UBUNTU

OPERATING SYSTEM

What Is Ubuntu?
is a Debian-based Linux operating system,
with Unity as its default desktop environment.
It is based on free software and named after the
Southern African philosophy of ubuntu (literally,
"human-ness"), which often is translated as
"humanity towards others" or "the belief in a
universal bond of sharing that connects all
humanity"

What Is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is based on the concept of free or opensource software, meaning that you do not pay
any licensing fees for Ubuntu, and you can
download, use, and share the operating system
free of charge.

Features
A default installation of Ubuntu contains a wide
range of software that includes LibreOffice,
Firefox, ThunderBird,Transmission, and several
lightweight games such as Sudoku and chess

Features
Ubuntu also includes many of the programs
used for everyday computing at no cost.

Office Suite: OpenOffice.org, a full office suite with a word

processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software that can read
and write in .doc, .xls, and .ppt formats and can also output to PDF,
and supports the ISO standard for electronic office
documents, Open Document Format.

Desktop Email Client: Evolution, an email program with a similar

interface to Microsoft Outlook.

Features
Web Browser: Firefox, the increasingly popular Web browser.
Databases: The two best-known open-source databases on Linux
are PostgreSQL and MySQL, but commercial databases such
as Oracle and IBM's DB2 are also available. There are also tools
likeGlom that provide an easy-to-use graphical interface for designing
and editing databases.
Others: Ubuntu's online Applications Guide lists some Ubuntucompatible applications that allow you to edit images, listen to and
manage music, edit and watch videos, read PDFs, connect to instant
messaging services from MSN, AOL, Google, Yahoo, and more.

Features

Updates and bug fixes: Security updates and bug fixes for
applications and the operating system are managed by Ubuntu, and
users are notified about these updates through an icon in the
taskbar, which they can click on to install. (Note that you must be
connected to the Internet to receive these notices.)

Features
Ubuntu makes a new version available every six
months, which users can update over the
Internet without reinstalling the operating
system, programs, or settings.

Security
Ubuntu's goal is to be secure "out-of-the box".
By default user's programs run with low
privileges and cannot corrupt the operating
system or other user's files.

Security
The Linux security module is closely tied to UNIX
security mechanisms. Security concerns can be
classified into two groups:
Authentication (Ensuring that only authorized individuals
have access to files that they are authorized.)
Access control (mechanism for validating whether a user
has the right to access a particular object and preventing
unauthorized access as necessary).

Potential Drawbacks
Installation
- The biggest disadvantage is that whereas
Windows and OS X usually come pre-installed
on your PC or Mac, a lack of widespread
retailers offering pre-installed Ubuntu often
means that you must install the system yourself.

Potential Drawbacks
Hardware Compatibility
- A small number of wireless networking cards
and display drivers may have issues or reduced
functionality because some hardware
manufacturers do not release the drivers that
are Linux-compatible.

Potential Drawbacks
Software Availability
A final area that is a potential problem for people
switching to Ubuntu from Windows or Mac OS X
is the availability of compatible applications.

System Requirements
Ubuntu is a good operating system for many old
computers, but not for all of them. Some computers have
too little horsepower or memory. A rule of thumb is that
the computer should not be more than 10 years old.
Memory (RAM): For advanced internet services like
Google+, Youtube, Google Docs and Facebook, your
computer needs at least 1 GB RAM. For local programs
like Libre Office and simple browsing habits, your
computer needs at least 512 MB RAM.

System Requirements
Processor (CPU): The minimum specification for CPU is
Pentium 4 or Pentium M or AMD K8. Older processors
are too slow and AMD K7 has problems with flash video.

Graphics chip / card: Nvidia, AMD/ATI/Radeon and

Intel work out of the box, or the system can be tweaked
to work fairly easily.