Introduction
Ubuntu is a Debian derived Linux distribution. It comes with famous GNOME desktop environment with some special elements exclusive to Ubuntu. It uses Unity shell which emphasizes on screen space saving and simplicity. Ubuntu is suitable for broad range of applications from workstation to development and from gaming to server purposes.
Desktop
Ubuntu uses Unity Dash for launching your applications. It is not a traditional menu driven interface where you go through different menu items to find and run an application program. In Dash you actually see all applications available to you for running whether its installed or not.
Obviously, you can filter out installed and non-installed applications for easier searching using Filter results of the interface. Your applications and files are listed on the different sections so to not confuse a user. Dash also features searching online contents which you can always disable from System Settings->Security & Privacy->Search->Include online search results for performance reasons.
Unity launcher is another neat dock holding your favorite and running applications. When you have a ton of applications running on your desktop unity launcher will let you scroll through all the application icons easily.
Ubuntu is optimized for saving desktop space for running applications. Its top panel will hold application menu and window control buttons if you maximize your application. Top panel also shows global system menu button and different notification indicators.
Unity shell has one cool feature which you will rarely see on other desktop environments, Unity HUD. Unity HUD lets you search application menu items. Just Focus your application window and press Alt key on your keyboard and this will bring up HUD interface. Type the menu item you are searching for and it will give you the result if there is any. Then you can activate the menu command from the HUD result.
With Ubuntu desktop you can increase your productivity and multitasking speed. With the awesome Workspace Switcher on the Unity launcher you can easily organize your applications into different desktops. To enable Workspace Switcher go to System Settings->Appearance->Behavior and tick Enable workspaces.
You also have better application window management. For example, if you want an application window to always be on top of others then you just right click on application window title bar and select Always On Top. This is specially useful if you are reading contents from one window while both window overlapping each other. Also, if you have multiple windows open for an application then you can easily switch among them by just clicking the application icon on the Unity launcher.
Software
Ubuntu Software Center is all in one application where you can browse huge collection of proprietary and open source programs and games available for Ubuntu. In Ubuntu Software Center you can search for an application, monitor application installation history, remove existing application, review your favorite applications and see others feedbacks on the applications.
Ubuntu has power terminal emulator like other Linux environments. In the terminal, you do not have to remember whole commands since you can easily get commands suggestions by pressing the Tab key on the keyboard. This will work for most commands and their respective command arguments. But, you can always read the command manual just by putting "man command-name" in the terminal.
Overall, Ubuntu's default desktop applications are slick looking and promote simplicity.
Download and Installation
Just head over to http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop to download the operating system iso file. You may download 32-bit or 64-bit file depending on your system and then burn the iso file on a DVD and then boot your computer from the DVD and then install Ubuntu by following the online instructions.
First Boot
After you finished installation of Ubuntu and boot your computer into Ubuntu, the first thing you should do getting the Internet connection on the Ubuntu. Because, the system as with it's default state does not come with enough software installed to run all different files and programs. So, you need working Internet connection for downloading all necessary additional packages to the system. To make life easier I have created a package which will install all the necessary files and also configure the system with necessary permissions. Just download the package from the following link
Download
This package is designed for just installed Ubuntu 14.10 system with Internet connection.
But, you can also use this package if you want to make sure everything is installed.
follow this for running executable files on Ubuntu
http://onthim.blogspot.com/2014/12/run-executable-files-on-ubuntu-linux.html
After downloading the package, extract the package by right clicking on the file->Extract Here. This will create a SConfiguration folder. Into the SConfiguration folder just follow the instructions from ReadMe.txt file to start the setup. If everything went well you should see the following message.
Now, you have a fully working Ubuntu 14.10 system!
Ubuntu is a Debian derived Linux distribution. It comes with famous GNOME desktop environment with some special elements exclusive to Ubuntu. It uses Unity shell which emphasizes on screen space saving and simplicity. Ubuntu is suitable for broad range of applications from workstation to development and from gaming to server purposes.
Desktop
Ubuntu uses Unity Dash for launching your applications. It is not a traditional menu driven interface where you go through different menu items to find and run an application program. In Dash you actually see all applications available to you for running whether its installed or not.
Unity Dash applications section
Obviously, you can filter out installed and non-installed applications for easier searching using Filter results of the interface. Your applications and files are listed on the different sections so to not confuse a user. Dash also features searching online contents which you can always disable from System Settings->Security & Privacy->Search->Include online search results for performance reasons.
Dash online search feature
Unity launcher is another neat dock holding your favorite and running applications. When you have a ton of applications running on your desktop unity launcher will let you scroll through all the application icons easily.
Unity launcher
Ubuntu is optimized for saving desktop space for running applications. Its top panel will hold application menu and window control buttons if you maximize your application. Top panel also shows global system menu button and different notification indicators.
Ubuntu top panel
Unity shell has one cool feature which you will rarely see on other desktop environments, Unity HUD. Unity HUD lets you search application menu items. Just Focus your application window and press Alt key on your keyboard and this will bring up HUD interface. Type the menu item you are searching for and it will give you the result if there is any. Then you can activate the menu command from the HUD result.
Unity HUD showing similar application menu items from searching "file"
With Ubuntu desktop you can increase your productivity and multitasking speed. With the awesome Workspace Switcher on the Unity launcher you can easily organize your applications into different desktops. To enable Workspace Switcher go to System Settings->Appearance->Behavior and tick Enable workspaces.
Ubuntu showing 4 different desktops accessible via Workspace Switcher
You also have better application window management. For example, if you want an application window to always be on top of others then you just right click on application window title bar and select Always On Top. This is specially useful if you are reading contents from one window while both window overlapping each other. Also, if you have multiple windows open for an application then you can easily switch among them by just clicking the application icon on the Unity launcher.
Software
Ubuntu Software Center is all in one application where you can browse huge collection of proprietary and open source programs and games available for Ubuntu. In Ubuntu Software Center you can search for an application, monitor application installation history, remove existing application, review your favorite applications and see others feedbacks on the applications.
Ubuntu Software Center
Ubuntu has power terminal emulator like other Linux environments. In the terminal, you do not have to remember whole commands since you can easily get commands suggestions by pressing the Tab key on the keyboard. This will work for most commands and their respective command arguments. But, you can always read the command manual just by putting "man command-name" in the terminal.
Overall, Ubuntu's default desktop applications are slick looking and promote simplicity.
Download and Installation
Just head over to http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop to download the operating system iso file. You may download 32-bit or 64-bit file depending on your system and then burn the iso file on a DVD and then boot your computer from the DVD and then install Ubuntu by following the online instructions.
First Boot
After you finished installation of Ubuntu and boot your computer into Ubuntu, the first thing you should do getting the Internet connection on the Ubuntu. Because, the system as with it's default state does not come with enough software installed to run all different files and programs. So, you need working Internet connection for downloading all necessary additional packages to the system. To make life easier I have created a package which will install all the necessary files and also configure the system with necessary permissions. Just download the package from the following link
Download
This package is designed for just installed Ubuntu 14.10 system with Internet connection.
But, you can also use this package if you want to make sure everything is installed.
follow this for running executable files on Ubuntu
http://onthim.blogspot.com/2014/12/run-executable-files-on-ubuntu-linux.html
After downloading the package, extract the package by right clicking on the file->Extract Here. This will create a SConfiguration folder. Into the SConfiguration folder just follow the instructions from ReadMe.txt file to start the setup. If everything went well you should see the following message.
Now, you have a fully working Ubuntu 14.10 system!
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