~ubuntu-branches/ubuntu/dapper/kubuntu-docs/dapper-updates

Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. To find out more, visit <ulink url="&ubuntu-main;">&ubuntu-main;</ulink>

</para>

</answer>

</qandaentry>

<para>Where can I see some &ubuntu; screenshots?</para>

</question>

<para>

OSDir.com has almost 60 screenshots. You can find them here: <ulink url="&ubuntu-screenshots;">Ubuntu GNOME Screenshots.</ulink>

</para>

</answer>

</qandaentry>

<para>Where can I find a list of all the programs and libraries that come with &ubuntu;?</para>

</question>

<para>

The complete list of packages can be found here: <ulink url="&ubuntu-packages;">ubuntu-packages;</ulink>.

</para>

</listitem>

<para>

A limited set of packages are tracked by DistroWatch.com, and are listed on their website: <ulink url="&ubuntu-watch;">&ubuntu-watch;</ulink>

</para>

</listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</answer>

</qandaentry>

<para>Where can I download &ubuntu;?</para>

</question>

<para>The main download site is <ulink url="&ubuntu-download;">&ubuntu-download;</ulink>.</para>

</answer>

</qandaentry>

</question>

<para>In Windows with <application>Nero Burning ROM</application>:</para>

<para>

<para>

Download the ISO file to your hard drive. (See <xref linkend="wheredownload"/> for download locations.)

</para>

</listitem>

<para>Insert a blank CD into your CD writer.

</para>

</listitem>

<para>Start Nero Burning ROM.</para>

</listitem>

<para>Follow the wizard and select Data CD.

</para>

</listitem>

<para>When the wizard finishes, click Burn Image on the File menu.

</para>

</listitem>

<para>In the Open dialog box, select the ISO

file, and then click Open.

</para>

</listitem>

<para>In the wizard, click Burn to create the

&ubuntu; CD.

</para>

</listitem>

</orderedlist>

</para>

<para>In Ubuntu with <application>Nautilus</application>:</para>

<para>

<para>

Download the ISO file to your hard drive. (See <xref linkend="wheredownload"/> for download locations.)

</para>

</listitem>

100

101

<para>

102

Insert a blank CD into your CD writer.

103

</para>

104

</listitem>

105

106

<para>

107

In <application>Nautilus</application>, right click on the file you just downloaded, and choose

108

109

<guimenu>Write to Disc</guimenu>

110

</menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Write to Disc</guilabel> dialog opens.

111

</para>

112

</listitem>

113

114

<para>

115

In the dialog, choose your CD writer and speed, then click on <guibutton>Write</guibutton>. The <guilabel>Writing Files to Disc Progress</guilabel> dialog opens, and <application>Nautilus</application> starts writing the disk.

116

</para>

117

</listitem>

118

</orderedlist>

119

</para>

120

</answer>

121

</qandaentry>

122

123

124

<para>Where can I get Ubuntu CDs for FREE?</para>

125

</question>

126

127

<para>You can order free Ubuntu CDs on the shipit website: <ulink url="&ubuntu-shipit;">&ubuntu-shipit;</ulink>. Shipping is free too!

