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Ubuntu ("oo-BOON-too")1 is a Linux Distribution , based on Debian GNU/Linux . It is sponsored by Canonical Ltd (owned by Mark Shuttleworth ), and the name of the distribution comes from the South African concept of '' Ubuntu '' — roughly, "humanity towards others". It differs from Debian in that there is a release every 6 months and support is provided for at least 18 months after release2. The Ubuntu Foundation has announced that Ubuntu version 6.06, codenamed "Dapper Drake", will be supported for 3 years on the desktop and 5 years on the server, instead of the usual 18 months 3. Ubuntu aims to use only Free Software to provide an up-to-date yet reasonably stable operating system for the average user. Many reviewers of Ubuntu point out a main part of Ubuntu's success is the fact it has a very large community, 45, including Ubuntu Forums 6. Kubuntu and Xubuntu are official subprojects of the Ubuntu project to bring the KDE and XFCE Desktop environments to the Ubuntu core. Edubuntu is an official subproject "designed for school environments, and should be equally suitable for kids to use at home." FEATURES Ubuntu releases always include the most recent GNOME release, and are scheduled to be released approximately one month after GNOME. Ubuntu focuses on usability 7, including the widespread use of the Sudo tool for administrative tasks 8Similar to Mac OS X ., and emphasises Accessibility and Internationalization , to reach as many people as possible. As of 5.04, UTF-8 is the default Character Encoding . It is stated on the Ubuntu home page that support should be provided to users in their local languages. Ubuntu has strong links with the Debian community 9, contributing any changes directly and immediately, rather than announcing them only at release time (although Debian and Ubuntu packages are not necessarily 'binary compatible' with each other 10). Many Ubuntu developers are also maintainers of key packages within Debian itself. However, Ian Murdock , the founder of Debian , has criticized Ubuntu for incompatibilities between its packages and Debian's, saying that Ubuntu had diverged too far from Debian Sarge to remain compatible 11. Both distributions use Debian's Deb Package format and APT / Synaptic to manage installed packages. Ubuntu offers a full feature set that works straight from the standard install, but nonetheless fits on a single CD. A Live CD and a traditional install CD are available for each release. The Live CD is used by many to test hardware compatibility before installation with the install disk. All releases of Ubuntu will be provided at no cost 12. Ubuntu CDs are mailed free to anyone who requests them 13, and CD images are available for download. The procedure for upgrading to a new version of Ubuntu is similar to a regular upgrade, after the repository list has been set to point to new repositories. The current version's default appearance of the user interface is characterized by warm, brownish colors 14, although 6.06 (Dapper Drake) will move away from this, with an orange theme instead. Until April 2005, Ubuntu had an optional package called ubuntu-calendar which downloaded a new desktop wallpaper every month, matching the brown colour theme. These wallpapers featured partially nude people and were criticized as overly risqué. This led to Ubuntu receiving nicknames such as "Linuxxx" 15 and "The Porn Distro" 16. COMPONENTS Ubuntu divides all software into four sections, called ''components'',17 to reflect differences in licensing and level of support available. By default, a selection of packages from ''main'' will be installed that cover the basic needs of most computer users, along with any packages from ''restricted'' absolutely required for the system to be usable. The ''main'' component contains only those packages that meet the Ubuntu license requirements, and for which support is available from the Ubuntu team. This is intended to include everything needed for most general-use Linux systems. Packages in this component are guaranteed technical support and timely security fixes. The ''restricted'' component contains software that is supported by the Ubuntu developers because of its importance, but is not available under a suitably free license to include in ''main''. This includes packages such as binary-only Graphics Card Drivers . The level of support is more limited than for ''main'', since the developers may not have access to the Source Code . The ''universe'' component contains a wide range of software, which may or may not have an unrestricted license, but which is unsupported by the Ubuntu team. This allows users to install all sorts of programs within the Ubuntu package management system, but keeps it separate from the supported packages in ''main'' and ''restricted''. Finally, there is the ''multiverse'' component, which contains unsupported