Ubuntu, humanity, well thats the translation (Ubuntu)

Member Name: donley

Product:	Ubuntu
Date:	15/01/08 (69 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stable, secure, fast, futureproof

Disadvantages: Does not run virus and spyware :p

Ubuntu is NOT Linux.
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution.

Ubuntu is probably the most mentioned distribution when people talk about Linux.

I am typing this from my Ubuntu installation. Using Firefox, ( a Linux application that was ported to Windows).

So, why is it so special ?

First and foremost, it is stable. Linux does not crash. Ever. This is a bold claim, but, if your hardware is working fine, Linux will keep going. If there is a freeze, it can however seem like a crash.

Ubuntu 7.10 is currently using the 2.6.22 kernel, which, if frozen, will run a self-check after 6 minutes and will unfreeze. So, if in the very unlikely event of a crash, just leave it alone while you grab a coffee.

It is also immune to virus and spyware attacks. This is a special bone of contention to me, as, Operating Systems are my job... I work with Linux and Unix day in day out, so I know my way around them. however, there are journalists in the computing industry who say that Linux is only immune to virus and spyware at the minute because there is hardly anyone using it....

Hello..... "The Internet" !!!

Here is a bit of a clue to these muppets, the internet backbone run millions of Linux servers as well as Unix servers, but there are NO, NONE, NADA, ZILTCH virus or spyware programs for Linux.

Windows on the other hand has a 100% share of all malware, this platform alone keeps all the nasties to itself. There are hardly any Windows servers on the internet, and those that do, are regularly taken down by worms. Another thing that does not happen to Linux.

Microsoft themselves do not trust Windows to run their servers, if you check netcraft.com and search for Microsoft, it will show that the servers requiring major uptime, like "Update" and "Technet" are running Linux. So if Microsoft will not eat their own dogfood, why should you ?

Back to Ubuntu.

The reasons behind Ubuntu, is that anyone in any country should have a free operating system in their own language, and by free they mean not just for zero cash, but for freedom.

There is no DRM in Linux, there is not one company controlling everything, if a company goes out of business, the code is there for someone else to take up and carry on.

Ubuntu simplifies Linux for new users, so much so, that it does not even need to be installed. Just download the system, burn it to CD, leave the CD in the machine and reboot. Your hard drive will not get touched, no files will be overwritten.

Ubuntu will start up the computer, and log you into the Gnome desktop, this is a bit like a Mac with the toolbar at the top of the screen. There is a limited amount of applications on the CD, but this is stay way more than is included with Windows by default.
They are;

Open Office - Full Office Suite
GIMP - Graphics Manipulation
Rythmbox - Music Player
Totem - Video Player
Firefox - Web Browser
Evolution - Email and calender
around 15 mini games
Ekiga softphone - web conferencing

And so on.

There is also an application called Synaptic. This is an advanced add/remove programs.
In Synaptic, the applications are laid out in a menu, simply select the type of application you are looking for, then scroll down the list and select the ones you wish to install, then click apply.
Simple, and there are around 28000 totally free applications in the repositories.

Ubuntu is free, also means that software that requires a license will not work out of the box, you need to install that separately. There is a program called Automatix, it is found at www.getautomatix.com and once this is installed and run, will download and install things like the latest Flash player, Realplayer, Java, Windows Codecs, Google Earth, Picasa etc.

When a new version comes along, it is a simple matter of running the update manager, and it will install the new one... A bit like moving from Windows98 to WIndows 2000 to Windows XP and finally to Windows Vista... All without a single penny being spent and with only one reboot at the end. Did I mention Linux is stable ?

So, apart from having no nasties, why should anyone switch ? Freedom for a start, performance for another, and after the Vista flop, Microsoft are on the way out.

Download it today, and give the future a go.

Summary: Possible the best thing that could happen to your computer.

Variety of features:
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