128

</para>

129

</answer>

130

</qandaentry>

131

132

133

<para>Where can I get more help for &ubuntu;?</para>

134

</question>

135

136

137

138

<para>

139

<ulink url="&ubuntu-lists;">Mailing Lists</ulink>

140

</para>

141

</listitem>

142

143

<para>

144

<ulink url="&ubuntu-forums;">Web Forums</ulink>

145

</para>

146

</listitem>

147

148

<para>

149

IRC chat: <phrase>&ubuntu-irc;</phrase>

150

</para>

151

</listitem>

152

</orderedlist>

153

</answer>

154

</qandaentry>

155

</qandaset>

156

</chapter>

<title id="getting-started">Getting Started</title>

<title>Introduction</title>

<para>Thank you for your interest in

Kubuntu Linux &kdistro-rev; -- our &kdistro-version; release.</para>

Kubuntu Linux is an entirely open source operating

system built around the Linux kernel. Kubuntu uses the solid base

of Ubuntu plus the latest KDE. We are part of the Ubuntu community

and use their infrastructure and support. The Kubuntu community is

comprised of developers, programmers, testers, techwriters,

documentation testers, translators, and most importantly, the

people who use Kubuntu every day. We invite you to join this

community and help make Kubuntu the operating system you, your

family, your friends, and your colleages will love to use. Help us

translate Kubuntu into your language, try it on new and unusual

hardware, improve the experience of other users with hints, tips,

and FAQs, or help to shape the direction Kubuntu is headed by

providing feedback about the software you love most.</para>

The Kubuntu community is built around the ideals

enshrined in the Kubuntu Manifesto: that software should be

available free of charge, that software tools should be usable

by people in their local language and despite any disabilities,

and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter

their software in whatever way they see fit. For those reasons:

<para>Kubuntu will always be free of charge, and there is

no extra fee for the "enterprise

edition," we make our very best work

available to everyone on the same Free terms.</para>

</listitem>

<para>Kubuntu includes the very best in translations and

accessibility infrastructure that the Free Software

community has to offer, to make Kubuntu usable for as

many people as possible.</para>

</listitem>

<para>Kubuntu is released regularly and predictably; a

new release is made every six months. You can use

the current stable release or the current

development release. Each release is supported for

at least 18 months.</para>

</listitem>

<para>Kubuntu is entirely committed to the principles of

open source software development; we encourage

people to use open source software, improve it and

pass it on.</para>

</listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</para>

<para id="about3">Find out more at <ulink url="&kubuntu-web;">&kubuntu-web;</ulink> or take a look at some of the following: <itemizedlist>

<para>The Kubuntu <ulink url="&kubuntu-lists;">Mailing

Lists</ulink>, where the community discusses new

ideas and issues with Kubuntu.</para>

</listitem>

<para>The <ulink url="&kubuntu-wiki;">Kubuntu

Wiki</ulink>, where we collaborate on the policies

and strategy documents that define the direction

Kubuntu will follow.</para>

</listitem>

<para>Chat with the community on Freenode IRC Channel:

#kubuntu.</para>

</listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</para>

<title>About Kubuntu</title>

<primary>What is Kubuntu</primary>

</indexterm>

<title>About the Name</title>

<para>Kubuntu means "towards humanity" in Bemba.

Kubuntu is pronounced "koo-boon-too". Kubuntu is Ubuntu with the latest KDE packages.</para>

