Ubuntu... Truly Humanity To Others
Written: Dec 30 '05 (Updated Dec 31 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Free, stable, secure, useable, easy to use.
Cons: Intimidating installer
The Bottom Line: An OS with great potential - Ubuntu could be the "next big thing"; installer needs some work and could use a little UI polishing, but still excellent.
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| americanbear's Full Review: Canonical Ubuntu Linux |
A Basic Linux Intro
Read this paragraph only if you're new to Linux. Short for Linus' Unix, Linus (lynn-iss) Torvards created Linux, a free open-source POSIX(UNIX)-like OS. Linux is pronounced lynn-ix. Not lynn-uks or line-uks. It's based on the Swedish pronunciation of Linus, not the American pronunciation. Linux is a great, incredibly stable, free operating system anybody can develop. Linus only wrote about 2% of the current Linux code, the rest is community developed. One major contributor, IBM, has been sued for illegally putting code that belongs to SCO into Linux. Two problems - SCO hasn't shown that the code exists in Linux; and SCO hasn't proven they even OWN the UNIX code they're arguing about (Novell also claims it). Remember Unisys and the GIF wars? This is similar, except there was no argument that Unisys owned intellectual property that was in GIF. SCO has proven neither fact to the general public, and it's doubtful there's much more in their current court filings. Ironically, prior to this whole nonsense, SCO sold their own distro of Linux - Caldera Linux - and it was quite successful. In order to sue, they had to kill it, and they're now a definitely dying corporation.
An Introduction to Mark Shuttleworth
Mark Shuttleworth is a South African entrepreneur who is perhaps best known for being the first civilian in space (he bought a ticket with the Russians a few years ago) and arguably, the first African in space (there was one before him, but he wasn't technically an African citizen...). He also invests heavily in education and in the development of developing nations. He's a nice rich guy... how odd, but proof it can be real!
Linux and Mark Shuttleworth - A Perfect Match (aka An Introduction to Ubuntu
The desktop computing world revolves around two computer operating systems - Microsoft's Windows platform and Apple's Mac OS X platform. Apple's platform, while regarded by many (including myself) as superior is strictly limited to bundle sales with Apple hardware (Apple's shooting themselves keeping to that...) so really, Windows is the ONLY choice for an easy to use, powerful, flexible OS to run on generic x86 hardware. It's also expensive and tied up in copyrights.
Recognizing the needs of the world, for a computer operating system free of royalties yet still powerful and easy to use, Mr. Shuttleworth set out to make this his personal mission. While Microsoft has started producing a cheap version of Windows for developing nations, it's very very limited - 3 open programs at once, etc. It just doesn't meet needs. Mark Shuttleworth set out to correct that. According to them, Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning "humanity to others" and the fine folks including Mark at Ubuntu try to show this off! Ubuntu is a real, usable, Linux distro. It's entirely free. All included packages are open source, and they'll even mail you CDs completely free of charge (takes a few weeks though - they're mailed from the Netherlands).
Other "distributions" of Linux such as Red Hat, Mandriva, and SuSE were designed to *create a profit.* The open source community places strong pressure on Linux vendors to make a free version available, and the few vendors who do not (such as Lindows) receive intense criticism. But those free versions are designed to make the developer community happy. The "distro" is all about selling commercial, boxed, supported packages to corporations who use it primarily on servers.
You can see how Ubuntu is the exact opposite of this. Ubuntu is a totally free OS, free of copyright entanglements and free of proprietary software. It's mission is to create humanity to others as demonstrated further below.
Sounds great, but can it REALLY compete with Windows and OS X?
Absolutely. This is the first Linux I can say that about. Based around the Debian core, it's powerful and easy to use. Using the GNOME interface by default, the GUI is just pretty. Not OS X pretty, but better-than-Windows pretty. Two other releases of Ubuntu are available: Kubuntu for power users who prefer the more complex and less friendly user interface of KDE, and Edubuntu for educators and schools. I am reviewing only the primary Ubuntu release, but this is of note to view the wide range Ubuntu is trying to appeal to.
