UBUNTUOPERATING SYSTEM

What Is Ubuntu?

•  is a Debian-based Linux operating system, with Unity as its default desktop environment.

•  It is based on free software and named after the Southern African philosophy of ubuntu (literally, "human-ness"), which often is translated as "humanity towards others" or "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity"

What Is Ubuntu?

• Ubuntu is based on the concept of free or open-source software, meaning that you do not pay any licensing fees for Ubuntu, and you can download, use, and share the operating system free of charge.

Features

• A default installation of Ubuntu contains a wide range of software that includes LibreOffice, Firefox, ThunderBird,Transmission, and several lightweight games such as Sudoku and chess

Features

• Ubuntu also includes many of the programs used for everyday computing at no cost.

• Office Suite: OpenOffice.org, a full office suite with a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software that can read and write in .doc, .xls, and .ppt formats and can also output to PDF, and supports the ISO standard for electronic office documents, Open Document Format.

• Desktop Email Client: Evolution, an email program with a similar interface to Microsoft Outlook.

Features

•Web Browser: Firefox, the increasingly popular Web browser.

•Databases: The two best-known open-source databases on Linux are PostgreSQL and MySQL, but commercial databases such as Oracle and IBM's DB2 are also available. There are also tools likeGlom that provide an easy-to-use graphical interface for designing and editing databases.

•Others: Ubuntu's online Applications Guide lists some Ubuntu-compatible applications that allow you to edit images, listen to and manage music, edit and watch videos, read PDFs, connect to instant messaging services from MSN, AOL, Google, Yahoo, and more.

Features

• Updates and bug fixes: Security updates and bug fixes for applications and the operating system are managed by Ubuntu, and users are notified about these updates through an icon in the taskbar, which they can click on to install. (Note that you must be connected to the Internet to receive these notices.)

Features

• Ubuntu makes a new version available every six months, which users can update over the Internet without reinstalling the operating system, programs, or settings.

Security

• Ubuntu's goal is to be secure "out-of-the box". By default user's programs run with low privileges and cannot corrupt the operating system or other user's files. 

Security• The Linux security module is closely tied to UNIX

security mechanisms. Security concerns can be classified into two groups:

• Authentication (Ensuring that only authorized individuals have access to files that they are authorized.)

• Access control (mechanism for validating whether a user has the right to access a particular object and preventing unauthorized access as necessary).

Potential Drawbacks

• Installation

- The biggest disadvantage is that whereas Windows and OS X usually come pre-installed on your PC or Mac, a lack of widespread retailers offering pre-installed Ubuntu often means that you must install the system yourself. 

Potential Drawbacks

• Hardware Compatibility

- A small number of wireless networking cards and display drivers may have issues or reduced functionality because some hardware manufacturers do not release the drivers that are Linux-compatible. 

Potential Drawbacks

• Software Availability

A final area that is a potential problem for people switching to Ubuntu from Windows or Mac OS X is the availability of compatible applications.

System Requirements• Ubuntu is a good operating system for many old

computers, but not for all of them. Some computers have too little horsepower or memory. A rule of thumb is that the computer should not be more than 10 years old.

• Memory (RAM): For advanced internet services like Google+, Youtube, Google Docs and Facebook, your computer needs at least 1 GB RAM. For local programs like Libre Office and simple browsing habits, your computer needs at least 512 MB RAM.

System Requirements• Processor (CPU): The minimum specification for CPU is

Pentium 4 or Pentium M or AMD K8. Older processors are too slow and AMD K7 has problems with flash video.

• Graphics chip / card: Nvidia, AMD/ATI/Radeon and Intel work out of the box, or the system can be tweaked to work fairly easily.