Ubuntu Hacks - New From O'Reilly

For Immediate Release
For more information, a review copy, cover art, or an interview with
the authors, contact:
Kathryn Barrett (707) 827-7094 or kathrynb@oreilly.com

Exploring, Using, and Tuning the Popular Linux Distro
O'Reilly Releases "Ubuntu Hacks"

Sebastopol, CA--The first release of Ubuntu was made available to the
world in October 2004. Less than two years later, Ubuntu is now the most
popular Linux version at DistroWatch.com, far ahead of the distribution
(or 'distro') in second place. Countless articles, reviews, and blog
postings have been written about Ubuntu and its sister distros, Kubuntu
and Edubuntu. In Macedonia, Ubuntu will be installed in 468 schools and
182 computer labs. In South Africa, HP plans to offer desktops and
notebooks with Ubuntu on them.

Why has Ubuntu been so successful? According to Jonathan Oxer, Kyle
Rankin, and Bill Childers, authors of the recently released "Ubuntu Hacks"
(O'Reilly, US $29.99) there are both technical and ease-of-use reasons,
"Technically, it's based on Debian, which is an excellent foundation for a
Linux distro, but Ubuntu has added a level of finish and polish that has
made it a joy to use for newbies, though it is still a powerhouse for more
experienced users. It's incredibly up-to-date; a team of dedicated
developers ensures that everything 'just works,' with regular updates to
the various packages that make up the distro and roughly a six-month
release schedule between distros."

Jonathon Oxer goes further, "For years people have been saying that Linux
is at a tipping point--a moment in history when it ascends to the status
of mainstream OS, but for years people have been disappointed as Linux
stays marginalized on the desktop. Ubuntu is the distribution that more
than any other has entered the consciousness of mainstream computer users
as a serious and viable alternative to proprietary operating systems. It's
a distribution you can confidently set up for your friends, your kids,
your neighbors, and your workmates, knowing that they're less likely to
cut themselves on sharp edges than they may have with other distributions
in the past. It comes closer than any other distro so far to the 'just
works' goal that we all strive for."

Kyle Rankin agrees, adding that he inadvertently became involved with
Ubuntu when his wife switched over to it full-time after being a Windows
user for many years. "I remember we had just purchased a new digital
camera and she asked me how to use it under Ubuntu," Rankin recalls. "I
thought back to all of the script-fu I had written in the past to automate
importing images and shuddered, but knowing how Ubuntu treated hardware
support, I told her, 'Hmm…well, let's just plug it in and see what
happens.' Sure enough, Ubuntu detected the camera and brought up an import
dialog--the whole process was even simpler than using the software that
came with the camera under Windows."

The philosophy of the distribution is telling: the name Ubuntu itself is
laden with meaning, as it is an African word meaning both "humanity to
others" and "I am what I am because of who we all are," while Kubuntu
means "towards humanity." Mark Shuttleworth (who started the Ubuntu
project) has promulgated the Ubuntu Code of Conduct, which states that
members of the community must practice consideration, respect, and
collaboration.

The authors of "Ubuntu Hacks" echo that philosophy. This is a book written
by passionate Ubuntu and Kubuntu users who are excited to talk about a
powerful, cool distro that meets the needs of novice, intermediate, and
experienced users in a wide variety of ways. The hacks in this book cover
the essential areas of Ubuntu, and they'll help readers maximize their use
of the distro. Whether you want to play music and movies, use Ubuntu on
your laptop as you travel, install just about any software package you
could ever want, or run other operating systems inside Ubuntu, this book
has got it all covered.  Among other topics, the book covers installing
Ubuntu, using its powerful multimedia features, taking Ubuntu on the road
with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and others, running Ubuntu with virtualization
technology, Ubuntu system security, and setting up an Ubuntu-powered
server.

Bill Childers sums it up, "The single most important thing that readers
will be able to do is install, configure and get help for their new Ubuntu
system. Rather than being left 'out in the cold' when things don't work as
expected, our book will provide them with a roadmap on how to navigate the
new open source waters they'll be exploring."

Additional Resources:

For more information about the book, including author bios, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/csb2/

For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/ubuntuhks/cover.html

Ubuntu Hacks
Jonathan Oxer, Kyle Rankin, and Bill Childers
ISBN: 0-596-52720-9, 426 pages, $29.99 US, $38.99 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
1005 Gravenstein Highway North
Sebastopol, CA 95472

About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books,
online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly has been
a chronicler and catalyst of leading-edge  development, homing in on the
technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by
amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the
future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has
a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.


# # #

O'Reilly is a registered trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. All other
trademarks are property of their respective owners.