Ubuntu Can Moo... Can You?

My affinity for operating systems could be best described as obsessive-compulsive behaviour. I want the newest, the best, and the most stable operating system. That being said, I have never been much a fan of the Micro$oft-based OS's, but I have had to learn to use them, as it is a requirement if you do any sort of computer work at your job. I will say that Micro$soft's efforts at producing a stable operating system has greatly improved in recent years, though many scoff at its' apparent lack of security. Whether or not this is Micro$oft's problem is up to speculation: When you have an operating system that 90-95% of the world uses on a daily basis, it becomes the obvious target of exploitation. Conversely, when compared to other opearating systems, WinXP is an easier nut to crack (or hack, in this case).

Enter Unix. Originally developed by Bell Labs in the 1970's to provide a stable platform for AT&T to run their telephone networks, Unix has grown in size and scope to become, arguably, the most powerful operating system on the planet. However, Unix has never exactly been, user friendly. In fact, Micro$oft developed DOS loosely on the Unix command-line interface. In fact, a few of the commands are the same.

But Unix was never available to the masses. Like DOS, and the Macintosh operating systems, was propietary software, and it's wasn't exactly cheap to obtain.

Then Linux came into the picture. As the internet grew in popularity, a number of programmers began collaborating together to produce a stable, secure operating system based on the Unix kernel, and distribute the code freely (actually, Linus Torvalds began the project himself, but solicited the help of other programmers through the web).

Linux became a huge success, and it became the first operating system that could be (legally) installed free of charge. I still would not consider it an operating system for the masses.

Over the years, there have been a number of Linux distrbutions developed. There is a port of Linux for nearly every available computer platform out there -- including vintage hardware. Some distributions have attempted at making their software available commercially. I would think that paying for software that has originally developed under the premise that such information should be freely distributed, is a little unsettling.

The Linux distribution that I have been hearing a lot about lately is Ubuntu. They call it Linux for human beings, hoping to smash the misconception that Linux is a difficult operating system to learn and/or use. Nor do they charge for it. Better yet, the distribution comes with an idiot-proof installer, and 16,000 pieces of software, including email clients, web browsers, games, a full-blown office suite, and graphics editing programs -- pretty much everything you would need in a computer is bundled with the distribution.

And it all fits on one CD. When was the last time you had an OS that fit on one CD?

Longtime readers of mcfro.blogspot.com will know that I use OSX on my computer at home. "But wait," you say, "why is he ranting about Unix opearting systems, when he doesn't even run it at home?"

I'll tell you a little secret. OSX is built on a Unix kernel. Even that being said, I'd love to install Ubuntu on a partition, or on another machine, just to play with. I would learn a great deal about Unix, and I would probably learn a few more things about OSX at the same time.