Ubuntu For Absolute Beginners

Curious about Ubuntu, but not sure where to start? Start here: "Ubuntu: An Absolute Beginner's Guide", by author Courtney Loo, is the latest free guide from MakeUseOf and will teach you everything you need to know about Ubuntu in easy-to-understand language.
Ubuntu is a free/libre, open-source computer operating system with 20 million users worldwide. But it's also so much more than that: it is an ethos, a collaborative project and, first and foremost, Ubuntu is a community of people.
If you're reading this guide, you're probably interested in moving away from proprietary operating systems such as Windows and Mac OS X; perhaps you've already installed Ubuntu on your computer but are not sure where to start.
Migrating to a new operating system can be daunting, especially when faced with unfamiliar words like 'FLOSS', 'command line interface' and 'kernel'. Many people are intimidated by the technical jargon of a non-commercial operating system and believe it's too advanced for them.