office set-up to providing
      guidance on very large deployments, the Global Support Services team is
      always ready to help you get the most out of Ubuntu.</para>

      <para>Support is provided for desktops, servers and thin client servers,
      and clusters. The following screenshot shows the various types of
      support services offered:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The Various Type of Support Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_033.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>To purchase commercial support, click the
      <emphasis role="strong">contact us</emphasis> link available at the
      bottom of the <emphasis role="strong">Canonical Global Support
      Services</emphasis> page. This takes you to the <emphasis role="strong">About us</emphasis> page. You can fill the form provided
      on this page to request more information about Canonical Global Support
      Services. Alternatively, you may click the <emphasis role="strong">Purchase Support</emphasis> button present in the left
      <emphasis role="strong">Navigation</emphasis> pane. If you are a company
      employee, ask your I.S. team for details of your support options as this
      will vary from company to company.</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>About Us Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_034.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <para>After you purchase the support, you will receive a confirmation
      e-mail message containing your support ID number. You will also receive
      a phone call welcoming you to the service.</para>
    </sect2>

    <sect2>
      <title>The Canonical Marketplace</title>

      <para>The Canonical Marketplace lists a number of companies and partners
      located in various regions of the world which provide local support for
      desktops and servers running Ubuntu.</para>

      <para>The following screenshot displays the <emphasis role="strong">Marketplace</emphasis> page on the Ubuntu Web site:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>The Canonical Marketplace</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_035.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>To find support and solutions from local providers, visit <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com/support/commercial/marketplace">http://www.ubuntu.com/support/commercial/marketplace</ulink>.</para>
      </note>

      <para>Selecting your region from the list provided will lead you to a
      comprehensive list of all the Local Support Service providers in that
      region. The following screenshot displays a list of all the Local
      Support Services providers existing in Africa:</para>

      <figure float="0">
        <title>Local Support Services Page</title>

        <mediaobject>
          <imageobject>
            <imagedata fileref="images/Lesson10_images_036.png" width="11cm" format="PNG"/>
          </imageobject>
        </mediaobject>
      </figure>

      <note>
        <title>Note:</title>

        <para>If your company is providing Ubuntu-related services then you
        too have the option of being listed in the Canonical Marketplace as a
        Local Services Provider. To do this simply click the <emphasis role="strong">send us your information</emphasis> link at the bottom
        of the <emphasis role="strong">Marketplace</emphasis> page.</para>
      </note>
    </sect2>
  </sect1>

  <sect1>
    <title>Lesson Summary</title>

    <para>In this lesson, you learned:</para>

    <itemizedlist>
      <listitem>
        <para>The various sources where you can find both free and paid for
        support on Ubuntu - system and online documentation, commercial
        support, community support, Launchpad and The Fridge.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>System and Online documentation provide the primary source of
        help and contains both official and community documentation.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>The Ubuntu community also provides vital support through mailing
        lists, Web forums, IRC channels, LoCo teams and the Ubuntu Team
        Wiki.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>You can use Launchpad to perform tasks such as searching Ubuntu
        related information, tracking bugs in Ubuntu and placing orders for
        Ubuntu CDs.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>The Fridge is an information hub for the Ubuntu community,
        bringing together news, grassroots marketing, advocacy, team
        collaboration and great original content.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>Canonical provides professional support across the globe, which
        you can purchase by contacting the Global Support Services
        team.</para>
      </listitem>

      <listitem>
        <para>Professional support services can also be obtained through the
        companies and partners listed in the Canonical Marketplace.</para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
  </sect1>

  <sect1 role="questions">
    <title>Review Exercise</title>

    <qandaset>
      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>Name the major sources of help and support for Ubuntu.</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>The major sources of help and support for Ubuntu are system
          and online documentation, commercial support, community support,
          Launchpad and the Fridge.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What types of documentation is available on the documentation
          site of Ubuntu?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>Four types of documentations are available on the Ubuntu
          documentation site. These are the Ubuntu official documentation,
          community documentation, common questions and Ubuntu
          screencasts.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What are the options for obtaining commercial support for
          Ubuntu?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>The options for obtaining commercial support are either by
          getting the support directly from Canonical through their Global
          Support Services team or through the network of companies and
          partners that are listed in the Canonical Marketplace.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What are the different platforms through which the Ubuntu
          community extends its help and support?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>The different platforms through which the Ubuntu community
          extends its help and support are:</para>

          <itemizedlist>
            <listitem>
              <para>Mailing lists</para>
            </listitem>

            <listitem>
              <para>Web forums</para>
            </listitem>

            <listitem>
              <para>IRC channels</para>
            </listitem>

            <listitem>
              <para>LoCo teams</para>
            </listitem>

            <listitem>
              <para>The Ubuntu wiki</para>
            </listitem>
          </itemizedlist>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What are IRC channels?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>IRC channels are a form of real-time Internet chat that allows
          users to talk directly to one another.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What help and support do the LoCo teams provide to Ubuntu
          users?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>The LoCo teams are primarily involved in providing free local
          support, such as one-on-one troubleshooting, group sessions and
          presentations about Ubuntu. Simultaneously, these teams are actively
          engaged in providing non-English support to the Ubuntu users.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What is Launchpad?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>Launchpad is a Web-based suite that helps people develop free
          and open source software. It is a collaborative system developed by
          Canonical and is primarily used to track many aspects of open source
          development.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
        <question>
          <para>What is the name of the bug-tracking tool available with
          Launchpad?</para>
        </question>

        <answer>
          <para>Malone is the bug-tracking tool available with
          Launchpad.</para>
        </answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandaset>
  </sect1>
</chapter>