Why I use Ubuntu.
In our last article Geek-a-nese: What is an Operating System? I told you that I would be putting an article up explaining why I have chosen to run Ubuntu as not only my personal OS, but the OS that my business primarily runs on.
Ubuntu, meet the world, world meet Ubuntu…
Ubuntu (pronounced “oo-BOON-too”) is an Operating System based on the Linux Kernal (i.e. it is a Linux OS). It is produced by the fine folks at Canonical who maintain the release schedule and updates to Ubuntu. Every six months a new and hopefully improved version of Ubuntu is released. I have chosen it for several reasons:
- It’s free
- It’s FREE
- Security
- It handles my needs
- I like the challenge
Free as in… you don’t pay money for it…
It is hard to believe, but no catch. You don’t have to buy a subscription, you don’t have to sign up for anything, you don’t even have to submit your email address to download it and you most definitely do not have to shell out 250 of your George Washingtons (price based on Full Professional version of Microsoft Windows 7). You can go to their website, download an .iso or order a cd….. for FREE!!!
It’s FREE… what? How is that possible?
Well the truth comes down to how Ubuntu is licensed. It is under the Free Software Project or also known as GNU. In the Ubuntu: Pocket Guide and Reference (a free download and highly recommended read), Kier Thomas writes this about free software:
“ The Free Software ideal is enshrined in a software license applied to all Free Software projects. It’s called the GNU Public License, or GPL. This is like Microsoft’s End User License Agreement that comes with Windows (and you see whenever you install Windows from scratch), except whereas the Microsoft EULA prohibits sharing Windows under any circumstances, the GPL says exactly the opposite—that you can always share the software”1
Security Please…
I can see the hate mail coming in now, so before you get boiled over… let me say this; any operating system will contain security vulnerabilities. However, I do feel that in a general since Ubuntu is more secure than Windows.
According NetMarketSharetm, Microsoft owns 92% of the operating system market share while Linux owns a wimpy .98%. No that is not a typo, that is less than 1% of the people using operating systems, or in other words people using a computer, are using Linux. So if I am going to code a virus, or attempt to create some form of malware to attack a user, am I going to target Windows or Linux?
By default, Linux has a user role and an administrator role (a.k.a. “root”). Linux out-of-the-box separates these two roles, so in order for a user to install anything or make any changes that a virus would want to make, it would have to do it as root. Impossible? Not hardly, but certainly more difficult than the design you’ll find in the competition.
Another aspect of security comes through visibility. Linux/Ubuntu as part of the Free Software Project, allow their source code to be viewed by, reproduced and edited by anyone. One might ask, doesn’t this make Linux less secure? I suppose a hacker could fine comb search the Linux source code and find a vulnerability to exploit, but the problem is finding the flaw. Now don’t lose me here, I am not saying the Linux source code is perfect by any means, but I am saying that with all of the visibility Linux has a huge audience of programmers to proof read and make the OS stronger over all. Programmers all over the world are constantly working to make Linux a stronger, more efficient and in an over all sense a better operating system.
I got an App for that…
A popular myth for Ubuntu is that it doesn’t have the applications you or your business need to achieve day to day operations. While it is true that applications made for Mac or Windows will not run on native Linux, there are some popular alternatives. There are solutions available that will allow you to run some Windows applications on a Linux system and there are many open source software alternatives to the programs you may be used to using. Open Office and Firefox for example, are great alternatives to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer. For me and my business… my email, music, pictures, invoices, letters, Internet browsing, design, development projects can all be ran on Ubuntu.
The Challenge…
Now, I don’t want to scare you away from Linux, in fact I want quite the opposite of that. There is a challenge to learning Linux/Ubuntu, because simply put Ubuntu is NOT Windows or Apple. This is neither a good or bad thing, we are talking about apples and oranges when trying to compare Windows and Linux. However, just because it is different, does not mean we should shy away from it. The fact is you once learned how to use Windows didn’t you? The same can be said for Linux, without the $250 dip into your budget. Again, for me personally, I love this challenge and I get all excited when there is something that does not work on my Ubuntu configuration.
Final Thoughts…
There are many improvements to be had in the Ubuntu/Linux world… but you will find that in any Operating System out there today. I will be putting up more tutorials on how to try Ubuntu and use it in the near future. Don’t worry Window’s fans, I’ll be having tutorials up for you too 
Interested in a head start? Download Kier Thomas’s ebook, Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference, check the #ubuntu IRC channel and official Ubuntu support forums to get started. Or as always, you may contact me on Skype or Twitter @ matt6solutions.
In the words of William Wallace, I leave you with “FREEEEEEeeeeeeeeedoooooooom!!!!!!”
references:
1. Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference by Keir Thomas
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