Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a free operating system that uses the Linux kernel. It is named after the word "ubuntu", which is a Zulu word meaning "humanity to others". It is pronounced "oo-boon-too".

Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions. It is based on the Debian Linux computer operating system. Ubuntu can be used on all types of personal computers (and even devices such as robots) including in Windows 10. Ubuntu is downloaded as a DVD's ISO image, which is free to download from the Ubuntu website. It can be installed or tested by running the DVD.

A new release of Ubuntu is released every six months. The long-term support releases are one type of these, and they are released every two years. Due to their longer periods of update support, most users prefer to install those releases. The latest long-term support release is Ubuntu 24.04 ("Noble Numbat"), which is supported until 2029.

Started in 2004, Ubuntu has been developed by Canonical Ltd., a company owned by Mark Shuttleworth, a South African entrepreneur.

 Packages and software support 

Ubuntu splits all software into four different categories to show differences in licensing and the amount of support available. They are:

free softwarenon-free software supported  Main  Restricted unsupported  Universe  Multiverse

Free software here includes only software that meets the Ubuntu licensing requirements, which almost are the same as the Debian Free Software Guidelines. There is one difference for the Main category, however it has firmware and fonts which cannot be changed, but are included if Ubuntu will not work right.

Non-free software is usually unsupported (Multiverse), but some exceptions (Restricted) are given for very important non-free software. Supported non-free software include device drivers that are needed to run Ubuntu on current hardware. The level of support in the Restricted category is less than that of Main, since the developers may not be able to get to the source code. It is wanted that Main and Restricted should contain all the software needed for a general-use Linux system.

Besides the official repositories is Ubuntu Backports, which is an officially known project to backport newer software from later releases of Ubuntu. The repository is not comprehensive (meaning that it has parts missing from it); it is mostly made up of user-requested packages, which are accepted if they meet quality guidelines.

 Releases 
Two new releases of Ubuntu are released each year, normally in April and October.

The number of the Ubuntu release is 'X.YY', with 'X' being the year of release (minus 2000) and 'Y' being the month of release. For example, Ubuntu 4.10 was released in October (the tenth month of the year), 2004. The name of the release (for example, Breezy Badger) is an adjective (a describing word) followed by the name of an animal.
Version  Release date  Name  More information 4.10  20 October 2004  Warty Warthog  First release 5.04  8 April 2005  Hoary Hedgehog  First "Kubuntu" created 5.10  13 October 2005  Breezy Badger  First "Edubuntu" 6.06  1 June 2006  Dapper Drake  LTS-release, First "Xubuntu" created 6.06.1  August 2006  Dapper Drake Point One  LTS-release, 1st update 6.06.2  January 2008  Dapper Drake Point Two  LTS-release, 2nd update 6.10  26 October 2006  Edgy Eft  experimental version 7.04  19 April 2007  Feisty Fawn  7.10  18 October 2007  Gutsy Gibbon  First "Gobuntu" created 8.04  24 April 2008  Hardy Heron  LTS-release 8.04.1  June 2008  Hardy Heron Point One  LTS-release, 1st update 8.10  27 October 2008  Intrepid Ibex  9.04  23 April 2009  Jaunty Jackalope  9.10  29 October 2009  Karmic Koala  10.04  29 April 2010  Lucid Lynx  LTS-release, first "Lubuntu" created 10.10  10 October 2010  Maverick Meerkat  11.04  28 April 2011  Natty Narwhal  11.10  13 October 2011  Oneiric Ocelot  12.04  26 April 2012  Precise Pangolin  LTS-release 12.10  18 October 2012  Quantal Quetzel  13.04  25 April 2013  Raring Ringtail  13.10  17 October 2013"Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) released"  Saucy Salamander  Server release 14.04  17 April 2014  Trusty Tahr  LTS-release 14.10  20 October 2014  Utopic Unicorn  15.04  23 April 2015  Vivid Vervet  15.10  22 October 2015  Wily Werewolf  16.04  21 April 2016"Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) released"  Xenial Xerus  LTS-release 16.10 13 October 2016 Yakkety Yak 17.04 13 April 2017 Zesty Zapus 17.10 19 October 2017 Artful Aardvark 18.04 26 April 2018 Bionic Beaver LTS-release 18.10 18 October 2018 Cosmic Cuttlefish 19.04 18 April 2019 Disco Dingo 19.10 17 October 2019 Eoan Ermine 20.04 23 April 2020 Focal Fossa LTS-release 20.10 22 October 2020 Groovy Gorilla 21.04 22 April 2021 Hirsute Hippo 21.10 14 October 2021 Impish Indri 22.04 21 April 2022 Jammy Jellyfish LTS-release 22.10 20 October 2022 Kinetic Kudu 23.04 20 April 2023 Lunar Lobster 23.10 12 October 2023 Mantic Minotaur24.0425 April 2024Noble NumbatLTS-release24.1010 October 2024Oracular Oriole25.0417 April 2025Plucky Puffin25.109 October 2025Questing Quokka

LTS indicates Long Term Support.

Very old processors (i.e., 32-bit Intel i386) have been supported up to Ubuntu 18.04, but users "will not be allowed to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.10 as dropping support for that architecture is being evaluated".

 Variants 
Ubuntu is available in many variants because there are several options for which desktop environment to use, and they can offer different user experiences.

The official sister distributions which are fully supported by Canonical are:

 Ubuntu Kylin, an official derivative aimed at the Chinese market
 Kubuntu, a desktop distribution using KDE rather than GNOME
 Ubuntu Server Edition, which is mainly used on servers to provide services. This version only comes with a command line interface, but a graphical user interface can be installed.
 Xubuntu, a "lightweight" distribution based on the Xfce desktop environment instead of GNOME, designed to run better on low-specification computers
 Lubuntu, a desktop using the LXQT desktop environment
 Ubuntu Budgie, a desktop using the Budgie desktop environment
 Ubuntu MATE, a desktop using the MATE desktop environment
 Ubuntu Studio, a multimedia-creation form of Ubuntu
 Edubuntu, a distribution designed for classrooms
 Ubuntu Cinnamon, a desktop using the Cinnamon desktop environment
 Ubuntu Unity, a desktop using the Unity desktop environment
 Related pages 
 GNU/Linux
 Debian
 GNOME
 List of Linux distributions
 Intel

 References 

 Other websites 


 Kubuntu – Ubuntu with KDE
 Edubuntu – Ubuntu for children to learn with
 Xubuntu – Ubuntu with Xfce
 Ubuntu Guide (unofficial)  – help manual, tips, FAQ, and software guide

 Run Ubuntu online

Category:Debian-based Linux distributions
Category:Linux distributions