the psycho cat on an HP Mini with Ubuntu

Just Beginning
Introduction
Read this first before you try Ubuntu*

Which Ubuntu to pick?
Getting Ubuntu
Making a bootable USB of Ubuntu

Ubuntu inside Windows
Dual-boot with Windows
Install Desktop CD Ubuntu
Modest Specs

Install Software
Security in Ubuntu
Where's the Terminal?
Password in Terminal

Next Steps
Install Proprietary Drivers
Mount Windows
Install Proprietary Plugins
Finding iTunes Alternatives
Use Wine

Beyond the Basics
Backing up Ubuntu
Upgrade Ubuntu*
Change boot menu

Playing Around
Unity to classic Gnome
Unity Gnome/KDE Plasma Comparison
Install KDE
Install XFCE
Pure Ubuntu
Pure Kubuntu
Pure Xubuntu
Pure Lubuntu

Troubleshooting
Can't sudo
Graphical sudo
Forgot password

* Off-site link

Cheap Plugs
If you've found these tutorials useful, please consider donating a small amount to one of my favorite non-profits/charities. Every little bit helps.

You may also want to consider donating directly to the Ubuntu project.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

In previous versions of Ubuntu, if you wanted wobbly windows and eye candy, you had to follow complicated HowTos full of a lot of copying and pasting of cryptic commands, with the very real possibility of you screwing up your graphics configuration to the point where it's unusable.

Now (as of 7.10) Ubuntu allows you an easy way to enable desktop effects. Keep in mind that you may have to enable proprietary video card drivers if you have an Nvidia or ATI video card. See an example of this (using Nvidia as an example) here.

Go to System > Preferences > Appearance

In Appearance Preferences select the Visual Effects tab.

Then, select Normal or Extra, depending on how fancy you want your desktop effects to be.

Ubuntu will try to enable desktop effects. If the trial works, you should see this dialogue, and you can decide to keep the newly enabled effects or revert back to having no desktop effects.

If the trial doesn't work, you'll be told Desktop effects could not be enabled, which may mean that you don't have the proper video drivers installed or that your video card cannot support desktop effects.

If you're having trouble setting up desktop effects, please search or post a support thread in Desktop Effects & Customization subforum of the Ubuntu Forums