Using Ubuntu without any knowledge of Linux

Can I still install and use Ubuntu without any basic knowledge of a Linux operating system - do I need any background knowledge of Linux to use Ubuntu? If so, what will be the limits of my experience?

Also, I heard from http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/ that I don't need any drivers for hardware and peripherals. Can somebody shed some light on this statement?

P.S. I don't know if these questions have been asked yet, I searched for these (maybe I didn't search hard enough), but I didn't find any.

Solution 1:

It can be a great learning experience - you can go into it as deeply as you want.

If you just want to use Ubuntu for web browsing, writing emails and documents, or any other usual thing, then it is as easy to use as windows.

But if you want to you can discover all sorts of things that are simply not available in windows - including the source code that runs the operating system. There are all sorts of high quality programs included for free, that you would have to pay for under windows.

It's not some massive technical problem that only graduates and geeks can handle, so don't worry! A couple of hours and you will feel at ease with most of it.

Also there is a huge amount of help online and a large number of people who are happy to help new users make the shift to Linux.

Solution 2:

Yes you can install and use it without any knowledge.

The alluring aspect of Linux is its philosophy : In Linux you walk in a free world. There's no need to cracking, no need to a serial number, no need to prove that you've already bought a software and own it because you already own every softwares under Linux.

There are some absolutely basic command that you can do your elementary actions well with them. commands like sudo apt-get, sudo apt-add-repository for downloading needing packages so easily, are an example.

And of course there are plenty of helpful sites (like this site) with friendly users in order to help you go through Ubuntu.

So don't hesitate and start exploring this safe and free OS.

Solution 3:

Welcome to the community Kiran.

You can use Ubuntu without installing it, just follow the try before installing instructions. If a driver is missing from default Ubuntu, the OS will install it. This is known as proprietary drivers. To list the drivers use the lshw command in Terminal.

When you install Ubuntu on a hard drive which is already occupied by Windows or Mac, be careful while choosing where to install, as I lost data while doing that.

It could be helpful if you use VMWARE or Oracle box to run Ubuntu virtually.

If any help is needed, the community is always there to help!

Solution 4:

My mom, who's not even remotely tech-oriented, prefers Ubuntu to Windows. She runs Firefox and LibreOffice and that's pretty much it, but she likes it better than Windows.

Solution 5:

Fear not, ;) - you can use Ubuntu without need of too much knowledge. You are on the safe side with that. But later you will feel that some knowledge cannot harm, and it is more fun, to use Linux with more tricks and else.

In this sense - here a link for you for free books - which cannot harm. It is not a must, but you can save it for later - in case you need to help yourself.:

http://itsfoss.com/5-free-ubuntu-books-for-beginners/