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Ubuntu is a desktop Linux distribution, based on Debian GNU/Linux. Ubuntu is sponsored by Canonical Ltd (owned by Mark Shuttleworth), and the name of the distribution comes from the South African concept of Ubuntu — roughly, "humanity towards others". It differs from Debian in that there is a release every 6 months and support is provided for at least 18 months after release. (Some releases will receive additional testing and be supported for 3 years on the desktop and 5 years on the server.) Ubuntu aims to use only Free Software to provide an up-to-date yet reasonably stable operating system for the average user.

Distinctive features

• Ubuntu developers are based heavily around both the Debian and GNOME communities. Ubuntu releases are synchronized with GNOME releases. There are ongoing discussions, however, into improving the position of KDE within the project. These discussions have resulted in the creation of the Kubuntu project. (Ubuntu currently supports KDE, which can be installed from the main repository, but it is not the default environment.)
• Ubuntu also has a heavy focus on usability, including the widespread use of the sudo tool for administrative tasks (similar to Mac OS X) and attempting to offer a full feature set that works straight from the standard install.
• Another aim of the project is to emphasise accessibility and internationalization, so that the software is available to as many people as possible. As of 5.04, UTF8 is the default character encoding.
• Ubuntu has very strong links with the Debian community, contributing any changes directly and immediately, rather than announcing them only at release time. Both distros use Debian's deb package format (although Debain and Ubuntu packages are not binary compatible which each other ). Many Ubuntu developers are also maintainers of key packages within Debian itself.
• All releases of Ubuntu will be provided at no cost. Ubuntu CDs are mailed free to anyone who requests them; or CD images are available for download. Unlike some major Linux vendors, Ubuntu does not charge upgrade subscription fees for so called "enterprise editions."
• The procedure for upgrading to a new version of Ubuntu is similar to a regular upgrade, after the repository list has been set to point to new reporsitories.
• The default appearance of the user interface is characterized by warm, brownish colors.
• Recently a new project with the name edubuntu started. This operating system is suitable for classroom use.
• Ubuntu had a particular package called ubuntu-calendar which downloaded a new wallpaper every month, but some of these wallpapers featured nude people and were criticized as overly risque. This led to Ubuntu receiving nicknames such as Linuxxx and "The Porn Distro". It was not installed by default, and has been discontinued as of April 2005.

The Ubuntu Foundation

On July 8, 2005, Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical Ltd announced the creation of the Ubuntu Foundation and provided an initial funding of $10 million. The purpose of the foundation is to ensure support and development for all future versions of Ubuntu that follow the Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger release.

Components

Ubuntu divides all software into four sections, called "components", to reflect differences in licensing and level of support available. By default, a selection of packages from main will be installed that cover the basic needs of most computer users, along with any packages from restricted absolutely required for the system to be usable.

The main component contains only those packages that meet the Ubuntu license requirements, and for which support is available from the Ubuntu team. This is intended to include everything needed for most general-use Linux systems. Packages in this component are guaranteed technical support and timely security fixes.

The restricted component contains software that is supported by the Ubuntu developers because of its importance, but is not available under a suitably free license to include in main. This includes packages such as binary-only graphics card drivers. The level of support is more limited than for main, since the developers may not have access to the source code.

The universe component contains a wide range of software, which may or may not have an unrestricted license, but which is unsupported by the Ubuntu team. This allows users to install all sorts of programs within the Ubuntu package management system, but keeps it separate from the supported packages in main and restricted.

Finally, there is the multiverse component, which contains unsupported packages that do not conform to the Free Software requirements.

Beyond the official repositories is Ubuntu Backports, which is an officially recognized project to backport newer versions of certain software that are available only in unstable versions of Ubuntu. The repository is not comprehensive; it mostly consists of user-requested packages.

Ubuntu Linux packages are generally based on packages from Debian's unstable branch.

Releases

A new version of Ubuntu is released every six months, and each release has both a code name and a version number. The version number is based on the year and month of release. For example, Ubuntu 4.10 was released in October of 2004. Below is a list of previous and planned releases.

The Ubuntu Foundation has announced that Ubuntu version 6.04 will be supported for three years on the desktop and five years on the server, instead of the usual 18 months. In the future, there will be a branch codenamed Grumpy Groundhog. It will be a permanently unstable development and testing branch, pulling the source directly out of the revision control of the various programs and applications that are shipped as part of Ubuntu.

Reviews

Although relatively new, Ubuntu has become a topic of much discussion in the Free/Open Source community. Greg Taylor on ReviewLinux.com gave it a rating of 10/10, writing:

Despite a few rough edges, I think Ubuntu is probably the closest of any Desktop-oriented distro to achieving the long sought after level of usability that will bring Linux to the mainstream. Things work well with little hassle, if they don't you can find a lot of help within the community, and the Ubuntu desktop is attractive and fast.

Tom Adelstein in Linux Journal concluded:

I anticipate that Ubuntu will become the mainstream Linux distribution globally. As the saying goes, though, only time will tell. However, if you do your due diligence on the company, the sponsor, the spirit of innovation and success of the Ubuntu people, you probably will come to the same conclusion. All the elements have gone into play for rapid success. As they say in my part of the country, this dog can hunt. In addition, it can point and win a show or two if need be.

As of October 2005, Distrowatch ranks Ubuntu as the most popular Linux distribution.

See also

• Comparison of Linux distributions

External links

Official resources

• Shipit (Ubuntu CDs shipped free of charge)
• Ubuntu Wiki
• Ubuntu Forums
• Template:OSDir
• Ubuntu Linux at DistroWatch

Unofficial resources

• Ubuntu Starter Guides: English, German, Spanish, Danish
• Ubuntu Linux support community
• Interview of Mark Shuttleworth about Ubuntu
• Short Review and Overview of Ubuntu

• Debian-based distributions
• Linux distributions