# Use, Configure, Support, and Contribute

## Introduction to available software

Edubuntu builds to be a complete and ready to use educational environment. As such, Edubuntu comes pre-installed with a complete office suite, teaching and learning programs, pre-school resources and much more across a range of categories. Here is a brief summary and some screenshots for the most popular Edubuntu packages, and if you need more, Edubuntu has thousands of additional applications ready for you to install.

### Office Suite

OpenOffice.org is a complete office suite similar to other, commercial office suites. It features a word processor, as well as spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, database, and mathematical formula applications. OpenOffice.org can open and convert most documents from other commercial office suites and has support for many different languages.

### Internet

Firefox is the incredible successor to the hugely popular Mozilla browser. Amongst its many features are tabbed browsing, which makes viewing multiple sites a breeze, pop-up blocking, live bookmarks and great accessibility support. Combine these with its fantastic customization engine and you have the most powerful web browsing at your fingertips.

Moving beyond the simple web browser, Edubuntu also comes with an email client and personal information manager, Evolution. Video conferencing with Ekiga as well as instant messaging and chat with Gaim provide communications tools that teachers and students need in an Internet age.

### Graphics

In the graphics department, diagrams and flowcharts are a breeze with Dia. Xsane provides an easy to use scanner interface. 3D modeling and animation are Blender's speciality. Image editing similar to other professional photo editors is done using the GIMP. Scribus provides layout and publishing capabilites.

### Sound and Video

For all your video and audio play and editing needs, Edubuntu provides several programs including Rhythmbox for music playing and Serpentine for burning audio CDs. Sound Juicer rips audio CD tracks to your computer. Totem is an excellent video and movie player and you can use Kino to edit video clips. Sound Recorder can be used to record audio clips to your computer.

### Science

#### Explore the stars

KStars is a Desktop Planetarium that provides an accurate graphical simulation of the night sky. The program includes details for 130000 stars, 13000 deep-sky objects and all of the planets. KStars has an easy to use interface, so it can be used by everyone, from amateurs through to astronomy experts. You will also find a great deal of general information regarding telescopes and other astronomy related matter.

#### Research the periodic table

Kalzium is a package for discovering and researching information about the periodic table and the elements. It includes pictures for most of the 111 elements present, along with more detailed information including atomic models, spectrum analysis, chemical data and energies.

#### Test your chemistry skills

Atomix is a puzzle game, the purpose of which is to make up the molecule displayed from the pieces scattered throughout the level. You can only move them up, down, left and right and they don't stop moving until they hit something.

### Mathematics

#### Program in Logo

KTurtle is a Logo programming language interpreter. The Logo programming language is very easy to learn and thus it can be used by young children. A unique quality of Logo is that the commands or instructions can be translated, so the 'programmer' can program in his or her native language. This makes Logo ideal for teaching kids the basics of programming, mathematics and geometry. One of the reasons many children warm to Logo is due to fact that the programmable icon is a small turtle, which can be moved around the screen with simple commands and can be programmed to draw objects.

#### Create geometric constructions

Kig is an application that allows teachers and students to create high precision geometrical constructions. These can be built on and used to explain concepts like perpendicular bisectors, tangents and arcs.

#### Plot mathematical equations

KmPlot is a mathematical function graphing and plotting package. KmPlot has a built in powerful expression parser and you can plot different functions simultaneously and combine their terms to build more complex mathematical functions. It supports functions with parameters and functions in polar coordinates. Plots may also be printed with high precision.

#### Calculate percentages

KPercentage is a mathematical application that helps pupils improve their skills in calculating percentages. Percentages are split into three types and KPercentage tests pupils on these in three training modes. In addition to this, there is a random mode which will pick questions from each of the three percentage question variations.

#### Practice Fractions

KBruch is a small program to help pupils practice calculations involving fractions. There are four different types of fraction exercise:

- Exercise Fraction Task; where pupils have to solve a given fraction task.

- Exercise Comparison; where pupils have to compare 2 given fractions sizes.

- Exercise Conversion; where pupils have to convert an already given number into a fraction.

- Exercise Factorization; where pupils have to factorize a given number into its prime factor.

#### Play at Math

TuxMath is an educational arcade game starring Tux, the Linux mascot! Based on the classic arcade game "Missile Command," Tux must defend his cities by solving arithmetic problems.

### Drawing

#### Tux Paint

Tux Paint is a free drawing program designed for young children. The program provides an easy to use interface with fun sound effects and an encouraging cartoon mascot that gives help to children while they are painting.

#### Generate Fractals

Xaos is a fractal generator with a whole host of extra features for teaching pupils about fractal patterns.

### Language

#### Practice Spanish verbs

With KVerbos you can practice Spanish verb conjugation. The program comes with a large set of over 9,000 Spanish verbs that you can choose from to begin your verb training. The package also keeps track of previous scores so that pupils can identify where their strengths and weaknesses are. Some exercises also have a time limit to raise the level of difficulty for more advanced users.

