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Ubuntu kicks ass.
All I have to say is Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon is kicking ass, taking names, and chewing bubble gum all at once! I've got to say that this operaing system gets better and better with each new version and continues to be a shining example of the best that the Free/Open Source Soft community has to offer. Being the outspoken free software advocate that I am, I've taken the time to create this blog post to talk about Ubuntu Linux. I've also included several videos that help to give you a better understanding of what exactly Ubuntu is all about.

Ubu-Wha?
Now some of you may be reading this and wondering what exactly is Ubuntu, and why is it so cool? Well Ubuntu is a FREE operating system for your PC. Ubuntu is cool because it is more stable, less prone to viruses and spyware, and much more customizable than other operating systems.



What does Ubuntu mean?
This is an interview with Nelson Mandela on what the word African word "Ubuntu" means. The meaning of the word "Ubuntu" as it is used in African has the same meaning as the spirit in which the Ubuntu is developed..




Ubuntu is Freedomness
Ubuntu is free in two ways. First, there is no cost associated with getting Ubuntu. It's free like free beer. The second way that Ubuntu is free is intelectually, like freedom of speech, or freedom of the press. With other computer operating systems ( Windows, Mac OS X, etc) the code that nerds had to write to make everything do what it does can not be seen or changed unless you are an employee of the company. With Ubuntu the code for EVERYTHING is only a few clicks away. Now I know many of you are not programmers, so your thinking that access to the source code is not really that important. Don't be so foolish! Just because YOU can't change a piece of software to suite your needs doesn't mean that there isn't someone, somewhere, who would be more than happy to fix a bug, add a new feature, or just listen to your suggestions about how to make your program better. Think of it this way, when was the last time you called Microsoft and told them "Hey, I was using XP the other day and thought it would be really great if I could --insert proposed functionality--" and they actually implemented it? With Ubuntu if you go to the Forums or in a chat room and make a suggestion, chances are that someone will listen to you. Chances are that someone else may chime in and say that they too think it's a good idea... Chances are...it may happen, and when you go to install the next version of Ubuntu you could see your shiney new feature sitting right there. What I'm getting at here is that just because your not a programmer doesn't mean that you don't know how to make the software you use on YOUR computer work better. You should NEVER have to be in a position where you are limited at what you can do on your computer because the software on it won't let you!

( Not specifically about Ubuntu specifically, but a Q&A about Open Source, 17 minutes)

You can try Ubuntu without actually installing it!
Ubuntu comes on single CD or DVD rom that you can use to either try the system temporarily, or, install permanently to your computer. This is known as a "Live CD". What this means is that you can pop the cd or dvd into your computer, reboot, and if your computer is set to automatically attempt to boot from your CD drive then it will automatically start up. The system will be loaded into memory and boot up. Once it boots up you will be presented with a fully functional desktop. Play with it, change your background, download programs from the internet and install them, and when your done playing with Ubuntu, if you don't likc it all you have to do turn the computer off, remove the cd from your disk tray, and it's like nothing ever happened... OR if you really like it, Ubuntu can install itself ( including any changes you made to it ) to your desktop computer. Whats even more awesome is that it will play nice with Windows XP, so you can actually have BOTH operating systems installed if your not sure you can live without Windows.



Ubuntu comes with everything you would expect from a computer, and quit a few things you wouldn't expect..
Ubuntu comes with all the software you would expect to have on a new computer, and a few things you might not think you could get for free. Here is a brief list...

• Office & Productivity - Ubuntu comes with OpenOffice.ORG suite of office programs. Open Office includes a: Word Processor ( Word ), Spreadsheet Program (Excel), Database Program ( Access ), Presentation ( PowerPoint ), and a few other things such as a scientific calculator, and a vector graphics program ( think MS Paint on steroids ). Finally, Open Office can actually read and write to Microsoft Office files formats.
• Web Browser - Ubuntu comes with the Mozilla Firefox web browser as it's default web browser. Other browsers such as Opera can be installed if you want.. You can even get Internet Explorer to run on Linux if you have some patience....
• Instant Messenger - Ubuntu comes with Pidgin instant messenger for you to chat with your friends. Pidgin is a multi-protocol IM client that will connect to AIM, MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber, Napster, Google Talk, and even MySpace IM.. all in one program!
• Graphics Manipulation ( Photoshop! ) - Ok, so Ubuntu does not come with Adobe Photoshop, mainly because it's an expensive ass piece of commercial software for Windows and OS X.. but it does come with another program, The GIMP. The GIMP is just as powerful as Adobe Photoshop and can even open Photoshop Textures, plugins, and PSD files. Windows comes with MS Paint as it's default graphics program.
• And much, much, more....

Ubuntu has eye candy that puts Vista & OS X to shame!
I'm not even going to try to explain.. just watch these demonstrations:

Windows Vista vs Ubuntu w/ Desktop Effects

Ubuntu 6.10 with Desktop effects & Kiba-Dock

Ubuntu Linux Desktop "Gutsy Gibbon"

I hope that what I've shown you here really gets you excited about Ubuntu. I will follow this post with follow up posts highlighting the various aspects of Ubuntu. If I convert only one person then I will be happy. Stay tuned, this is going to be one hell of a ride!

You can find out more about Ubuntu and download it at http://www.ubuntu.com

oh, and just for good measure:

who | grep -i blonde | talk; cd ~; wine; talk; touch; unzip; touch; strip; gasp; finger; gasp; mount; fsck; more; yes; gasp; umount; make clean; sleep

There, now no one can say that you're a Linux Virgin either.. ahahahahah