FOSSwire

So Ubuntu Hardy Heron has now arrived, and you can download the new release from the Ubuntu site.

The main desktop release tends to overshadow the other projects that are official variants of Ubuntu. If you're new to the distro, new to Linux in general, or just want a refresher, here's what is available as well as the standard desktop product.

Ubuntu Server Edition

Server Edition, is, quite obviously, the version of Ubuntu tailored for running servers. Instead of being a graphical live CD, the Server version boots straight into a text-based installer, then sets up a system optimised for common server tasks.

You do have full access to the Ubuntu software repositories, so it is easy to then customise it to do whatever you need it to do.

Hardy Heron Server Edition is a Long Term Support (LTS) release, and it will be supported until 2013.

Kubuntu

Kubuntu is the official Ubuntu derivative which ships with the KDE desktop environment, rather than the GNOME desktop which comes with the standard version. I personally run this KDE variant on my desktop, although I also work with GNOME a fair bit too.

Hardy Heron actually brings two different Kubuntu releases to the table. The standard desktop PC version features KDE 3.5.9 which is less bleeding edge and is more tried-and-tested technology. There is also a 'KDE 4 Remix' disc available which features the same Ubuntu base with the newer, but less stable KDE 4 desktop. I plan to be looking at this KDE 4 Remix disc in more detail in an upcoming post.

Unlike its GNOME counterpart, the Kubuntu distro does not have the LTS tag, meaning it will only be supported for 18 months.

Xubuntu

Xubuntu uses the more lightweight Xfce desktop environment, which makes it ideally suited to lower-spec computers that might be sluggish running the main edition, or the KDE variant.

Xubuntu does have Long Term Support, and because it is a desktop release, Hardy Heron Xubuntu will be supported until 2011.

Edubuntu

Edubuntu is a derivative specially designed for use in education and schools. It is preinstalled with many educational applications and other specialised software such as the iTalc classroom management system.

Edubuntu does not have Long Term Support at this release, so it only has the standard 18 month support cycle.

Gobuntu

There are some elements of Ubuntu that aren't 100% free software/open source. Mostly these are 'restricted' drivers that are used in certain hardware configurations, that make Ubuntu able to support hardware for which there isn't a free driver available.

However, some people prefer to run an operating system that is 100% free software and open source, and Gobuntu is the official Ubuntu derivative that offers that.

Right now it is still quite early days for Gobuntu, and there is only a text-based installer. "Please note that because running Gobuntu on most laptops and many desktops will be difficult, Gobuntu is intended for experienced Linux enthusiasts at this time."

Still, if going pure is your thing, Gobuntu is worth a try.

Others

This list only encompasses the official derivatives that are part of the Ubuntu project. In reality, there are many more distros that have used Ubuntu as a base and built on top of them, but which have diverged from the Ubuntu project itself.

There is also one more that I haven't mentioned in this list - Ubuntu Mobile Edition. Its focus is more towards specific mobile devices and so I didn't include it directly here.

Hopefully this clears up the inevitable confusion as to which 'buntu is which. Most people will probably just want to try the standard desktop version, which you can always grab a copy of at this page. For the more adventurous, and those with specific requirements, however, some of these versions could be a perfect fit.

Vim is a very powerful text editor. It is also quite an intimidating text editor to those that haven't used it before and if you're interested in just getting started with Vim and learning how to use it as a basic text editor, it can be quite daunting.

What I am going to attempt to give you today is an ultra quick start guide to editing files in Vim. Let me reiterate that - I'm going to go over the most basic concepts really quickly. There is plenty more that Vim can do and this is only really designed to whet your appetite for the editor.

So, let's begin. You can open Vim by typing vim and then a filename at your command line. That filename can be a file that already exists, or a new file you want to create.

$ vim newfile

Once you hit enter, the command line goes away and you enter the Vim interface. Vim has a concept of different modes for editing, which means in order to do some tasks you might need to be in a certain mode. The two modes we need to worry about here are Normal mode and Insert mode.

By default, you start in normal mode. In most modern versions of Vim, you should be able to browse the document if it exists with the arrow keys (or use Ctrl-D to scroll down more quickly).

To insert, or edit text, we need to switch from Normal mode into Insert mode. You do that by pressing the letter i. You should see this near the bottom of the screen:

-- INSERT --

Now, you can use the keyboard as you would normally to type text into the document. Once you're done making the edit and want to switch back to Normal mode, press Esc.

The INSERT message at the bottom should go away, and anything you type will be interpreted as a command, not as text to type into the document.

That is basically the bare minimum you need to know to get started editing in Vim, or if you just want to use it quickly. However, it would also be quite useful to know how to save and quit the editor.

While in Normal mode (remember - Esc will get you back to it at any time), typing these commands in and pressing Enter will do the following:

:w - save the file (the 'w' stands for write).
:q - quit the file. If you haven't saved the file since you last changed it, you will be warned and it will not quit. If you want to delete the changes...
:q! - quit the file, not saving your changes.
:wq - save and quit the file in one fell swoop!

I'm going to say this yet again - this is only scratching the surface of what Vim can do, but if you want to get up and running and editing files in it, this is the bare minimum of the knowledge you need!