<para>On hearing the name "Ubuntu", many

people are curious about the meaning of the word.</para>

<para>Ubuntu is a South African ethic ideology focusing on

people's allegiances and relations with each other. The

word comes from the Zulu and Xhosa languages. Ubuntu,

pronounced "oo-BOON-too," is seen as a

traditional African concept and is held as one of the

founding principles of the new republic of South Africa

and connected to the idea of an African Renaissance.</para>

<para>A rough translation of Ubuntu's principles could be

"humanity towards others." Another

translation could be: "The belief in a

universal bond of sharing that connects all

humanity."</para>

<para>"A person with ubuntu is open and available

100

to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened

101

that others are able and good, for he or she has a

102

proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or

103

she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when

104

others are humiliated or diminished, when others are

105

tortured or oppressed." <emphasis>-- Archbishop

106

Desmond Tutu</emphasis>.</para>

107

<para>As a platform based on GNU/Linux, the Kubuntu

108

distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software

109

world.</para>

110

</sect3>

111

112

<title>The Difference</title>

113

<para>There are many GNU/Linux distributions in the world,

114

some are built from the ground up and some are based on

115

others; each has aimed to perfect the platform and its

116

desktop. However, only a few survive, with names such as

117

Debian, SuSE, Gentoo, RedHat, and Mandrake being the

118

most notable.</para>

119

<para>Based on Debian, one of the most widely acclaimed,

120

technologically advanced, and well-supported

121

distributions, Kubuntu is yet another contender in what

122

is already a highly competitive world. So what makes

123

Kubuntu different?</para>

124

<para>With its solid and advanced Debian foundation, Kubuntu

125

aims to create a Debian-based distribution that provides

126

an up-to-date and coherent Linux system for desktop and

127

server computing. Kubuntu includes a number of carefully

128

selected packages from the Debian distribution and

129

retains its powerful package management system which

130

allows easy installation and clean removal of programs,

131

as well as automatically handling any dependencies

132

programs may have on each other. Unlike most

133

distributions that ship with a large amount of software

134

that may or may not be of use, Kubuntu's list of packages

135

is reduced to a number of important applications of high

136

quality.</para>

137

<para>By focusing on quality, Kubuntu produces a robust and

138

feature-rich computing environment that is suitable for

139

use in both home and commercial environments. The

140

project takes the time required to focus on finer

141

details and is able to release a version featuring the

142

latest and greatest of today's software once every 6

143

months. Kubuntu is available in flavours for the i386

144

(386/486/Pentium(II/III/IV) and Athlon/Duron/Sempron

145

processors), AMD64 (Athlon64, Opteron, and new 64-bit

146

Intel processors), and PowerPC (iBook/Powerbook, G4 and

147

G5) architectures.</para>

148

</sect3>

149

150

<title>The Desktop</title>

151

<para>The default desktop environment for Kubuntu is <ulink

152

url="&kde;">KDE</ulink>, a leading UNIX and

153

Linux desktop suite and development platform.</para>

154

<para>Another leading UNIX and Linux desktop is <ulink

155

url="&gnome;">Gnome</ulink>. Kubuntu does not currently

156

make use of the Gnome desktop by default. However, the

157

<ulink url="&ubuntu-main;">ubuntu</ulink> project offers

158

Kubuntu users a choice between these two excellent desktop

159

environments. Thanks to the efforts of the Ubuntu team,

160

Kubuntu users are now able to install and use the Gnome

161

desktop easily on their system. The Gnome software can now

162

be found in and downloaded from the main Ubuntu archive.

163

The easiest way to get a working install of Ubuntu is

164

<command>sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop</command>.

165

This will install the different packages required and set

166

everything up correctly.</para>

167

<para>After everything is installed, one can choose which

168

enviroment to use, either KDE or Gnome.

169

</para>

170

</sect3>

171

172

<title>OpenOffice.org</title>

173

<para>Ubuntu includes the excellent

174

<application>OpenOffice.org</application> Business

175

Productivity software suite. It includes a word

176

processor, a spreadsheet, and presentation software, all

177

of which is largely compatible with popular proprietary

178

software. Read more about the OpenOffice.org project at

179

<ulink url="&ooo;">OpenOffice.org

180

</ulink>.</para>

181

</sect3>

182

183

184

<para>The Kubuntu project is entirely committed to the

185

principles of open source software development; people

186

are encouraged to use open source software, improve it,

187

and pass it on. This means that Kubuntu is and will

188

always be free of charge. That's right -- this is not a

189

typo -- Kubuntu does not and will never cost anything.

190

There is no purchase price or license cost associated

191

with Kubuntu.</para>

192

<para>However, this means more than just being available at

193

zero cost -- it's 'free' as in

194

'free speech.' In addition to the fact

195

that you don't need to pay a cent for the software

196

(media and download costs excluded), you may use,

197

modify, and redistribute any and all parts of all open

198

source software freely. Look at and borrow from the

199

source code if you happen to be curious, or contribute

200

to a project you like. Of course, there's nothing wrong

201

with just using the software for your own purposes --

202

not everyone has to be a programmer.</para>

203

</sect3>

204

205

<title>Backing and Support</title>

206

<para>Kubuntu is maintained by a quickly growing community.

207

The project initiative is sponsored by <ulink

208

url="&canonical-url;">Canonical Ltd.</ulink>, a

209

holding company founded by Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical

210

mainly works to provide support and consulting services

211

centred around Kubuntu.</para>

212

<para>As an open source project, the primary source of

213

support for the distribution is found in the forms of

214

its documentation and community. These forms of support

215

are free for everyone. However, a number of people are

216

not computer fanatics and may find themselves in need of

217

additional support. Furthermore, in many commercial

218

environments, these free forms of support may prove

219

inadequate and a dedicated source of support may be

220

required.</para>

221

<para>In such cases, private individuals and commercial

222

organizations have the option of contracting commercial

223

support, too. More information about <ulink

224

url="&ubuntu-paidsupport;">paid technical

225

support</ulink> can be found on the <ulink

226

url="&kubuntu-support;">Kubuntu Support

227

Site</ulink>.</para>

228

<para>It is worth noting once more that Kubuntu and all

229

community support and documentation is entirely free;

230

Canonical sells <emphasis>support</emphasis> for Kubuntu,

231

not the software itself.</para>

232

</sect3>

233

</sect2>

234

235

<title>What is Linux?</title>

236

<para>Contrary to what you may have heard from the media, from

237

friends, or from the Internet, Linux is not an operating system.

