Ubuntu Linux® For Dummies®

Chapter 1. Ubuntu and U

In This Chapter

• Discovering what Ubuntu means

• Introducing Ubuntu Linux and its versions

• Considering the source (and its philosophy)

• Knowing where to go from here

The Ubuntu Linux distribution is the fastest‐growing Linux distribution on the planet. It's designed to provide powerful functionality, and yet it's easy to use, no matter where in the world you live.

One of the most difficult balancing acts in the Linux world is deciding how much stuff (applications such as the Firefox Web browser and the Openoffice.org office productivity suite) to provide users. Some Linux distributions provide too little, and most provide too much. Ubuntu, however, has learned how to balance both sides very well.

Ubuntu is well supported by its user community, as well as commercially. This is important because different people and organizations need different levels and types of support.

All these factors add up to its exploding popularity, which is based on its ease of use, usefulness, and support.

Ubuntu, say what?

Ubuntu (pronounced oo‐BOON‐too) is a Zulu word that translates to “humanness.”

Used as a verb, Ubuntu describes the practice of respecting one's family and neighbors — or more broadly, the community at large.

At its core, Ubuntu means that the members of a community take care of each other and the community itself. The creators of Ubuntu Linux took this philosophy of commitment to community to drive their creation. Ubuntu Linux (many people pronounce it LIN‐icks) is designed ...