Introduction to Ubuntu
Ubuntu is an open source, free Linux distribution. It is an operating system for cloud computing, in accordance to support with Open Stack. Ubuntu is developed by the canonical community and it is freely available. Also, Canonical Ltd. is responsible for the funding of Ubuntu.
Basically, Ubuntu is released in every six months. Free support is available for nine months for every release and long term support (LTS) released in every two years. The first release of Ubuntu was in October 2004. The latest release is 18.10, also known as, Cosmic Cuttlefish.
Three editions of Ubuntu are Desktop Edition, Server Edition, and Core Edition.
Name of Ubuntu was given after the African philosopher, which translates to “Humanity to Others”. The architecture of Ubuntu is based on Debian and Linux server.
Uses of Ubuntu
Below are the Top 12 Uses of Ubuntu which are as follows:
1. Free of Cost
Downloading and installing Ubuntu is free, and costs only time to install it. One can just download from the internet or can create an ISO bootable disk, and after it, the environment is ready to launch. With the help of Ubuntu, one can revive old, unused or any low-performance computer system without any investment. Also, troubleshooting does not cause any penny. And one can do this with the help of the Linux environment.
It also consists of its own Office suite, named as LibreOffice. This prevents our pocket by not letting us purchasing costly licensed suites such as MS Office and others.
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2. Privacy
In comparison to Windows, Ubuntu provides a better option for privacy and security. The best advantage of having Ubuntu is that we can acquire the required privacy and additional security without having any third party solution. Risk of hacking and various other attacks can be minimized by using this distribution.
3. Working with Partitions of hard drives
Linux live CD and Gparted enables to divide the hard disk into partitions. This feature is also applicable when your system is a dual or triple boot. Otherwise, the partition is helpful in migration to solid state drive or more spacious drive. Apart from this, wiping of data can be easily done in Ubuntu.
4. Free Apps
Ubuntu provides a lot of free apps to explore the world of opportunities, refreshments, and enjoyment. Following are few apps of total listed for reference:
- Spotify: Used for stream songs for free. Also allow creating playlists, albums of favorite songs.0
- Skype: Used for instant messaging, high-quality video and voice calls.
- VLC: A single media player, compatible with various media file formats.
- Firefox: Fast Browser with better efficiency and 30% lighter than Chrome.
- Slack: Software for teamwork and collaboration enables one place to get work done easily and smoothly.
- Atom: A Text Editor for the modern generation with a feature of handling all types of document’s format.
- Pycharm: An attractive IDE for programming that includes all important tools for Python coding, along with exciting in-app features.
- Telegram: A mobile synchronized desktop app for faster and secure messaging.
5. User-Friendly
Ubuntu is as easy as the Windows operating system. There is a well-known myth about Ubuntu is that Ubuntu is developed for developers and coders only. But the actual fact is, Ubuntu is a beautiful desktop operating system and can be used by any common computer user.
6. Accessibility
Another great feature of Ubuntu is its ease of use. The user can easily work with various CMS of PHP such as Laravel, Magneto, WordPress and many more. Apart from PHP, Ruby, Java, Python can easily be implemented in Ubuntu. Users experience a beautiful design of desktop while accessing Ubuntu that is quite easy and efficient to use.
7. Home Automation
Little knowledge of Linux and a minicomputer such as Raspberry Pi, is all to create small home automation gadget. One click or press or hold enables various devices and system of your house to run automatically without human intervention.
8. Say Bye to Antivirus
Risk of having a virus or malware is minimal, that reduces the cost of anti-virus software. Antivirus is also a reason for the slowness of the computer system and affects performance badly. Also, this may cause the system to not function efficiently. Apart from this issue, anti-virus also acquires a lot of space in our system. But with Ubuntu, all these risks and problems can be neglected in an affordable manner.
9. Say Bye to Pirated Software
As stated, It is free, this also includes a lot of free software embedded with the system. However, some windows based programs require alternate options such as virtual machine because it creates compatibility issues in Linux based servers. Access to official software, not only provides security and prevents bugs, but it also saves money that is going to be spent on purchasing pirated software.
10. Free games
A compatibility layer, commonly known as WINE is the most popular program used to run windows based games and applications on Linux based operating system. Many games from the distribution are open source and hence does not require any extra cost to install in our system.
11. PC performance
Performance of a system depends on what kind of usage is. For example, if the system is used for coding, designing, testing issues or for business purposes, or for just simply use of a computer system, It is recommended. Some reasons behind this are, Ubuntu boots faster than Windows, gets less infected, provides various free of cost IDEs. Otherwise, if gaming purpose is considered, Windows and MAC are way ahead than Ubuntu.
12. Free upgrades
All the upgrades provided by Ubuntu are free of cost. And they are released every six months. Upgrades are installed automatically but only with user permission and user are aware of installing. And while installing, the user does not need to bother losing data or redoing it. Distribution is itself capable of handling the system well.
Conclusion
Ubuntu is an open source desktop operating system that is freely available and can be downloaded and installed without any hassle. Ubuntu comes with a variety of features that make it more competitive than other distribution. The number of variations in functionalities of Ubuntu, make it useful for the developer as well as the common user.
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