238

No, really. It isn't an OS. What is commonly referred to as

239

"Linux" is actually a combination of <ulink url="&gnu;"

240

>GNU</ulink>, pronounced "guh-noo", software and the <ulink

241

url="&kernel;">Linux kernel</ulink>, pronounced

242

'lee-nucks'. A kernel is an important part of

243

any operating system, communicating between the computer's

244

hardware and the software.</para>

245

<para>Linux was brought to life in 1991 by a Finnish student named

246

Linus Torvalds. At the time, it would run only on i386 systems,

247

and was essentially an independently created clone of the UNIX

248

kernel, intended to take advantage of the then-new i386

249

architecture. Around the same time, the GNU project, launched in

250

1984, was making progress on their UNIX OS clone, lacking, for

251

all practical purposes, only a kernel. Linux, unlike the GNU

252

project's ideal kernel, Hurd, was, at the time, limited to the

253

i386 platform, so it took some time before the two projects

254

joined forces.</para>

255

<para>Nowadays, thanks to a substantial amount of development

256

effort, Linux runs on virtually every modern architecture, and

257

GNU software provides the necessary tools to make it useful.

258

Conceptually, Linux is the heart of the GNU/Linux operating

259

system model, and GNU is the body. Distributions, such as

260

Kubuntu, which provide GNU/Linux as well as a number of useful

261

programs, are operating systems.</para>

262

<para>To summarize that, Kubuntu is an operating system based on the

263

GNU/Linux model, with Linux being the kernel.</para>

264

<para>However, beyond the technical definition of Linux, there

265

exists an entire community of people who believe in the ideals

266

of free software and spend their time helping to make open

267

source technology as good as it can be.</para>

268

<para>People in this community gave rise to initiatives such as

269

Kubuntu, standards commitees that shape the development of the

270

Internet, organizations like the Mozilla Foundation, responsible

271

for creating Mozilla Firefox, and countless other software

272

projects from which you've certainly benefitted in the past.</para>

273

<para>The spirit of open source, commonly attributed to Linux, is

274

influencing software developers and users everywhere, driving a

275

community. This is discussed further in the next chapter.</para>

276

</sect2>

277

278

279

<para>The GNU Project was launched in 1984 to develop a complete

280

UNIX style operating system which is free software: the GNU

281

system. (GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not UNIX”; it is

282

pronounced “guh-noo.”) Variants of the GNU operating system,

283

which use the kernel Linux, are now widely used; though these

284

systems are often referred to as “Linux,” they are more

285

accurately called GNU/Linux systems.</para>

286

<para>GNU has a very particular philosophy, which is central to the

287

projects that derive from it, such as Kubuntu. It can be

288

essentially summarised like this: "Free software is a

289

matter of freedom: people should be free to use software in all

290

the ways that are socially useful". "Free

291

software" does not mean that you shouldn't have to pay

292

for it, it also means that you should be able to use the

293

software in any way you wish: the code that makes up free

294

software is available for anyone to download, change, fix, and

295

use in any way. So apart from the fact that free software is

296

often available without charge, this freedom also has technical

297

advantages: when programs are developed, the hard work of others

298

can be used and built upon. With non-free software, this cannot

299

happen and when programs are developed, they have to start from

300

scratch. For this reason the development of free software is

301

fast, efficient and exciting!</para>

302

<para>You can find out more about this philosophy <ulink

303

url="&gnu-philosophy;">here</ulink>.</para>

304

</sect2>

305

306

<title>Kubuntu Compact Discs</title>

307

308

309

<secondary>CD request status</secondary>

310

</indexterm>

311

312

<title>Version and Release Numbers</title>

313

<para>The Kubuntu version numbering scheme is based on the date

314

