Linux OS

Dear All,

When we look for the Linux OS we look for the look and performance of the OS, the latter having the greater priority. Let us check out the various Linux OS for the beginners.

1) Ubuntu:-
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu ("humanity towards others").

With an estimated global usage of more than 12 million users,Ubuntu is designed primarily for desktop use, although netbook and server editions exist as well. Web statistics suggest that Ubuntu's share of Linux desktop usage is about 50%,[10][11] and indicate upward trending usage as a web server.

Ubuntu is sponsored by the UK-based company Canonical Ltd., owned by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical generates revenue by selling technical support and services tied to Ubuntu, while the OS itself is entirely free of charge.

Features

Ubuntu is composed of many software packages, of which the vast majority are distributed under a free software license, making an exception only for some proprietary hardware drivers. The main license used is the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) which, along with the GNU Lesser General Public License (GNU LGPL), explicitly declares that users are free to run, copy, distribute, study, change, develop and improve the software. On the other hand, there is also proprietary software available that can run on Ubuntu. Ubuntu focuses on usability, security and stability. The Ubiquity installer allows Ubuntu to be installed to the hard disk from within the Live CD environment, without the need for restarting the computer prior to installation. Ubuntu also emphasizes accessibility and internationalization to reach as many people as possible. Beginning with 5.04, UTF-8 became the default character encoding,which allows for support of a variety of non-Roman scripts. As a security feature, the sudo tool is used to assign temporary privileges for performing administrative tasks, allowing the root account to remain locked, and preventing inexperienced users from inadvertently making catastrophic system changes or opening security holes. PolicyKit is also being widely implemented into the desktop to further harden the system through the principle of least privilege.

Ubuntu comes installed with a wide range of software that includes OpenOffice, Firefox, Additional software that is not installed by default can be downloaded and installed using the Ubuntu Software Center or the package manager Synaptic, which come pre-installed. Ubuntu allows networking ports to be closed using its firewall, with customized port selection available. End-users can install Gufw (GUI for Uncomplicated Firewall) and keep it enabled. GNOME (the current default desktop) offers support for more than 46 languages. Ubuntu can also run many programs designed for Microsoft Windows (such as Microsoft Office), through Wine or using a Virtual Machine (such as VMware Workstation or VirtualBox). For the upcoming 11.04 release, Canonical intends to drop the GNOME Shell as the default window manager in favor of Unity, a graphical interface it first developed for the netbook edition of Ubuntu.

System requirements

The desktop version of Ubuntu currently supports the Intel x86 and AMD64 architectures. Unofficial support is available for the PowerPC,[29] IA-64 (Itanium) and PlayStation 3 architectures (note however that Sony officially removed support for OtherOS on the PS3 with firmware 3.21, released on April 1, 2010).A supported GPU is required to enable desktop visual effects.


I have used the Ubuntu for a long time. but the truth is XP runs great on the ancient hardware. I have the KK ver of Ubuntu and the speed of the processing Sucks!! I tried everything from turning off the compiz(graphics) to removing the processes but still the speed sucks. atleast with Gnome it suucks for the ancient computers.

But installing the softwares is greatly assisted and as softwares which are similiar to that of windows. we can install opera and skype gtalk etc easily.Also there is a huge repository (collection) of software.

If you are addicted to some prg in windows then move forward for the installation of wine i.e windows emulators. installs the mobile phone pc suite easily.

My verdict for a fullfledged os you move forward for the Ubuntu provided you have a new pc or good hardware.

Else do not

Regards