About Easierbuntu

I first tried Ubuntu back in February 2007. At the time, I was just beginning with Linux. I'd bought a book, Linux for Dummies, and had tried the distros enclosed with it (Fedora, Knoppix, OpenSUSE, Linspire, Xandros and Mandriva), and not one of them really appealed to me that much.

But the book mentioned a newer distro as well. Ubuntu. It didn't have space on the enclosed disc for it, so I'd have to get a copy of it myself. So I went to the website.

Immediately it appealed to me, with its philosophy that epitomised the best of the free software movement, a community that was one of the friendliest of all Linux distributions, and a goal of providing the world with a great operating system that was, and always would be, free of charge and would empower you to take control of your computer and not be dependent on a faceless corporation.

Intrigued, I downloaded a copy, burned it to a disc and ran it. I was amazed. Here was a free operating system that was well-thought out and user friendly. It was so easy to use, even though it was quite unlike Windows. Virtually any software you wanted was free to download from the Ubuntu repositories.

Later, I heard about Kubuntu, a version of Ubuntu with the KDE desktop. I tried this, and it instantly felt like it was my operating system. This was the Linux distribution for me.

But I struggled with it. There were always some things that were difficult, and I found it hard to find answers to some problems I had with it. I wasn't able to get my wireless internet connection working, and it was frustrating. Once Kubuntu Feisty was released, I managed to get the wireless working with the help of a book, but I wish that I had been able to find somewhere to go for basic tips on using it.

Well, now I know how to sort out all the problems I had with Ubuntu, and I no longer have to use potentially risky third-party solutions like Automatix to install what I want in Kubuntu. So I've decided to start this blog to give new Ubuntu users (or users of any other distribution based on Ubuntu) regular tips. Things intermediate-level Linux users like myself take for granted, but that can seem like the end of the world when you're just starting out, like DVD playback, MP3 support, installing software, things like that. I hope I can make a difference to a few users.

If you are a more experienced user, and you'd be interested in contributing to this blog, please contact me. The more people we can get contributing tips and guides to this blog, the more people we can help. I'd be very glad to hear from you!

You may also notice a few links on this page. I've included links to several useful blogs and forums which I'm sure will come in handy. I've also added two customised search engines for Ubuntu software packages and help with Ubuntu.

If you're a new user of any Ubuntu-based Linux distribution, then I hope this blog is useful. I've added links to make it easy to bookmark it, subscribe in an RSS reader, or add it to your Technorati favourites.