This tutorial doesn't include any figures about the process. I expect, that you can survive without.

This tutorial requires that you have permissions for using gksu and sudo (admin or root).

Getting updates using Update Manager

1. Find the ”System” menu. It's next to orange-blue Firefox icon at the upper left corner.
2. Click the ”System” menu.

Menu appears and you will see it.

1. Find the ”Administration” menu and move your cursor on it
2. Find the ”Update Manager” icon. Click it.

You wait a little while, depending the performance of your computer.

• Click ”Check” button in the window you got

You wait a while, when the ”Update Manager” downloads the update list for you. This time depends on the speed of your Internet connection. You have to be connected to the Internet to get updates.

• Click ”Install Updates” to install updates

You wait a while, when the ”Update Manager” downloads all the updates. After that it installs them. It might ask you questions depending the packages your updating. You can watch the indicator and see, how the update process goes. After the update, it will close the installation process window and show the same ”Update Manager” window again. Click ”Close” to close the ”Update Manager”.

Getting updates using APT

This way is not the easiest, but can be fastest when you learn it.

• Find the ”Applications” menu. This menu is the first menu in the upper left corner. Click the menu.

Menu will appear.

• Move your cursor on the ”Accessories” menu

A new menu will appear.

• Click the ”Terminal” icon

Terminal window will be opened. This window can be very dangerous if you don't know what you're using. I'm not responsible if something happens.

• Write ”sudo apt-get update” string to the Terminal and hit enter

Let's analyze this command. The first word called ”sudo” means that you're wanting to run this command as the root (=the admin). It's an acronym from ”superuser do”.

The next word called ”apt-get” means the program that provides an easy command line interface for managing packages.

The last word, ”update” means that you are updating your package list for downloading updates for your system.

• Insert your password and hit enter

Password is required to do different kind of operations as root.

It will start downloading updates. You may see the percentage of the part of the download process done. It might vary during the download process. After it ends and you will see the $ mark at the last row you can continue.

Be sure, you're connected to the Internet. This and the next step requires the Internet connection.

• Write ”sudo apt-get dist-upgrade” and hit enter

This command will download you all these updates. It might ask you to confirm that you want to download these update. Confirmation can be done by hitting the Y-button. After download process it will install these updates. The time it takes depends on the amount of updates, the speed of your Internet connection and the performance of your computer.

It might ask you question and you can navigate in the settings forms using TAB button (next to Caps Lock and Q buttons).

When you see the $ mark at the end of the last line, you may close the Terminal. Update process has been completed.

Getting OpenOffice.org

If you're running Ubuntu (desktop installation), you don't need to do anything to get OpenOffice.org. It's already behind Applications > Office menu.

If you're not running, you can find OpenOffice.org for your platform at OpenOffice.org. Different Linux distributions often provide OpenOffice.org either by default or it can be easily downloaded from their repository.

Starting OpenOffice.org

We will use OpenOffice.org 2 Writer but other OpenOffice.org 2 products work about the same way.

If you just downloaded and installed OpenOffice.org, you might get a dialog asking your personal details allowing you to insert them or just skip. It's up to you if you want to register yourself as OpenOffice.org user.

Open OpenOffice.org 2 Writer by selecting Applications > Office > OpenOffice.org Writer

OpenOffice.org 2 Writer will start. It may take a while.

You can now open a document or write your own. It doesn't matter what you write. You can include rich text (bold, italic, underline, different fonts and colours), pictures... etc. After you are done your document, follow this tutorial to export is as PDF.

Exporting document as PDF

This is the easiest step. If you want it to be easy, it will be easy. If you want experimental settings, you get them too.

The easy way:

Click the icon next to printer (left side). There's some red and white color (colors from Adobe's logo) and text "PDF".

Then you get a dialog:

Select the place you want your document will be exported. Then click Save

The experimental way:

Go to File > Export as PDF

You get a dialog with few settings you can change. I think you figure your way out there.

This way requires two-button mouse and keyboard. You should be logged in to your Gnome to use this tutorial.