Not only is Ubuntu pretty, it's also capable without being huge. It fits on a CD - something Windows does, but few others (OS X or other Linux distros) do. The system requirements are low, and it runs like a dream with 128MB of RAM compared to other systems. It comes with the software you need, more or less. The excellent OpenOffice office suite and Firefox web browser are in the default install, as long as some other packages.
It does not include proprietary components, such as Macromedia Flash or 3D video card drivers, but these are easily added through the apt package management system which is extremely easy to use once you figure out how to add the "Universe" repository (it's already listed, you simply must enable it which is quite easy and well documented)
It's also very very stable. I have the system setup with some additional software as a Wi-Fi hotspot server at my church, and it has proven itself to work quite well.
Installation
The only area where Ubuntu really needs major help is in it's installer - it's an ugly text installer that is sure to scare off beginning users. Of course, with pre-installed Ubuntu systems this wouldn't be an issue. I do think it's the OS's biggest weakness though.
When you first start your computer off the CD you get an unfriendly blue text screen, much like with XP. Honestly, they're similar. But the XP installer quickly turns graphical after the hard (drive partitioning) part is over. Ubuntu's does not. Also, most users receive XP pre-installed. The Ubuntu install is completely self-explanitory, but confusing nevertheless for a newbie.
Ease of Use
So - it's pretty, capable, and stable... but most of all, is it easy? Somewhat. It's not OS X or Windows easy, but it's not typical Linux difficult. I believe the average user should have little more problem going from Windows to Ubuntu than from Windows to OS X. And OS X users at all familiar with Terminal and the Darwin kernel should have even fewer problems as both are (more or less) POSIX compliant. The user interface (UI) could be polished a little more in some areas, but more-or-less it's very good.
If you're not a terminal user, most common tasks in Ubuntu can be accomplished graphically (much like in Mac OS X) and you should (like in OS X) never need to dig into the command line unix-style underpinnings. More than I am able to say for most other Linux distros.
Another ease of use and security feature I love is one that you also see in Mac OS X but in few other OSes including other Linux distros. The entire OS is designed around NOT logging in with admin privileges. Instead your main account is given the ability to use SUDO with a password and SUDO gives you admin privileges. The advantage? You must enter your password before doing anything that could harm your system. Who knows how many viruses Microsoft could eliminate if only Windows did this (I've heard Vista will though)
Potential Applications
Well, Ubuntu is great on the desktop - but if you have Windows and aren't a geek just looking some fun, I wouldn't switch. With the lack of proprietary software setup by default, the simple fact that most desktop apps are written for OS X and Windows, and the "why bother?" factor, Ubuntu isn't a great Windows REPLACEMENT for current Windows users. But it's a great alternative for a second computer or your first computer, as I'll note below at a huge cost savings.
On the server end, Linux's traditional strong point, the ease and stability of Ubuntu give Windows Server 2003 a serious run for their money at a FAR better price! And of course, Linux is the choice of many of America's largest businesses. Ubuntu is perfect for someone in a school (again, education being one of Mark Shuttleworth's key areas) or a nonprofit such as a church or charitable organization who has little system administration experience, but doesn't have the budget for Windows Server 2003 (which is amazingly expensive).
However, besides being great for geeks new to Linux and less-experienced network admins for schools and non-profits; Ubuntu's greatest potential is to make computers for every family a truly possible goal. A substantial percentage of each new computer sale is to cover the costs of Windows, and in the case of some of the cheapest computers, a Windows license is by far the most expensive component. Ubuntu has the potential to mean affordable computers for the lower-income working classes at long last! And very good, useful, workable ones as well! This is why Ubuntu was created - a strong, quality OS to free developing nations, educational organizations, and others from the pay-to-play nature of commercial OS software, including commercialized Linux distros. And it's a mighty good one at that!
Conclusion
Ubuntu is an OS with incredible potential. Supported by a rich guy who surprisingly appears to have a heart of gold :) , Ubuntu is the first real alternative I've seen for the average user to Windows or OS X. Ubuntu is still one or two releases away, by my guessing, from being ready for mass consumption, but it's amazingly good nonetheless. If it interests you, I would highly recommend trying it out.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
americanbear
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Member: Mark Uhde
Location: Montana, USA
Reviews written: 67
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