Software Review: Ubuntu (Linux)

Created by Mark Shuttleworth back in October 2004, Ubuntu is blazing towards the future and getting better with every version. The name means Humanity towards others, and the system itself focuses strongly on being user friendly and fast. Requiring the use of less resources than the average operating system, Ubuntu is perfect for those tired of Microsoft's Windows.

Many people seem to believe that Linux and all of its different distributions are complicated. As it turns out there are a hand full of Linux based operating systems that are easy to use, and Ubuntu is one of them. However, does Ubuntu stand on its own against other operating systems such as Microsoft's Windows or Mac OS?

Price

Ubuntu was created under a GNU GPL license and is open source, which means that Ubuntu is free to anyone is programmable with the right knowledge. This is great for those who are programmers or want to study and learn Linux to manage a server or perhaps create a program for Ubuntu itself.

Looks

By default Ubuntu utilizes GNOME, however it can be switched over to KDE which are both amazing graphical interfaces. Much like Windows and other operating systems, the desktop can be customized in many ways including the changing of panels and the adding of widgets.

There are a wide variety of programs that a person can download to customize the desktop even farther, and even more widgets. For the gamer or PC builder there are even widgets to tell the PC's CPU temperature. So whether you're looking to embed a calender on the desktop or change the wallpaper, Ubuntu is great for customizing.

Speed

When Ubuntu was on the drawing board Mark Shuttleworth seemed to have two things in mind, speed and user friendliness. Ubuntu can boot up in under 4 seconds with the right tweaks, and takes up way less resources then Windows or Mac OS. This allows for Ubuntu to run programs that Microsoft Windows may have trouble with at better speeds.

On top of that, the Ubuntu operating system can be installed in under 30 minutes and has a few surprises for those installing the first time. Instead of using different drivers for everything and asking to install them, Ubuntu uses drivers already built in its system. This allows for users to simply plug new devices in and use them with ease.

User-Friendly

Compared to other versions of Linux, Ubuntu is about as user-friendly as it gets. If you plug in a USB device it will work, if you need help there's always the forums. There isn't much to go wrong because Ubuntu is also extremely stable, for instance if a program freezes then all others on the screen still work.

At the bottom left portion of the screen under default settings there's even a button to minimize all current windows to show the desktop. In the top right corner users will find a clock, log out buttons, and notifications for USB and LAN devices. Finally, in the top left corner is all of the programs a user will ever need and the free download center.

Finding Help

There are many on-line help guides regarding Ubuntu, and of course there's the official forums for the operating system. If that still isn't enough there are clubs for Ubuntu in almost every state and country. These groups typically meet up to celebrate the release of the next issue of Ubuntu is released, which is every 6 months.

At the end of the day Ubuntu is one of the best operating systems out there, its just too bad people don't give it a chance. The only major downside to Ubuntu is the fact that major games aren't supported yet, as gaming developers haven't taken the time to port games over to Linux but hopefully one day that may change.

Score- 5 Out of 5.