Clicking means always a hit of primary (1st or left) mouse button when the cursor is in the requested target. Usage of secondary (2nd or right) mouse button will be declared when it is required.

The Basic Tutorial

1. Click your current background using the secondary (2nd or right) mouse button. You will get a menu
   
2. Click the entry called ”Change Desktop Background”. ”Appearance Preferences” window with “Background” tab on. Now it's up to you, what you want to do. If you want to use the backgrounds installed with your system:
   
3. Click the thumbnail you want to see on your desktop. You will see the preview on your desktop, behind the window.
   
4. If you want to keep it, click “Close” button. If it is not that you want, you can go back to the step 3 (a or b) and choose again. If you want to use your own image file as your desktop background (experimental):
   
5. Click “Add..” button.
   
6. Select the background image you want to use
   
7. You will see that image previewed on your desktop. 6..If you want to keep it, click “Close” button. If it is not that you want, you can go back to the step 3 (a or b) and choose again. I know, this article can be useless but someone can sort out something or find easier way to change the background image (=wallpaper).

In this article, you should study how you can optimize your Internet connection for bigger downloads. This doesn't make your connection any faster, it just helps you to optimize the use of line.

1. Close All Other Downloads
   

   I don't see, it's the best idea to download everything at the same time. It may use your line better and total download time may be a little shorter but I think you can optimize your working if you get one download at the time because you can use those ones which come first instead waiting all coming at the same time. Actually, this is not an optimization hint but I see it's useful.

2. Close All Hidden Downloads
   

   About every PC gets updates. It can be that they're downloaded automatically, so they may slow your tasks. Disable those features and possibly reboot your computer to fix this problem.

3. Avoid Using The Line

   It's not required not to use the line at all when download task in active. But all the extra data you get, may slow your download. Services like IM doesn't cause big transfers but file transfers, webcam or VOIP calls causes lots of transfer and may cause download task slowing down.

4. Use The Cable
   

   WLAN is not the best connection type for big downloads but it doesn't mean a lot, if the connection is like 1-4 Mbps or under if the link is fine and you're next to your WLAN access point.

5. Use Your Own Line
   

   Public access points are often under big traffic and download speeds are slow. It costs a little but it's worth it.

6. Use Download Tool For Big Downloads

   There's different download tools for bigger downloads. They often support features that default tools don't have. One of these features is the download resumer which helps if the line is low and it times out or you want to download your file in many sessions different days and times a day. I suggest you to use Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.xx or newer with DownThemAll! extension. It can download files wisely and faster and in many sessions. Opera seems to have these features already integrated.
   If you're using other than HTTP protocol, I suggest you to search a little for information about good download tools for your protocol if you haven't already.

Ubuntu is 100% free and mostly open Linux-based OS. It means you can use it free of charge. For example, when you buy a new PC, you don't have to pay for Windows.

Support for Many Formats

This means that when you need to open Microsoft Office PowerPoint presentation, you get it open using OpenOffice.org office suite. Unfortunately, only the most common formats are supported in default installation. Many other formats can be opened by other free tools. Those tools can be found from Ubuntu's official repositories or other resources or by compiling them manually from source. If you can't open the format you want, you can ask, why it's not supported and suggest it for the developers and if it's popular it can become supported. For example in Windows, you have to pay for every software you need to open a file.

Support for a Wide Range of Different Kind of Hardware

Linux has good support for different kind of PC hardware. About every computer hardware and all its devices work at least 95% with Ubuntu. Or I think so. Linux supports the modern services like Internet, graphic user interface (GUI), sounds (PC speaker is still in use but there's also sound effects), 3D graphics in desktop and games , VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) and printing. Webcam is partially supported and better support might be under development.

Better and Easier Choice for High-Quality Internet Security

Ubuntu supports many Internet services and protocols like for surfing, e-mail, file transfer, VOIP, IM... etc. Security is not the biggest problem because there's no trojans, keyloggers or other kind of malware for Ubuntu or any other Linux yet. Anyway, Ubuntu can work as a server, so the security level of webhost is provided for everyone and for 100% free.