Getting Started

Welcome to Ubuntu! It is easy to get started. Simply type in a search to start searching with Google.

To search for help with Ubuntu just add "Ubuntu" or "help Ubuntu" to your search. You may need to include the version of Ubuntu you are using (such as 10.04 or 10.10)

For example: Ubuntu 10.04 how do I view DVDs

Ubuntu is a large and friendly community that encourages questions and participation. Canonical the company that leads the Ubuntu project also offers a number of paid desktop support services.

You can find out about the new features in Ubuntu and learn about the Ubuntu project itself.

Ubuntu is free but you can support it by getting involved, reporting bugs, purchasing great swag and services at the shop, or upgrade your UbuntuOne account.

Support Resources

Ubuntu has a built-in help reference, called the Ubuntu Help Center. You can access it by selecting the System menu and then clicking Help and Support.

Other online resources are also very useful:

• Official Ubuntu Documentation and Community Support
• Community documentation and common questions
• AskUbuntu.com

  A great place to ask questions and find answers to particular problems

• Ubuntu community forums

  Discussion and help from the community

• Ubuntu Manual Project

  A comprehensive community developed manual for Ubuntu 10.04

• Ubuntu Screencasts

  "How to" videos

• Firefox web browser support

  If you have questions or problems with this browser

• Chrome web browser support

  If you have questions or problems with this browser

News and Community

These sites can come in handy for keeping up with Ubuntu news and tips.

• Ubuntu News

  Also known as "The Fridge", a good place to start with Ubuntu news

• Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter
• OMG Ubuntu

  A great blog about the latest developments on Ubuntu and other free software

• Ubuntu Brainstorm

  A place to let the community brainstorm ideas for improving Ubuntu

• Mark Shuttleworth's blog

  Ubuntu's founder and lead of design and product strategy at Canonical Ltd

For Advanced Community Members:

• Planet Ubuntu

  Blog aggregrator for Ubuntu developers and community members

• Launchpad

  Bug tracking, PPAs and project pages

Free and Open Source Software

Free software is more than just the bits that you downloaded and installed on your computer. It is a practice, philosophy and community best illustrated by four principles:

• The freedom to run the program, for any purpose
• The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish
• The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor
• The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others

You can learn more about free software at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and open source software at the Open Source Initiative (OSI).

In the spirit of open source, Ubuntu is absolutely free to download, use, share and improve however and whenever you like.