[ # ] Whats the deal with Ubuntu?

/* Posted March 20th, 2008 at 7:00am */
/* Filed under Linux */

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for laptops, desktops and even servers.Â Built upon the Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu tries to provide an up-to-date OS for the average user.Â Some of its key features include regular releases, easy to use installs, nice UI, and focuses on usability.

Ubuntu the word stands for “humanity toward others”, and “we are people because of other people”.Â Ubuntu the OS, releases a new version every six or so months, the mext being planned for Oct 2008.Â The OS normally has support for those releases for 18 months with daily security fixes and patches/bugs.

Ubuntu comes installed with the following software: the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, the Internet browser Firefox, the instant messenger Pidgin (formerly known as Gaim), and the raster graphics editor GIMP. Several lightweight card and puzzle games are pre-installed, including Sudoku and Chess. Ubuntu has all networking ports closed by default for added security, although some people choose to run a firewall in order to monitor incoming and outgoing connections.

Ubuntu offers a fully featured set of applications that work straight from the standard install, but nonetheless fits on a single CD. The live CD allows users to see whether their hardware is compatible before installation to the hard disk. The live CD is then used to install Ubuntu.Â CDs are mailed free to anyone who requests them, and CD images are available for download. The Ubuntu live CD requires (for version 7.10) 256 megabytes of RAM, and once installed on the hard disk, Ubuntu needs four gigabytes of hard disk space.Â An alternate install disc using the standard debian-installer in text mode is available for download only, and is aimed at people with lower system specifications, computer dealers selling systems already installed with Ubuntu, and for complex partitioning including the use of LVM.
With the release of Ubuntu 7.04 in April 2007, the Ubuntu installation process changed slightly. It now supports migration from Microsoft Windows. The new migration tool, called Migration Assistant, imports Windows users’ bookmarks, desktop background (wallpaper), and settings for immediate use in the Ubuntu installation.

In any case, the user can install Ubuntu with the Vistathemes and start menu (called Ubuntu-Vista).

With Wubi, it is possible to install Ubuntu on a Windows partition, without using an ISO file. It also makes use of the migration tool which imports Windows users’ configurations. Wubi was born as an independent project, as such 7.04 and 7.10 are unoffical releases. But since 8.04 the code has been merged within Ubuntu and since 8.04-alpha5, Wubi can also be found in the Ubuntu Live CD.