Ok, I recently downloaded ubuntu 8.xx and installed it on a virtual machine. I know nothing about it. Could some of you newbies answer some of my questions?

1. How do you download and install linux programs? Nothing that I downloaded and installed doesn't work, linux version or not. I need help on doing this.

2. Where is the system information, internet information, and the command line.

3. Are there things I need to know about linux. I want to learn the linux interface in a simple and easy way. Linux tutorial video sites would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance to those who can help

>How do you download and install linux programs? Nothing that I downloaded and
>installed doesn't work, linux version or not. I need help on doing this.
Try a package manager first. It has a huge list of software available for your distribution, and can automatically download and install the programs for you. In Ubuntu, look for Synaptic Package Manager.

>Where is the system information
sysinfo isn't installed by default, but you can install it through Synaptic.

>internet information
Look for "Network Manager".

>command line
"Terminal".

>Are there things I need to know about linux. I want to learn the linux
>interface in a simple and easy way.
The fastest way to learn stuff in Linux is by necessity. Set goals each week for what you want to accomplish, then research what you need to do and attempt it. You can also check out the Gentoo and Ubuntu wikis, which are extremely informative. In my experience though, Google tends to be the best resource. There's also a Linux version of it, if you're interested:
http://www.google.com/linux

you can start messing around with it in a VM. Break it if you want.

guess what, i can't click into ubuntu 7.04 linux anymore!!!! wtf!!! this is a known problem. i will try to download linux 6.06 or something else. UUbuntu 8.xx gives me the unrecoverable processor error.

Hey there,

With regards to number 3 of your post, I got a video suggestion for you, its not free though - you can buy yourself a copy of the (VTC) Ubuntu Linux by Charles Griffin from http://www.vtc.com/products/Ubuntu-Linux-tutorials.htm . This is a good starter video tutorial for people new to GNU/Linux more specifically to Ubuntu GNU/Linux OS. Its not about the latest 8.04 version atm, it dates to the 6.xx-7.xx version if i recall correctly, but its still pretty much useful for beginners to start of with that prefer learning from video clips(besides you can pretty much use what you learn in it in later versions), and help ease your transition to Ubuntu.

*Just in case anyone gets interested this video tutorial CD, is really set for absolute beginners, so dont buy it if you know linux or have experience in it, in ubuntu or other distros.

Hope this helps

P.S. If you have a hard time looking for the console/terminal/shell/command-line in your ubuntu setup - just press ALT+F2, then type in 'gnome-terminal' or 'xterm', then press enter, or you can just look for a monitor applet/icon in your desktop, panels and menus.

For installation of software, apt is your friend. Either be root (not so great) or better yet use sudo (/usr/bin/sudo) when using apt. The man page for apt is probably pretty useful if you're comfortable with reading man pages.

Let's say you want to install an audio media player. You know of one but can't remember it's full name. You can search for it using apt-cache, remember to use 'sudo' in the command:

$ sudo apt-cache search xmm

A list of packages that include xmm in either the name or description will be displayed. You may have to scroll up if the list is long enough. In fact, be prepared to almost every time. When you find the package you want to install, type this:

$ sudo apt-get install xmms

The package you specified and any supporting packages will be downloaded and installed. You may need to confirm the installation. There is a way to bypass having to confirm it but if you really want to know what it is, read the man page.

Bill