we release a version of the distribution. The version

315

number comes from the year and month of the release rather

316

than reflecting the actual version of the software. So, our

317

first release (Hoary Hedgehog) was in April 2005, so its

318

version was 5.04. The second release (Breezy Badger) was in

319

October 2005, so its version number was 5.10. The next

320

release (Dapper Drake), the one for which this document was

321

written, will be in April 2006, so its version number will

322

be 6.04.</para>

323

<para>Each Kubuntu release has a unique combination of

324

component versions: kernel, X, Gnome, GCC, libc, etc. so

325

an aggregate version number does not make much sense. We

326

prefer to give an idea of when each release was pushed

327

through the wires.</para>

328

</sect3>

329

330

<title>Obtaining Kubuntu CDs</title>

331

<para>There are a number of methods you may use to obtain a

332

copy of Kubuntu, all of which are described on the Kubuntu

333

Web site <ulink url="&kubuntu-download;">download

334

page</ulink>.</para>

335

<para>The first method is to download an ISO image from a

336

mirror server near you and make an 'Install

337

CD' from it.</para>

338

<para>If you don't have a CD burner or you are in a country

339

without a mirror server, limited or expensive bandwidth,

340

we can send you pressed copies of the 'Install

341

CD' free of charge. You may request CDs via

342

Shipit, the Kubuntu CD Distribution System also found on

343

the Kubuntu Web site <ulink url="&kubuntu-download;"

344

>download page</ulink>. Please provide full shipping

345

information (including postal address) or we will not be

346

able to send you the CDs.</para>

347

<note>

348

<para>For each release, we define a cut-off date by

349

which orders for the 'Install CD'

350

must be received. Any requests made after this date

351

will be considered orders for the next release of

352

Kubuntu.</para>

353

</note>

354

<para>Another method of obtaining Kubuntu is to join a local

355

Linux Users Group (LUG) and ask if somebody could has a

356

copy and would not mind duplicating it. Normally, you

357

will have to replace the CDs used for the duplication

358

and reimburse any postage or delivery costs.</para>

359

<para>If you do not know of an LUG near you, a list can be

360

found at <ulink url="&lugww;">Linux Users Groups

361

WorldWide</ulink>.</para>

362

<tip>

363

<para>Once you have placed an order via

364

<application>Shipit</application>, you can check

365

to see if your request has been sent to the factory

366

by logging into <ulink url="&ubuntu-shipit;"

367

>Shipit</ulink>. We do not have additional

368

information; ordered CDs may take several weeks to

369

leave the warehouse before being shipped. We're

370

sorry, but we cannot provide information on

371

individual shipments.</para>

372

</tip>

373

<sect4>

374

<title>Burning ISO Files</title>

375

<note><para>Burn the CD at a low speed to prevent errors.</para></note>

376

<para>In Windows with <application>Nero Burning ROM</application>:</para>

377

<para>

378

379

380

<para>

381

Download the ISO file to your hard drive. (See <xref linkend="obtaining-cds"/> for instructions on obtaining Kubuntu CDs.)

382

</para>

383

</listitem>

384

385

<para>Insert a blank CD into your CD writer.

386

</para>

387

</listitem>

388

389

<para>Start Nero Burning ROM.</para>

390

</listitem>

391

392

<para>Follow the wizard and select Data CD.

393

</para>

394

</listitem>

395

396

<para>When the wizard finishes, click Burn Image on the File menu.

397

</para>

398

</listitem>

399

400

<para>In the Open dialog box, select the ISO

401

file, and then click Open.

402

</para>

403

</listitem>

404

405

<para>In the wizard, click Burn to create the Ubuntu CD.

406

</para>

407

</listitem>

408

</orderedlist>

409

</para>

410

<para>In Ubuntu with <application>Nautilus</application>:</para>

411

<para>

412

413

414

<para>

415

Download the ISO file to your hard drive. (See <xref linkend="obtaining-cds"/> for instructions on obtaining Kubuntu CDs.)

416

</para>

417

</listitem>

418

419

<para>

420

Insert a blank CD into your CD writer. Close the popup that opens - you cannot burn ISOs with the "Burn Data CD" option.

