Before I picked up the third edition of Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, my husband, the engineer, had already installed Ubuntu 8.04 on two of our computers and spent hours figuring out how everything worked. Granted he had it dual booted with Windows XP, so I wouldn’t have to enter nerd-ville. But if I didn’t catch the load in time, I was trapped in a foreign operating system, feeling the same way I did when my dad left me in a gas station for three hours when I was four. In both cases, there were many tears shed.

Needless to say, I’m the non-geek in the family. So, as the title so graciously explains, this easy-to-read instructional guide to Ubuntu was exactly what I needed. And if you’ve found yourself in a similar “abandoned” situation or you’re making the step on your own to put this absolutely free and open sourced operating system on your computer, then this book is for you too.

I told you my husband spent hours figuring out how to use the newest Ubuntu system code named “Hardy Heron.” So if it takes an engineer that long, you may be wondering if this is the step for you. But that’s why this book is so important. Ubuntu for Non-Geeks takes you from installing the new operating system to acquiring applications, all the way to working with your iPod. This guide is everything you need to get started with Linux. You go from thinking your dad hates you to realizing this gas station isn’t really that bad after all.

As well as the install CD, some of the things you’ll find in this book are explanations on what exactly Ubuntu is, hardware compatibility, choosing applications, personalizing your desktop, running the internet, terminal commands, audio and visual applications, and security. All the basics for Ubuntu can be found in this well organized, non-technical manual.

Hardy Heron is considered one of the most user-friendly versions of Ubuntu, so this is a great place to start for first-time Linux users. But even if you already have Ubuntu on your computer, this book can serve as the perfect reference guide. It clarifies concepts quickly enough that you can pick the guide up at any moment. The only hitch is that this book is truly for “non-geeks.” If you’ve already mastered other releases of Ubuntu, such as Dapper Drake or Gutsy Gibbon, you shouldn’t expect to find an expert’s guide to the 8.04 update. This is for beginners to get started with a wallet-friendly operating system. Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, covering Hardy Heron 8.04, is a great buy. As its subtitle explains, it’s “a pain-free, project-based, get-things-done guidebook,” the perfect reference book for any Ubuntu newby. So stop wondering if this operating system is right for you and pick up this book (just don’t leave your kid in the bookstore). You’ll actually be saving money in the long run.