Ubuntu

Screenshot of Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) after ...
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Ubuntu (current edition Lucid Lynx 10.11 and 11.04 Maverick Meerkat coming soon) is amongst the superstars of the Linux world.

Ubuntu is an an easy-to-use Linux desktop with new releases scheduled on a predictable six-month basis and is generally regarded as both one of the better known Linux Operating Systems and one of the best.

Release cycle.

Versions are marked by their year and month of release usually in April and October, thus currently Ubuntu 10.10 is the most recent version with 11.04 due for release in April and 11.10 in October 2011.April editions are usually LTS (long term support) and will be maintained for several years. However upgrading is simple and cheap.

Non free stuff.

The system is open source although Ubuntu does provide the option to download proprietary drivers for graphics cards and other hardware which otherwise would limit the system's functionality. Most users regard DVD playback, MP3 capability and similar formats as a must for their system.

What's on the CD?

Installing Ubuntu for the first time could be something of a pleasant surprise for the new user. Open source offers a vast array of applications and the OS comes pre-installed with a wide range of software that includes:

  • OpenOffice, a open source productivity suite similar to MS Office
  • Firefox, an Internet browser and widely known as used amongst Windows users as well.
  • Empathy (Pidgin in versions before 9.10), MSN and Yahoo chat client, supports Gtalk as well.
  • Transmission, a bittorent management application
  • GIMP (in versions prior to 10.04) a partial replacement for Photoshop and downloadable via Linux's software channels after 10.04 (see below)
  • several lightweight games (such as Sudoku and Chess).

To that collection I would always add:

  • VLC - media player capable of handling a vast array of different formats.
  • Thunderbird - email client similar to Outlook (You'll need the Lightening addon)
  • Rhythmbox or Songbird - media players with jukebox like functions.

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.

Its rare for the user to have to  scour the internet for the software they need with perhaps Skype and Chrome being two notable exceptions although even here user will find a Gdebi file ready to download and install much like a Windows .exe file.

Emulation

Ubuntu can also run many programs designed for Microsoft Windows (such as Microsoft Office), through Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator!) or easier still by using a Virtual Machine (such as VMware Workstation or my personal favourite the versitile and easy to use VirtualBox).

K Desktop Environment (KDE)

In addition to the normal Gnome desktop environment that ships with Ubuntu its also possible to install the KDE environment, this ships as standard with Kubuntu  which is essentially Ubuntu and KDE or you can simply download KDE from Synaptic.Its possible to have both KDE and Gnome on your system and simply tell the computer which version you wish to boot into as start up.

Live CD and Permanent Install.

Installation is generally performed with the 'Live CD.'  But Ubuntu can be run directly from the CD allowing a user to "test-drive" the OS for hardware compatibility and driver support. This will usually be a lot slower than an install to HDD but will show whether the rig's various hardware elements will support the OS - the answer is usually yes, by the way!

The CD also contains the Ubiquity installer which can guide the user through a permanent installation process.

Download

You can download the latest version from Ubuntu's own website in the form of an .img file. That file will need to be burnt as an image, not a series of files. So make sure your burner can handle that.

Once burnt makes sure your PC is set to load from the CD drive, settings usually found in the BIOS and you are in business.

Installing from the CD requires a minimum of 256 MiB of RAM and will usually proceed flawlessly but sometimes there are hardware clashes. Use the Live CD temp install to play around and if you like what you see install to hard drive. If you have another OS on the system Ubiquity is clever enough to spot that and give you a dual boot option. All you need do is choose how much of the hard drive to give to each OS.

For the April 2011 (11.04) release, Canonical plans to drop the Gnome as the default desktop environment in favor of Unity, a graphical interface it first developed for the netbook edition of Ubuntu. This has not gone down well with the user community and may well prove to be the first wrong move made by Mark Shuttleworth and his team in some time.However anyone contemplating using Linux will be able to return the old look simply enough.

Have a go!

So get hold of a CD and try it out. The DIY version will cost you no more than a CD and some time to get the download done.

If you broadband is not fast enough or you are not sure how to burn .img file or you simply want someone else to do it, email me and I will send you the latest version (10.11 but changing soon) on a plain CD so no issues with labels shedding fibres in the CD compartment. CD sent out as soon as funds clear.

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