http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/11061/ He was looking on amazon at the time, and probably did not even look at the Ubuntu documentation. I haven't either until now. It's not easy to read and certainly not designed for beginners.

So, what I'm thinking is to provide exactly what he was thinking. A "Ubuntu for beginners" virtual book that can be easily printed and distributed with an open source licenses, Similar to the "wikipedia" physical books. The book may be sold for the cost of materials, or could easily be printed from home.

It could be featured somehow on Ubuntu's "shipit", as an option for new users.

Since it is specifically designed for beginners, it should not be deeper than necessary, and explain everything someone new to Linux needs to know to install and use Ubuntu.

The actual website for constructing should be Drupal with the "books" module. Many of the Ubuntu website's are already using Drupal (Including Ubuntu QA), and the books module provides the best and easiest features for both writers and readers. The pages can be easily ordered and structured in the book. The pages can be individually viewed, individually printed, or printed as a book.

Since Ubuntu QA already uses Drupal framework, it makes sense to use it on this "site" but give it it's own subdomain. Users of Ubuntu QA will not need a new account and Drupal will not need to be re-themed as much.

[58 votes] Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #11061


]]> en-us Sat, 12 Jul 2008 16:13:57 +0000 Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:10:36 +0000 QAPoll module http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/11061/
The guy is just making excuses though. Or do did he buy a "Computer for beginners" and "Windows for beginners" book, too?]]> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:10:36 +0000
I agree it sounds like he is making up excuses, but it was an inspiration I had based on his complaint.

It also made me realize that if you do not have really easy access to a second computer, it can be impossible to research how to do something if Ubuntu is not working correctly.

Also, a very easily accessible and always available handbook for beginners could answer a lot of support questions, help users just feel more secure, and learn faster.]]> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:18:13 +0000
Lets face it, distribution of the ubuntu OS is done digitally these days, so the need for a physically printed manual is small, having the manual with sections short enough to be printed locally would be enough.]]> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:38:42 +0000
You could give the user the option of downloading the whole book or a specialized section. I believe drupal can already handle that though.

Another interesting idea is that there could be a VERY basic "beginners" book, but then feature specializations.

For example, if the user is experiencing problems with getting the display drivers to work, there could be an "xorg for beginners". This would feature the most common problems and solutions necessary to get most systems working, or to install proprietary drivers for compiz. I mention X because a physical copy does a user a lot more good than a virtual one that can't be seen when X isn't working.

Other ideas could be "Ubuntu Web Hosting", "Console for Beginners". Many of these are already done pretty well already, but a collection into an official and easy to access Ubuntu "How To" will help learning users realize the full potential of Ubuntu.]]> Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:29:37 +0000
http://www.framabook.org/ubuntu.html

(this is in French)]]> Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:14:20 +0000 Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:18:19 +0000
I think that this is a brilliant idea. This would very much help the many new users that have just ventured out of Windows for the first time.]]> Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:54:01 +0000 Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:21:25 +0000 Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:52:34 +0000 Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:46:50 +0000 I'd like to have a manual that explains the solutions to problems not too broadly, but not so overwhelmed with information that I don't know what's going on. I'm not too experienced in the computer terms..
I'd like to have something that will spell it out to me... no matter how retarded it might look to Ubuntu users. XP
I'll learn eventually, and then maybe I can pick up that "beginners" book.
]]> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:10:36 +0000