Overview
What is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu Linux is a Linux-based operating system for personal computers, tablets and smartphones. There is also a Server version which is used on physical or virtual servers in the data center.
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A review of Ubuntu Linux from a Software Developer's perspective
Ubuntu, the better operative system.
My Review
Ubuntu Linux - simple because it simply works
Most intuitive and easy to use Linux Distro
Ubuntu Pros and Cons
Power User OS
Open source and highly customizable
Ubuntu Linux has a learning curve, but it's worth your time
Ubuntu Linux, a developer's love!
- It is used on our deployment servers and the severs are used as OSS in multiple …
Ubuntu as a developer
Used Ubuntu for nine years, highly recommended.
Ubuntu - An elegant Operating System, easy to install and use, extremely secure and customizable!
Smooth, reliable operating system
- as a reliable, affordable alternative to other operating systems for users' …
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What is Ubuntu?
Ubuntu is an open-source operating system developed by Canonical Ltd. According to the vendor, it aims to provide a secure, reliable, and customizable platform for desktops, servers, and cloud computing. It is said to be suitable for businesses of all sizes and widely used by IT professionals, software developers, system administrators, educational institutions, and researchers. With its comprehensive application suite, multi-language support, and highly customizable interface, Ubuntu is said to cater to the diverse needs of various professions and industries, including IT, software development, education, and research.
Key Features
Secure Operating System: According to the vendor, Ubuntu is known for its robust security features, including a built-in firewall and virus protection software. It offers long-term support releases with five years of security patches and updates, ensuring ongoing protection against emerging threats.
Open Source Software: The vendor states that Ubuntu is an open-source operating system, freely available for download, use, and sharing. It fosters transparency, customization, and continuous improvement through community contributions, making it a collaborative platform.
Comprehensive Application Suite: Ubuntu comes pre-installed with a wide range of essential applications, including an office suite, web browsers, email clients, and media players. Users can access thousands of additional applications through the Ubuntu Software Centre, expanding the system's functionality.
Multi-Language Support: According to the vendor, Ubuntu is fully translated into over 50 languages, promoting inclusivity and global reach. It includes essential assistive technologies to ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities, enabling users to work and collaborate in their preferred language.
Highly Customizable Interface: Ubuntu offers a visually appealing interface that can be tailored to individual preferences. Users can choose from various themes, wallpapers, and desktop environments, and it supports high-definition displays, touchscreen capabilities, and touchpad gestures.
Wide Hardware Compatibility: Canonical collaborates with major hardware manufacturers to ensure compatibility with a wide range of laptops, workstations, and servers. Ubuntu is certified to work out-of-the-box with various hardware configurations, providing a reliable and hassle-free experience.
Cloud and Server Capabilities: Ubuntu is widely used in data centers and cloud environments, powering servers and virtual machines. It is claimed to be the most popular operating system in the cloud, offering scalability and flexibility for cloud-native applications and large-scale server deployments.
Internet of Things (IoT) Support: Ubuntu provides Ubuntu Core, an optimized version for IoT devices. It is fully containerized, has a low footprint, and supports advanced security features. Ubuntu Core is widely used in various IoT applications, including robotics, smart homes, and gateways.
Livepatch Service: Ubuntu Pro includes the Livepatch service, which eliminates the need for unplanned maintenance windows by patching the Linux kernel while the system runs. It reduces downtime and ensures continuous service with automatic kernel security hotfixes without rebooting.
Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM): Ubuntu offers security maintenance for the entire collection of software packages shipped with Ubuntu, providing continuous vulnerability management for critical, high, and medium CVEs. It includes security updates and kernel livepatching for high and critical CVEs, offering 10 years of security coverage for Ubuntu LTS releases.
Ubuntu Technical Details
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(294)Community Insights
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Ubuntu Linux is a versatile operating system that has found its place in a wide range of industries and applications. Organizations across various sectors rely on Ubuntu for their internal applications, hosting servers, local development workstations, and virtual machines. The platform provides a consistent and efficient platform for development and IT departments, ensuring seamless deployment and maintenance of workstations and servers. Additionally, Ubuntu's popularity extends to data science projects, where it serves as an ideal choice for web app deployment.
