This & That

This & That

The Web site www.linux.org lists 178 versions of Linux-based operating systems. And that’s just the English ones. I have no idea why there are so many. What reader can help explain this for us?

Most of these are free, and a bunch of real-time versions are also available. I decided to talk to Gerry Carr of Canonical (London, England) about their versionUbuntuand what sets it apart from the others.

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning “humanity to others.” It is perhaps the most popular modern Linux distribution and is built on top of Debian, another Linux version. Canonical is the “sponsor” of Ubuntu, which is free and has a vast contributor community.

It contains applications for all the typical items on a desktop, including Open Office with Web browser, presentation, word processor, spreadsheet, and instant messaging. It can share files from Microsoft Office and is easily networked. Gerry said advantages include it uses fewer resources (its footprint is about 670K), is code efficient, stable, and reliable, it has built in security features, and it is updated every 6 months. Ubuntu is offered in few versions, including the Edubuntu version that is aimed at school kids and education. You can check it out at www.ubuntu.com. Other popular Linux packages include SimplyMEPIS, PCLinuxOS, and Xandros.

So why aren’t we all using Linux on our desktops and why aren’t designers using it in their products? Another good question.