421

</para>

422

</listitem>

423

424

<para>

425

In <application>Nautilus</application>, right click on the ISO file you just downloaded, and choose

426

427

<guimenu>Write to Disc</guimenu>

428

</menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Write to Disc</guilabel> dialog opens.

429

</para>

430

</listitem>

431

432

<para>

433

434

</para>

435

</listitem>

436

</orderedlist>

437

</para>

438

<para>In Kubuntu with <application>K3b</application>:</para>

439

<para>

440

441

442

<para>

443

Download the ISO file to your hard drive. (See <xref linkend="obtaining-cds"/> for instructions on obtaining Kubuntu CDs.)

444

</para>

445

</listitem>

446

447

<para>

448

Insert a blank CD into your CD writer. Close the popup that opens - you cannot burn ISOs with the "Burn Data CD" option.

449

</para>

450

</listitem>

451

452

<para>

453

In <application>K3b</application>, choose

454

455

<guimenu>Tools</guimenu>

456

<guilabel>Burn CD Image</guilabel>

457

</menuchoice>. The <guilabel>Burn CD Image</guilabel> dialog opens.

458

</para>

459

</listitem>

460

461

<para>

462

In the dialog, choose your CD writer and speed. Then click on <guibutton>Start</guibutton>. The <application>K3b</application> starts writing the disk.

463

</para>

464

</listitem>

465

</orderedlist>

466

</para>

467

</sect4>

468

</sect3>

469

</sect2>

470

</sect1>

471

472

473

<title>Linux Basics</title>

474

475

<title>Terminals</title>

476

<para>Working at the command line is not as daunting a task

477

as you would think, there is no special knowledge needed to know

478

how to use the command line, it is a program like everything

479

else. Most things in Linux can be done using the command line,

480

although there are graphical tools for most programs, sometimes

481

they are just not enough. This is where the command line comes

482

in handy.</para>

483

<para>The <application>Konsole</application> is located in

484

&konsole;, the terminal is often called the command

485

prompt, console or the prompt. In days gone by this was the way the

486

user interacted with the computer, however Linux users have

487

found that the use of the prompt can be quicker than a

488

graphical method and still holds some merit today. Here you

489

will learn to use the terminal.</para>

490

<para>The original use of the terminal was a file browser and

491

indeed it is still used as a file browser, in the event of

492

the graphical environment failing you can use the terminal

493

as a file browser to navigate your files and undo the

494

changes that have been made.</para>

495

<sect3>

496

<title>Common Commands</title>

497

498

499

<para>View Directorys: - ls / dir</para>

500

<para>The interesting thing about these commands is that

501

although they do the same thing ls (LiSt) shows

502

different files in different colors with full

503

formatted text, where as dir (DIRectory) just

504

displays the files in one color with no text

505

formatting at all.

506

</para>

507

</listitem>

508

509

<para>Create Directorys: - mkdir (directory name)</para>

510

<para>The <application>mkdir</application> (MaKeDIRectory) command will create a directory.</para>

511

</listitem>

512

513

<para>Change Directorys: - cd (/directory/location)</para>

514

<para>The <application>cd</application> (ChangeDirectory) command will change from your current directory to any directory you specify.</para>

515

</listitem>

516

517

<para>Copy Files/Directories: - cp (file or directory name) (to directory or filename)</para>

518

<para>The <application>cp</application> (CoPy) command will copy any files or folders you specify.</para>

519

</listitem>

520

521

<para>Remove Files/Directories: - rm -rf (directory or file name)</para>

522

<para>The <application>rm</application> (ReMove) command will delete any directory or file name you specify.</para>

523

</listitem>

524

</itemizedlist>

525

<para>You can also use wildcards to match one or more files, such as "*" (for all files) or "?"