packages that do not conform to the Free Software requirements. Ubuntu packages are generally based on packages from Debian 's Unstable Branch . Beyond the official repositories is Ubuntu Backports,18 which is an officially recognized project to Backport newer versions of certain software that are available only in unstable versions of Ubuntu. The repository is not comprehensive; it mostly consists of user-requested packages, which are approved if they meet quality guidelines. AVAILABILITY OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE Ubuntu has a certification system 19 for third party software. Ubuntu certified proprietary software should work well in Ubuntu. However, many programs familiar to users of non-free operating systems like Microsoft Windows are incompatible and not Ubuntu certified. Some proprietary software that does not limit distribution is included in Ubuntu's ''multiverse'' component. Some examples of software not distributed by Ubuntu includes:
Some specific proprietary software products are not available in any form for Ubuntu. This includes many popular computer games, although in recent years some game manufacturers have begun making their software available for Linux. For example, Epic Games sells a version of its Unreal Tournament 2004 which can be installed on Ubuntu and other distributions of Linux. This problem is also addressed by Emulation and API-translation projects like Wine and Cedega , which make it possible to run non-Linux-based software on Linux systems, either by emulating a proprietary operating system or by translating proprietary API calls (e.g., calls to Microsoft's Win32 or DirectX APIs) into native Linux API calls. RELEASES A new version of Ubuntu is released every six months, and each release has both a code name and a version number. The version number is based on the year and month of release. For example, the very first release of Ubuntu, 4.10, was released in October of 2004 20. Below is a list of previous and planned releases. Ubuntu 6.06 will be a Long Term Support (LTS) release . Developmental/Unstable Branch In the future, there will be a branch codenamed Grumpy Groundhog. It will be a permanently unstable development and testing branch, pulling the source directly out of the Revision Control of the various programs and applications that are shipped as part of Ubuntu. THE UBUNTU FOUNDATION On July 8 , 2005 , Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical Ltd announced the creation of the Ubuntu Foundation and provided an initial funding of $10 million. The purpose of the foundation is to ensure support and development for all future versions of Ubuntu that follow the Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger release. DERIVATIVE PROJECTS Several derivative distributions are officially recognized:
Of the above, only Xubuntu is not yet available as a full install CD, although it can be installed over the web once a base install has been completed from a Ubuntu or other derivative install CD. In addition, Mark Shuttleworth has endorsed the creation of a Ubuntu-libre distribution using only FSF -approved Free Software . 2122 These projects are closely linked to Ubuntu. As of 2006, their releases are simultaneous with Ubuntu's, and packages are drawn from the same official repositories Ubuntu uses. There are also several unofficial derivatives:
REVIEWS Although relatively new, Ubuntu has become a topic of much discussion in the Free/Open Source community. Greg Taylor at ReviewLinux.com gave it a rating of 10/10, writing: "Despite a few rough edges, I think Ubuntu is probably the closest of any Desktop-oriented distro to achieving the long sought after level of usability that will bring Linux to the mainstream. Things work well with little hassle, if they don't you can find a lot of help within the community, and the Ubuntu desktop is attractive and fast." Tom Adelstein in Linux Journal concluded: "I anticipate that Ubuntu will become the mainstream Linux distribution globally. As the saying goes, though, only time will tell. However, if you do your due diligence on the company, the sponsor, the spirit of innovation and success of the Ubuntu people, you probably will come to the same conclusion. All the elements have gone into play for rapid success. As they say in my part of the country, this dog can hunt. In addition, it can point and win a show or two if need be." Ubuntu has been marked as the most popular Linux distribution at Distrowatch for more than one year 25. Ubuntu was awarded the Reader Award for best Linux distribution at the 2005 LinuxWorld Conference & Expo in London . SEE ALSO REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS ;Official online resources ;Unofficial online resources
;User Communities FURTHER READING ;Currently in print 26 ;Scheduled for release in late 2006
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