#### Play Hangman

KHangman is the classic hangman game with pupils try to guess a word, letter by letter. At each miss, the picture of a hangman is added to. After 10 incorrect tries the game is over.

### Basic Skills

#### Generate and give tests

KEduca is an educational testing package, allowing teachers to create tests for pupils to take. KEduca includes a module for constructing and saving new tests, as well as a separate module for loading and running the exams. Questions can be enhanced with images, multiple choice answers with varying grades, and time limits.

#### Learn touch typing

KTouch helps pupils to learn to type quickly and correctly. With many different modes and detailed reporting, KTouch truly makes learning touching typing easily.

#### Gcompris

Gcompris is a suite of over 80 educational games and activities for kids age 4 to 10 to learn with. These include:

- Computer discovery: keyboard, mouse.

- Algebra: table memory, enumeration, double entry table, mirror image.

- Science: the canal lock, the water cycle, the submarine, electric simulation.

- Geography: place the country on the map.

- Games: chess, memory, connect 4, oware, sudoku.

- Reading: reading practice.

- Other: learn to tell time, puzzle of famous paintings, vector drawing.

## Documentation and Support

This book only provides a basic introduction to Edubuntu. To learn more you may read the extensive documentation included with the system itself, or access the constantly expanding material that community members maintain on the Edubuntu Web site.

Documentation for Other Systems

Documentation written for &ubuntu; also applies to the Edubuntu system. Edubuntu shares a common layout and software with the other operating systems in the &ubuntu; family. Material that describes the Debian system may also apply to Edubuntu, although the &ubuntu; family differs from Debian in some respects.

You may also use a range of facilities to communicate with fellow Edubuntu and &ubuntu; users over the Internet. As a global community with a strong commitment to sharing and cooperation, &ubuntu; has many volunteers who contribute their time to support others. In many cases a polite query may receive an answer in minutes.

This chapter explains the resources available to help you develop your technical skills and overcome any difficulties that you may encounter. For information on how to participate in the Edubuntu community yourself, refer to .

### Supplied Documentation

Edubuntu includes several sets of documentation by default. To read these, select System Help and choose the relevant link in the Ubuntu Help Center.

#### Accessing Documentation from the Command-line

You may also use command-line utilities to read the `man` and `info` documentation in a terminal such as a text-only virtual console, or a desktop terminal window.

Use the `man` command to read a `man` page in a terminal. For example, to read the page for the file `sources.list`, type:

    man sources.list

To see the various search options available with `man`, type:

    man man

To load the GNU help system in a terminal, run the `info` command:

    info

To open the manual for a specific GNU utility, add the name of the program after `info`. For example, this command displays the manual for the `chown` utility:

    info chown

### Online Resources

The &ubuntu; project and many other groups offer documentation on their Web sites for Debian, &ubuntu;, and related Linux systems. All of the providers listed here offer documentation without charge, under licences that enable you freely copy and distribute the material.

#### &ubuntu; Web Sites

Refer to these pages for both on-line documentation and downloadable books produced by the &ubuntu; project:

The main &ubuntu; documentation page

  Ubuntu Documentation

The Edubuntu documentation page

  Edubuntu Documentation

#### Other Documentation Web Sites

Some of the most well-known providers of free Linux documentation include:

The Debian Project

  Debian Documentation

The Linux Documentation Project

  TLDP

O'Reilly Media

  Open Book

### Asking Questions Online

The large number of Linux users today means that any issue that arises is likely to have already been discussed on an Internet venue. Web search engines such as Google are particularly useful for finding relevant information in the text of the numerous on-line discussions held on forums, mailing lists, blogs, and project bug tracking systems.

If you cannot find the answer to your question in the documentation or with a search engine, choose a support venue and post your question there. The section below explains the support venues for Edubuntu.

#### Using Web Search Engines

Search engines provide as many matches as possible for the words or phrases that you specify. To get the most useful and relevant possible set of results from your searches, try to follow these general principles:

- Use the most specific words that you can.

- Include at least three key words in your search.

- If possible use a specific phrase, such as text from an error message.

- Consider whether the advanced or power-user options of the search engine might help you.

Use whichever search engine you prefer. Google users may find that the dedicated Linux search facility at provides better results than the main Google search page.

#### Community Support Facilities

The main venues for discussing Edubuntu on-line are:

The mailing list for Edubuntu users

  Edubuntu-Users List

The &ubuntu; Forums

  Ubuntu Forums

The IRC channel for live discussions on using and developing Edubuntu

  Community

When you use these facilities, remember that the individuals that answer questions are freely donating their time to help others, and may see many requests for help. If you are new to on-line discussions, please read these pages before you post your question:

The Ubuntu Code of Conduct

  Code of Conduct

How to Ask Questions the Smart Way

  How to file a bug

### Commercial Support and Training Providers

Refer to this page for information about obtaining commercial support for Edubuntu: Paid Support