Many users appreciate Ubuntu's maturity and robust community support, making it their preferred operating system for Machine Learning Engineering needs. Ubuntu's extensive support for Machine Learning packages further solidifies its position as the go-to solution for organizations requiring such capabilities. Moreover, Ubuntu finds application in specific system requirements in clouds and proof-of-concept projects, where it is used in virtual machines and servers.
Ubuntu's appeal transcends organizational needs as well. Many professionals and employees prefer Ubuntu over other operating systems for work purposes, allowing them to have a diverse fleet of devices for testing and bug isolation. Engineers benefit from Ubuntu's streamlined automated deployment capabilities for applications and client apps. Furthermore, Ubuntu shines when it comes to serving as web servers, database servers, and various other servers within organizations.
Ubuntu Linux stands out as a stable platform with strong community support, making it the main driver for desktops in many scenarios. Its popularity is rooted in providing a reliable base with long-term support releases, accessibility for new users, easy package management, and a dedicated user base. The advantages of Ubuntu extend beyond desktop use; it is commonly chosen as an operating system for web servers in the Amazon cloud and virtualized instances in corporate networks.
The versatility of Ubuntu Linux becomes evident when considering its varied applications across multiple industries. It is leveraged as the primary operating system for multimedia rooms to manage AV materials and handle streaming video or television recording. Additionally, Ubuntu finds purpose in open-source solutions, security purposes, and other appropriate Linux situations. Telephony platforms also benefit from Ubuntu's dependable platform, which facilitates the rapid deployment of telephony integrations and web apps while ensuring granular security access to telephony components.
Educational and research institutions embrace Ubuntu Linux for its compatibility with artificial intelligence, programming, robotics, and embedded systems. Furthermore, it is utilized effectively in high-stakes testing, finance, and software development sectors due to its intuitive interface and ease of learning. Ubuntu's lightweight nature, wide software and hardware support, and a large user base make it a preferred choice in various sectors, including high-stakes testing, finance, and software development.
In addition to its wide range of applications, Ubuntu Linux has proven to be a cost-effective solution for both desktop and laptop usage. It offers superior performance and compatibility with Windows and Mac OS, making it an attractive option for individuals seeking an alternative operating system. Ubuntu's lightweight nature allows it to breathe new life into older hardware by providing a modern interface, improved responsiveness, and access to open-source applications.
Notably, Ubuntu Linux serves as a reliable and affordable server platform for businesses. It is commonly used for running important software packages, such as web servers, VPN servers, file servers, and other server appliances. Its stability and modern software versions make it an ideal choice for organizations in need of dependable setup and maintenance.
Ubuntu Linux also thrives in the field of software development. It is widely utilized by developers for various tasks ranging from individual application development to test and production servers. With its developer-friendly features and intuitive interface, Ubuntu simplifies the development process and meets the requirements of software developers effectively.
Moreover, Ubuntu Linux finds application in specific use cases such as multi-tier backup implementations, web server testing, network monitoring, wikis, hosting websites, VPN servers, and more. Its robust capabilities make it an indispensable tool for researchers engaged in computationally intensive work.
Overall, Ubuntu Linux continues to gain popularity due to its versatility across multiple industries and its ability to solve various computing needs. With its stable platform, strong community support, wide range of applications, and cost-effectiveness, Ubuntu offers users a reliable operating system that enhances productivity and extends the lifespan of devices.
Efficient and Resourceful: Users have consistently praised Ubuntu Linux for its efficiency and resourcefulness, allowing them to extend the life of aging hardware and meet smaller demands such as word processing and web browsing. Several users have stated that Ubuntu has helped them save money by eliminating the need for expensive hardware upgrades.
Large Support Community: The vast user base of Ubuntu has resulted in a large support community that is easily accessible. Many users appreciate the convenience of being able to gather information and find solutions to their requirements through web searches. This active support community has been a valuable resource for troubleshooting issues and finding answers quickly.
Stability and Reliability: Ubuntu Linux is highly regarded for its stability and reliability, with many users noting that they rarely encounter bugs or issues. This consistent performance has provided peace of mind to users, particularly those working on professional projects that require a stable environment.
