Read, Mark and Learn

I was brought up to believe that everything I will ever want to know is written down in a book somewhere (thanks Mum) and, whilst this maxim might preclude the cutting edge of knowledge, it has stood me in good stead and fueled my curiosity over many years (it's also resulted in a small fortune spent on books over the years), so it's no surprise that when my journey into open source began, I looked for publications that might give me a head start.

The purpose of this blog is to chart my experiences with Ubuntu rather than peddle goods or services on behalf of others, but there are two publications that I would recommend to anyone that is interested in exploring Linux:

1. Ubuntu Unleashed by Andrew Hudson and Paul Hudson - this is a commercial offering and it's not (particularly) cheap but it is an excellent resource nonetheless. I haven't linked to a particular retailer: use Google or search your preferred supplier (ISBN-13 for 2008 edition: 978-0672329937).
2. The Linux® Command Line by William E. Shotts, Jr. - a free resource that guides the novice (like me) through the vagaries of the Linux terminal.

However, despite both these publications proving invaluable, the best advice that I've received has been on the various Internet forums and websites a couple of which are particularly worthy of mention:

• Psychocats Ubuntu - a collection of superb tutorials aimed at new Ubuntu users and the place that I went to frequently during my first few weeks with Ubuntu. The author also has a blog here.
• Ubuntu Forums - friendly advice from the Ubuntu community.

There's a surprising amount of help out there, most of it freely given.