Ubuntu 6.06.1 Install Checklist

I have now installed kubuntu and xubuntu 6.06.1 (Dapper Drake), respectively, on two boxes I own. I am impressed with how well it worked. The install process sucessfully and automatically recognized a back-up hard disk drive that I had plugged in to the system, something neither SUSE nor Knoppix did as well for me. I hope that this blog posting can be a reference for newbies as to the things you'll most need to know. The following at least were the quirks of ubuntu which sent me to the forums looking for answers. Here's a list:

1. Root password. When you install ubuntu, you will set up a password for the primary user. This password will also, when you first boot up and until you make a change to it, be your root password.
2. Wireless. Wireless should work out of the box. If you have an encryption key set up for your system, check this post in the ubuntuforums for the most succint answer on how to set up your network interfaces file.
3. New software repositories.Most people are going to want to add new software other than the programs that come with it. Both times I installed ubuntu, I found myself googling until I found this piece of advice.
4. Flash. If you want to install the Flash player for your system, you first have to get firefox. (Do this using adept after following the advice in the previous bullet). Then go to some site with Flash content. It should give you a link to downloading the flashplayer-installer. Follow those directions. The only problem I found is that I had to type
   /bin/sh flashplayer-installer
   to start the installation process, the instructions that Adobe gave were not working with a fresh ubuntu install.

This list is neither comprehensive nor tabulated by someone who REALLY knows what he is doing, but it should nonetheless get you going to do what most computer users are interested in doing. Good luck.