Review of Ubuntu Operating System

Ubuntu is a Free / Open-Source, alternative operating system, that you can install on your PC or Mac. Whenever you start your PC or Mac, you can choose to boot into Ubuntu instead of Vista, Windows XP or Leopard, and use it instead.

Ubuntu comes pre-installed on some PCs, like the Inspiron Mini 9 and other select systems from Dell. But if you want to put it on your PC or Mac, you need to install it yourself. And while it's a lot easier than installing Windows from scratch is, it's usually a bit more complex than just putting in a manufacturer-provided recovery disc and hitting "enter." You may need to ask other people for help, and find out how they got something working. And even once it's installed, you may find that the included software is not to your liking, and that you need to go hunting for more online.

When Ubuntu amounts to a build-your-own-PC experiment, why would anyone want to try it? The answer: Because in the process of trying Ubuntu, you can make new friends and learn valuable things. Here are a few examples!

You'll find awesome free software

You install software differently in Ubuntu than you do on a Windows PC or a Mac. Here's how it works: Just click on Add/Remove Software, then go down through the lists and check all the boxes for programs you want. Ubuntu will automatically download and install them for you, and will even keep them updated automatically. So while you may not like (for example) the music player that comes with Ubuntu, there are a bunch more out there you can try ... for free!

It's like the iTunes App Store, but it doesn't cost any money. And if you decide you don't like something, just uncheck the box and tell it to uninstall. Ubuntu will take care of that for you automatically. Thousands of free programs are available, from amazing 3d games and first-person shooters to Microsoft Office-compatible office suites, and professional-grade image editors. You'll also find plenty of options for "skinning" and recustomizing the look of your Ubuntu desktop, including the kinds of amazing shinies that make Vista pale in comparison.

What's more, many of the programs you'll find by using Ubuntu are available for Windows and Mac as well ... it's just harder to find them there. But after using, say, the Pidgin IMing client, you may find that iChat or Windows Live Messenger doesn't cut it anymore. I ended up going back to Windows, after my first time using Ubuntu, but even once I went back there I took a few of my favorites with me. What will you find?

You'll gain a valuable change in perspective

If you're anything like I used to be, you probably see computers as these magic boxes, that play games or browse the web for you when you do the right incantations. You don't really know how or why they do things, and if I tried to explain it might make your head hurt. It doesn't help that most people use Microsoft Windows, and Windows is very complex! It was made by techies for other techies, and if something goes wrong, often only a techie can fix the problem.

I'm not saying that Ubuntu's so simple that anyone could fix problems with it, or that no one will ever have problems with Ubuntu. But it is simple to use, once you get it set up, and it's a lot harder to break than Windows is. Like Mac OS X Leopard, it's not vulnerable to spyware or malware. It doesn't have a "system registry" that gets cluttered with garbage over time, and it doesn't need "disk defragmenting." The amount of maintenance you have to perform on Ubuntu is almost nil, since it automatically updates for you. And sometimes, the ease with which you can accomplish your tasks will surprise and delight you.

A lot of people think that certain things (like anti-virus software and spyware infections) are inherent to computers in general, when they're really problems with Microsoft Windows. By trying out something that's not Windows, whether it be Leopard (which only runs on a Mac) or Ubuntu (which is free and runs on anything), you start to see that some things don't have to be the way that they are. And even if you decide to go back to Windows, your new perspective will help you see things more clearly and understand what's going on better.

I barely knew how to run and maintain Windows until I tried out Fedora, an operating system that's very similar to Ubuntu. But when I went back to Windows XP, I knew more about what to look for and what I should do than I ever did.

You might make new friends

Ubuntu wasn't written by a large company like Apple or Microsoft. Some big companies helped with it, but Ubuntu itself was made by people like you -- writers, graphic designers and software developers, working together all over the world to make the best computing experience possible. The word "Ubuntu" means "humanity to others," and the Ubuntu community is one of the friendliest that I know of.

Millions of hours of labor are put in by technically-inclined people and non-techies, corporate employees and unpaid volunteers alike, because they use Ubuntu and they want it to get even better. And anyone can help with Ubuntu, because unlike other computer programs (where you have to sign a legal agreement just to be able to use them), anyone can take it apart and see what makes it work. And if they have an idea for how they can help make it better, they can become a part of the process and make their idea reality.

In the process of using Ubuntu, and the applications I downloaded for it, I've been introduced to people from a South African entrepreneur to a bearded computer-hippy; from a Japanese game developer to a Polish indie band. I've read Full Circle Magazine, the community publication that's made by volunteers, and I've given and received help on the legendarily friendly Ubuntu forums. But the things that I've gotten for free from the Ubuntu community, and the Free / Open-Source Software and Free Culture movements in general, are so much more than what I've put in.

The Upshot

A certain software company is getting rid of its most popular product, because they don't want anyone to use it anymore. In Ubuntu, I found a button in one of the apps that I liked that let me comment on it to the people who made it. And if I wanted, I could become one of those people myself.

Enough said!