Ubuntu book

[Ben Edwards]

One of the best books I have come across was 'Red Hat Linux in small
business' - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764533355. 
What was interesting about it was that it ilistrates how business
people and Desktop users want a lot of the same things - they want to
be able to get things working with the minimum amount of fuss. 
Basically is was very task based and pragmatic.  Each chapter was on a
different topic - it started from the beginning and went through the
least painful way of getting stuff to work.   It only gave the info
necessary to get things done.  Basically what it cared about was how
to set up a mail server - not how they work.

I think it should be a bit like the for dummies series. How about
'Ubuntu Linux for Humans'';) - actually thinking about it that fits in
with the hole Ubuntu philosophy. Chapters would be task based and
concentrate on using the GUI tools - with 'for dummies' style
illustrations.  Chapters could be:-

1) Installing and setting up Ubuntu
2) Connecting to and Using the Internet
3) Word Processing and DTP
4) Graphics and Drawing
5) Customizing and keeping Ubuntu up to date.
......

Each chapter would overview the subject and talk about a few of the
possible tools - then concentrate on one and hand hold the user
through its use.

What would be really radical is if it was the size of a paperback.

How about having two books - The first book would cover the basics and
the second the more advanced topics - both the size of paperbacks
-anyway I am starting to ramble on....

Ben

On Mon, 25 Oct 2004 21:52:29 -0500, John Hornbeck
<hornbeck at freeshell.org> wrote:
> Ok, I am proposing this to the group.  I am interested in writing a book
> about Ubuntu.  I have talked to Mark Shuttleworth and have his blessing.
> My question to everyone is what type of book would be needed first off.
> We talked about a "Nutshell" book for O'reilly, but I am thinking more
> of a book like the "Learning Redhat Linux" book.  For those who don't
> know, I work part time as a Linux instructor for a Vocational school and
> that was the book I used mostly because it covered alot of ground in a
> fairly small book.  What are you opinions?  If this is something that
> emerges I will want to fully work with everyone and keep contributing
> the things I learn back to the doc team.  I do not plan to stop working
> on docs(someone I told already asked so I thought I would address that
> right now), but this is a doc that I think is really needed.
> 
> Let the discussion begin,
> --
> John Hornbeck
> http://hornbeck.freeshell.org/blogger
> 
> --
> ubuntu-doc mailing list
> ubuntu-doc at lists.ubuntu.com
> http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-doc
> 


-- 
Ben Edwards - Poole, UK, England
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