Ubuntu (oo-boon-tu) is a Debian-based Linux operating system, with Unity as its default desktop environment. It is based on free software and named after the Southern African philosophy ofubuntu (literally, “human-ness”), which often is translated as “humanity towards others” or “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”.
Development of Ubuntu is led by UK-based Canonical Ltd. Canonical generates revenue through the sale of technical support and other services related to Ubuntu. The Ubuntu project is publicly committed to the principles of open source development; people are encouraged to use free software, study how it works, improve upon it, and distribute it.
A default installation of Ubuntu contains a wide range of software that includes LibreOffice (alternative to Microsoft Office), Firefox (alternative to Internet Explorer), ThunderBird (alternative to Microsoft Outlook),Transmission(BitTorrent client), and several lightweight games such as Sudoku and chess. Many additional software packages, including titles no longer in the default installation such as Evolution, GIMP, Pidgin, and Synaptic, are accessible from the built in Ubuntu Software Center as well as any other APT based package management tool. Execution of Microsoft Visual Studio and other Microsoft Windows applications can be facilitated via the Wine compatibility package or through the use of a virtual machine such as VirtualBox or VMware Workstation.
Why Ubuntu
As many of us don’t know about Ubuntu, So, they ask why ubuntu is preferable then windows. Here are some points.
1. The installation of Ubuntu is a lot simpler than the one for Windows 8. Even better, the installation recognizes any other operating systems and you can install Linux without wiping your hard drive. This is impossible the other way around.
2. The main interface of Ubuntu is easy to use and requires virtually no setup. Long gone are the days of complicated procedures to make it work. Now it just does. Better yet, if you do decide to change it completely, that’s actually pretty easy to do.
3. Most of the software is free and most of the regular things that you would use in a Windows environment have equivalents, which sometimes are even better.
4. You don’t need to install any special drivers, besides the ones for the graphic card. Everything you plug in just works. Everything is implemented at the kernel level and you won’t have any problems running it on laptops or PC.
5. Ubuntu is a lot more secure that Windows. It’s Linux-based and it’s very likely that you won’t ever see a virus, malware, or anything of that kind. You don’t need expensive antivirus solutions. If there is a problem, it’s patched right away by the developers.
6. Windows 7 requires a minimum of 1000 Mhz processor with 1GB of RAM, while Ubuntu requires a minimum of 700 Mhz processor with 384MB RAM. While these are the official requirements, in practice, the requirements are considerably higher. From my experience, If you install both the operating systems on identical hardware, Ubuntu’s performance is significantly higher than that of Windows 7.
In fact, if you were to pull out a 7 year old computer from a junkyard, Ubuntu will work flawlessly.
Moreover, the boot time of Ubuntu is considerably less than its Windows 7 counterpart.
In fact, if you were to pull out a 7 year old computer from a junkyard, Ubuntu will work flawlessly.
Moreover, the boot time of Ubuntu is considerably less than its Windows 7 counterpart.
7. Windows 7 ranges from $100 to $300 (Rs. 5000 to Rs.15000) depending on the version you are buying. On the other hand, Ubuntu is free of cost. You can download it from the official website.
If you are an average user, who uses the computer for some email, little bit of presentations or spread-sheets, movies and web browsing, Ubuntu is Definitely the operating system you should use. It enables you to accomplish everything that you normally do using Windows 7, its much more secure, has little or no maintenance, and its free of cost.
So your next question would be, which OS do you (the author) use?
Well, I use Windows 7 for certain mission-critical applications and software that work only on Windows 7. Moreover, as a Programmer, I work with Windows almost everyday, as it is a part of every small to large sized businesses. Students and Gamers.
Well, I use Windows 7 for certain mission-critical applications and software that work only on Windows 7. Moreover, as a Programmer, I work with Windows almost everyday, as it is a part of every small to large sized businesses. Students and Gamers.
Want to see a live demo of Ubuntu 14.04? check out this amazing Ubuntu tour.
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