Open source software, linux and Ubuntu

Firstly, sorry to the two or three(!) people who actually follow my blog, I’ve been a bit busy with university these past couple of months. Exams are coming up in two weeks and in theory I shouldn’t be sitting here wasting time writing this, but let’s be honest… who cares!

I thought it would be interesting to write an article about open source software. For those of you who know me, you have probably already heard me wank on about how great Ubuntu Linux is and how you should put it on your computer. But, if you haven’t had this talk from me, then you can read this post and be enlightened!

So, why should I choose Ubuntu Linux as an operating system?

• It’s completely free. There is no purchase fee like Windows and Mac OSX.
• 99% of the programs available for it is free, open source software.
• It is much faster, more secure and more efficient than the competitors.
• It uses Linux, which is based on Unix. Unix was first developed in the 1960s, and has always been designed with security in mind. This is why most of the worlds’ websites run Linux servers. Linux can run for years without having to reboot, it is a lot more stable and most importantly, the least prone to virus attacks.
• Ubuntu uses a package management system, which gives you two benefits. The first is that all programs are available to you in a large collection, and to install them, all you have to do is check the box and click apply. Ubuntu will automatically download and install the programs for you. Then, to uninstall, you just have to uncheck what you want to uninstall. There are literally thousands of programs to choose from. The second benefit of a package management system is that every program you have installed is regularly updated through one central update manager, so you do not have to manually check whether updates are available and then download and install individual updates from the developers’ website.
• Ubuntu uses a much more advanced file system format, meaning that the files are organized on the disk in such an efficient way that defragmenting is not required.
• Ubuntu can run most of your favourite programs available to you on either Windows or Mac OSX, including Google Earth, Firefox, OpenOffice, Picasa, Google Chrome, The GIMP, Audacity, Limewire, bittorrent and VLC Media Player. Other programs such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash and even Internet Explorer can be run under a Windows compatibility layer called “Wine.” And if there absolutely no way to run a program under Ubuntu, often there is a suitable alternative that will most likely have more features than its Windows counterpart.
• What about games you say? While many games are not supported by Ubuntu because the game developers and producers do not code games for Linux, there are a lot of supported games that can run under the Wine program. Check out the Wine Application Database to see if your favourite games are supported. Supported games include: Counter Strike (and other variants using the Steam engine), World of Warcraft, Battlefield 2, The Sims 2 and 3, Call of Duty 4, Fallout 3 and BioShock.
• There are thousands more “staff” members working on Ubuntu than Windows and Apple have combined, because anyone is able to work on the source code for any programs and the operating system. Of course, all work is checked by paid Canonical employees and goes through rigorous testing before being released to the public. This ensures a stable and up-to-date feature packed system. If you want to be on the cutting edge of software development, you can always enable testing repositories to be one of these people who test the updates.
• Ubuntu has new version releases every six months which bring a whole host of feature upgrades, new artwork, bug fixes and new software. Of course, your computer doesn’t need to be reinstalled like it has to if you upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Ubuntu takes care of the upgrading process automatically and keeps all your files and settings intact.
• Linux uses a “kernel” as the heart of the operating system. This does many things, firstly, if a program crashes, it won’t take down the whole computer, rather that program can be forced to quit (much like a mac). It is also very well protected and incredibly secure… being all in one place (instead of Windows which has core components scattered everywhere), it’s much easier for Linux to protect its core system.
• VirtualBox and VmWare Workstation fully support Ubuntu, and they can be easily installed through the repositories. They enable you to run a “virtual computer” inside a window, such as Windows XP or another version of Linux. These virtual computers run nearly as fast as a real computer, and they have many features such as full screen mode and file sharing, which allow you to simultaneously run two operating systems at once!
• Enjoy advanced visual effects such as wobbly windows, “Cube” desktop, multiple workspaces, fancy maximize/minimize animations and a lovely splash screen on startup and shutdown which make it a joy to use as an OS.
• Ubuntu starts up in under 20 seconds, and will shutdown in less than 5 seconds.
• It is completely customizable, everything from font sizes and type to advanced configuration of individual programs. And if you don’t like a program, just uninstall it and try another one that does the same thing. Because anyone can and does make programs for Ubuntu, there are dozens of different programs available in the repository for the same thing, so you’re sure to find something you like.
• Ubuntu fully supports proprietary codecs, such as mp3, wmv, wma, avi, mpeg and quicktime formats. It also supports flash and java. And yes, it will sync with your iPod.
• Have you got an older system that feels sluggish with Windows? Install Ubuntu and i’m sure you’ll notice a big difference – Ubuntu has very low minimum system requirements, so it’ll surely run on that old Windows 98 box you’ve got lying around.
• The developers at Ubuntu have worked very hard to ensure it supports many types of hardware, meaning it is incredibly flexible. Linux itself can and has been installed on everything from super computers to cellphones. In fact, the popular TiVo Satellite TV service uses Linux.
• Ubuntu has an incredibly friendly and active community worldwide, and if you have any problems, someone at ubuntuforums.org is sure to be able to help you.
• Canonical, and their CEO, South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth have promised to keep Ubuntu Desktop entirely free, and to support it for free.
• Ubuntu can be tried out without writing any files to your system (called LiveCD) mode, where it just runs off the CD. This is a lot slower that the usual Ubuntu as the read/write speed of a CD is many times slower than a hard drive, but it is a good way to have a quick preview of Ubuntu.
• It can be installed inside Windows (appears as a program in add/remove programs – very safe method if you just want to try it out and not touch your WIndows install), or it can be installed alongside Windows/Mac, or it can completely overwrite the operating system. It can also import your documents, pictures, music, internet browser bookmarks and favourites from Windows on install.
• … and of course, much, much more!

So, you say, where can I get it? Head over to www.ubuntu.com and request a free CD delivered to your door (no shipping fee), or download a CD image and burn it to disk, or put it on your USB thumb drive and give it a whirl!

I use Ubuntu Linux for all my photo editing and photo management, and I have never looked back after making the switch from Windows.