Ubuntu: still the best Linux desktop release

Article title: Ubuntu: it is still the best Linux desktop release. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

In early November, Linux developer Canonical launched the popular new operating system Ubuntu 8.10. According to my tests on Ubuntu 8.10-codenamed "Intrepid Ibex (fearless Northern Highlands goat)"-I think Ubuntu is still the best Linux desktop release, it also has the ability to compete with the more widely used Microsoft and Apple desktop operating systems.

This is because, although most Linux distributions share the same software components, the difference in Ubuntu is that it focuses more on practicality and has a large number of software packages that can be installed at any time, ubuntu also has an extremely large community of users and developers.

If you want to run a software that supports Linux, Ubuntu may include its pre-encapsulation form. The same is true for hardware components. among all Linux releases, Ubuntu has the widest hardware support.

In addition, through various platforms to promote communication and collaboration between users and developers, the Ubuntu project has done a very good job in Q & A, error testing, and integrating a large amount of work in the community into the middle of the solution.

For example, Ubuntu 8.10 was tested on an MSI Wind U100 notebook, which is equipped with a Realtech wireless adapter, but does not support any built-in Linux kernel drivers. In order to find the drivers suitable for Ubuntu, Red Hat Fedora, and Novell OpenSuse, we searched the internet and found the compilation commands corresponding to the above three drivers. However, for Ubuntu, we also found a pre-compiled, packaged, and ready-to-install driver developed by a community volunteer member.

Among all Linux desktop products, the most direct competitor of Ubuntu 8.10 is its older "compatriot" Ubuntu 8.04 --- codenamed "hard Heron ". Ubuntu 8.04 is a long-term supported version. For the Ubuntu 8.04 desktop version, Canonical promises to provide three-year update and support services, while the server version provides five-year update and support services.

In contrast to Ubuntu 8.04, Ubuntu 8.10 will provide technical support for 18 months before its update channel is closed, and then require users to upgrade to a new version. Fortunately, Ubuntu is very easy to upgrade. Whether you can start a CD or USB or use other suitable methods, Ubuntu Update Manager allows you to easily solve this problem.

However, the server version of Ubuntu 8.10 does not stand out in many Linux distributions as the desktop version does. In terms of the market share of Linux server operating systems, RedHat Enterprise Linux and all other free variants such as CentOS are much higher than Ubuntu.