Out 26th April 2012, Ubuntu 12.04.
I been running Ubuntu 12.04 since the second Alpha, a few months now, having upgraded from 10.04 (released April 2010).
It’s a massive improvement from 10.04 so I highly recommend you upgrade if you running an older version.
If you running Windows or Mac… you need to seriously consider this. I been on Linux since 2007 and I have NEVER regretted that decision. No cost, no lock in. Just quality software.
So here is my little tutorial to get my friends up to speed and help with the upgrade.
Upgrading: P1
Backing up
Do not do another thing until you have backed up your data. Upgrades are done by millions smoothly all the time, but shit happens. And well you only need your backups, when you need your backup… so make sure you have this. Friends, contact me for help if you need it.
Upgrading from 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)
Depending on how quick your Internet connection is, this will probably take about an hour to do as your system needs to download the new files. You do need to be present at the machine all the time while it downloads the files needed.
- First thing to do it make sure your current system is up-to-date. The reason we do this is to make sure that there no problems with the upgrade. Sometimes there are updates required to ensure that the upgrade path works as intended. This is also the same tool you will use to upgrade to the new version of Ubuntu.
- To do this, open the “update manager”
- Press Alt-F2 and type update-manager
- Click the Check button to check for new updates.
- If there are any updates to install, use the Install Updates button to install them, and press Check again after that is complete.
- A message will appear informing you of the availability of the new release.
- Click Upgrade.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- If you asked any questions during the process, read them thoroughly. If you don’t understand, it’s 99% safe to go with the “default” option usually.
- Reboot as instructed once upgrade is complete.
Upgrading from: 11.10 (Maverick Meerkat)
Good simple instructions can be found on the Ubuntu site, here.
Upgrading: P2
If you upgraded from 10.04 (not the previous version, 11.10), then you may have some issues with some untidy icons and random stuff not working 100%. My guess is that 11.10 should work fine as you already been using Unity (the new desktop shell).
If your desktop does not look like the above (note the icons on the top right particularly) then I highly recommend doing the following:
- Hit the “super” key, this is the key that usually has a “windows” logo on it. This will bring up the “dash” (more to come on this, don’t worry) type “appearance”. If this does not work (i.e. it does not find anything (make sure you spelling is right…), then you will need to remove an old file, see the solution under “quick fixes” below).
- Alternatively, on the “launcher” (this is the bar on the left with icons in it) click settings (usually the second to last by default) icon > appearance
- On the window that opens you’ll be able to set a new desktop background.
- NB you must then select a theme other than the one current selected. You can immediately change back to the previous selection or stay with your new selection. This process will reset all the icons, header bars, icons etc.
- You can also change the size of the launch bar icons on this screen
- If things still do not look right after you done this, then see the solution under “quick fixes”.
Clean install
Backup your data.
People changing to Ubuntu Linux from another Linux distro, Windows or Mac will be doing a clean install. Sometimes you may choose to wipe your previous install and start fresh even if you already run Ubuntu.
To do this, you will first need to download an installation CD. You can find these and all the info you need to install Ubuntu here.
After the Upgrade: So now what?
Ok so you done it. There is no smoke coming from the back of your machine and you still have your sanity.
So now what? Well first things first, if you upgrading from 10.04 things are going to look and work a lot differently on your desktop. Be default you will log into the Unity Desktop Shell. A shell is the visual interface you have when using your computer.
As the change is big (but for the better) I wanted to give you as much information as possible to help avoid any frustration.
Here are a few tips, videos and articles.
I highly recommend you review these. The few minutes it takes will save you that time and a lot more.
First some vocabulary:
- Super key
- This is the key that usually has a “windows” logo on it, in-between the Ctrl and Alt keys to the left of the space bar.
- This key is something you’ll be using a lot now.
- Desktop Shell
- This is in a nutshell what you see when you log in to any modern computer. It’s graphical interface between you and the operating system
- Unity
- Is the default desktop shell for Ubuntu
- Launcher
- This is the bar that runs down the left
- Dash
- This is the collection of screens that open up when you click on the dash icon, top of the launch bar, or tap the super key.
- HUD
- This is a new feature to search menus of an application rather than have to navigate to find it.
- basic example > normally to save a file you would go to “file > save”, now from in the application you press Alt key > type save and you good go. This is more useful for complex applications.
Quick tips
- Super key – opens up dash, here you can search for any application. E.g Firefox
- Holding down the Super key will display a “cheat sheet” of shortcuts
- Alt key – opens up HUD, use this to search application menus
Quick intro into features
Unity, short overview
Basics of the new Unity Desktop Shell
Very good tutorial here, with pictures 😉
Longer overview
Guides on what to do after install
Useful reading for some great tips. NOTE, they assume you have a clean install (so you may not need to install MP3 compatiabllity etc if you can already play MP3’s a watch DVDs
10 Things to Do After Installing Ubuntu 12.04
More advanced:
Ubuntu Tutorials (Beginner level)
http://idilix.net/ubuntu-tutorial
This is useful stuff to figure out how to do various things on your system. Lots of short videos.Quick fixes
Where to get help
- Chat to folks you know, if they can’t help then there is a MASSIVE community, best place to start is:
- http://askubuntu.com
Quick fixes
Shit don’t look right.
This will remove all the previously selected preferences for the desktop shell, giving you a “default” look when you next log in.
- Open up the terminal
- run the following commands:
gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compiz-1
gconftool-2 --recursive-unset /apps/compizconfig-1
unity --reset
rm -rf .gnome .gnome2 .gconf .gcond .metacity
Logout, then log back in. You should have a default look and feel then.
From: http://askubuntu.com/questions/70572/reset-unity-and-gnome-to-default-values
Cannot find anything using the dash search functionality
Open up the “terminal” and run the following command to remove the offending file:
rm -f ~/.local/share/zeitgeist/activity.sqlite
If you cannot access your terminal from the Dash, then write down the command, then press Alt + F2 This will switch you to a terminal, you’ll probably need to login. After you have logged in, run the command.
From: http://askubuntu.com/questions/125843/dash-search-gives-no-result
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