526

(to match one character). </para>

527

</sect3>

528

</sect2>

529

530

<title>Text Editing</title>

531

<para>Kate is the default Kubuntu text editor, which is located at &kate; the desktop menu system. There are also quite a few terminal-based editors available in Kubuntu, popular ones include VIM and Emacs (the use of each causes much friendly debate within the Linux community).</para>

532

<para>At times in this guide, Kate is run from the command line using kdesu, as most configuration files require root privileges to alter them. It's recommended that you also run Kate from the command line when shown in this guide.</para>

533

</sect2>

534

535

536

<title>Directories and File Systems</title>

537

<para>TODO with images and comparision</para>

538

<para>In Linux and Unix everything is a file. Directories are files, files are files and devices are files. Devices are usually refered to as a node, however, they are still files.</para>

539

</sect2>

540

541

<title>Permissions</title>

542

543

<para>All of the files on a linux system have permissions that allow or prevent others from viewing, modifying or executing. The super user "root" has the ability to access any file on the system. Each file has access restrictions, user restrictions and have an owner/group association.</para>

544

</sect2>

545

546

<title>Users and Groups</title>

547

<para>Users and groups can be managed by using the Kuser program, located at **FIXME now Users and Groups in System Settings **</para>

548

<para>Include info on setting up new users and adding them to groups here</para>

549

</sect2>

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551

552

553

<para>The root user in GNU/Linux is the user which has administrative access to your system. Normal users do not have this access for security reasons. However, Kubuntu does not include the root user. Instead, administrative access is given to individual users, who may use the "sudo" application to perform administrative tasks. The first user account you created on your system during installation will, by default, have access to sudo. You can restrict and enable sudo access to users with the "Users and Groups" application (see <xref linkend="users-and-groups"/> for more information).</para>

554

<para>When you run an application that requires root privileges, sudo will ask you to input your normal user password. This ensures that rogue applications cannot damage your system, and serves as a reminder that you are about to perform administrative actions which require you to be careful!</para>

555

<para>To use sudo when using the command line, simply type "sudo" before the command you wish to run. Sudo will prompt you on the command line for your users password, enter it then press the enter key to continue.</para>

556

<para>Sudo will remember your password for a set amount of time. This feature was designed to allow users to perform multiple administrative tasks without being asked for a password each time.</para>

557

<note>

558

<para>Be careful when doing administrative tasks, you might damage your system!</para>

559

</note>

560

<para>Some other tips to using sudo include:</para>

561

562

563

<para>To use a "root" terminal, type "sudo -s" at the command line</para>

564

</listitem>

565

566

<para>The entire group of default graphical configuration tools in Kubuntu already use sudo, so they will prompt you for your password if needed.</para>

567

</listitem>

568

569

<para>To run other applications with sudo use &different-user; and choose "Root" as the user.</para>

570

</listitem>

571

572

<para>For more information on the <application>sudo</application> program and the absence of a root user in Kubuntu, read the <ulink url="&wiki-RootSudo;">sudo page</ulink> on the Kubuntu wiki.</para>

573

</listitem>

574

575

</itemizedlist>

576

</sect2>

577

578

</sect1>

579

580

<title>Managing Software</title>

581

582

<title>Repositories</title>

583

<para>There are thousands of software programs available for installation on Kubuntu. These programs are stored in software repositories (archives) and are made freely available for installation over the Internet. This makes it very easy to install new programs in Linux. To organise the software, Kubuntu repositories are categorised into four groups.

584

</para>

585

586

587

<listitem><para>Restricted</para></listitem>

588

<listitem><para>Universe</para></listitem>

589

<listitem><para>Multiverse</para></listitem>

590

</itemizedlist>

591

<para>These four groups of software are also known as "components." The rational used to determine which software goes into which category, or component, is based on two factors:

592

</para>

593

594

595

<para>The level of support software development teams are prepared to provide for a program.</para>

596

</listitem>

597

598

<para>The programs level of compliance to <ulink url="http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/philosophy">Free Software Philosophy</ulink>.</para>

599

</listitem>

600

</itemizedlist>

601

<para>The standard Kubuntu Install CD contains a subset of software available from the "main" and "restricted" categories. Once your system is made aware of the Internet-based locations for these repositories, many more software programs are made available for installation. Using the software package management tools already installed on your system, you can search for, install and update any piece of software directly over the network, without the need for physical installation media. The preferred way to manage software on Kubuntu is to use the Adept Package Manager, located at &adept;. Please refer to the Adept Packaging Guide for directions to use Adept. (Link here)</para>

602

</sect2>

603

</sect1>

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</chapter>

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