Confusing User Interface: Many users have expressed frustration with the confusing user interface of Ubuntu Linux, stating that it makes tasks cumbersome and difficult to navigate. The lack of intuitive design and inconsistent placement of settings and options have been major pain points for users.
Challenging App Store Search Function: Numerous users have mentioned that the app store search function in Ubuntu barely works, making it extremely challenging to find and install desired software. Users often struggle with inaccurate search results or an inability to locate specific applications, resulting in a frustrating experience.
Lack of Support for Popular Middleware like cPanel: Some users consider the absence of support for popular middleware like cPanel as a drawback. This limitation restricts their ability to easily manage websites or servers using familiar tools, forcing them to explore alternative solutions or adapt to different interfaces.
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(1-24 of 24)Ubuntu Linux Review
- Graphics
- Commands
- Stability
- update management
- customization
- product serving
It's still very good, have support for many languages and also Web Development, right out of the box, which makes it so much better, plus it's also understandable and easy to work with for the user, who's using Linux for the first time. Till today, I'll recommend Ubuntu to someone without thinking twice.
- Management of Resources
- Security of the Systems
- Stable and reliable system
- Not so buggy
- Works across all configurations.
- More software support
- Better hardware support
- Better UI
Ubuntu, the better operative system.
- Boost the old devices can be laptops and desktops.
- Improves the speed of communication through distributed computing.
- Robotics
- University education
- Software development
- Not very useful for specific programs (Labview, Proteus)
- Some drivers do not exist in Linux.
My Review
- Virtualization
- Stability
- Support
- Patch Management
- Upgrade Experience
- User Desktop Experience
- Cloud Services
Ubuntu Linux - simple because it simply works
- Fast
- Lightweight
- Easy
- Great Support
- File management is clunky
- Side dock is odd
- Launcher is a weird combination of functionalities
Most intuitive and easy to use Linux Distro
- Intuitive GUI.
- Good community support.
- Free and Open Source.
- App store search barely works.
- Popular middleware such as cPanel not supported.
- There is no support for using wireless headphones with microphone i.e. either the headphone or the microphone works at a time.
- When you need a Linux based OS that respects your privacy.
- For ML engineers.
- For an easy to use interface.
When not suited:
- For non power users go for windows e.g. for Business Analysts, Managers, etc.
- If you extensively use Microsoft office go for Windows.
- If you are a gamer, go for Windows.
Ubuntu Pros and Cons
- Ease of use and flexibility.
- Safe to work with.
- Ease of availability of Debian packages to support its functionality.
- Community support.
- GUI not supportive as Windows.
- No dedicated support to contact through if any client needs it.
- Not much suitable for beginners to use.
On the contrary it is not suitable to use for beginners who are familiar to work in a good GUI environment.
Open source and highly customizable
It addresses many problems that come with a windows machine. Ubuntu Linux comes with many inline software and thus saves time to install everything.
- First and foremost Ubuntu is free. It's perfect for small startups like the company I work for where software cost is limited
- It is completely customizable meaning each Ubuntu environment can have its own set of installs with any configuration that can be easily personalized
- Ubuntu is developer friendly. We use Python and virtual environment, nothing needs to be installed. It has in-built support for most programming languages and any additional software update or install is also very simple.
- Ubuntu is very secure and doesn't need any antivirus software
- Ubuntu doesn't have good support for new games. It's graphic quality is not that great.
- Ubuntu needs to be installed manually. One needs to have good knowledge of how to run installs and basic Linux commands to install Ubuntu. It doesn't come pre installed in existing PCs and laptops
- There's no driver support and you can't play Mp3 audio files as it is on Ubuntu. You need to install additional software
It's lack of support for drivers makes it less suited
Used Ubuntu for nine years, highly recommended.
- PACKAGE MANAGEMENT. You can update everything - OS installed software, you name it with either a few clicks in a GUI or a single command.
- No bloatware.
- No need for antivirus software.
- Certainly the price is right.
- My 83 year old grandmother has been using it - and because of this I rarely need to provide tech support. But I still visit my grandmother.
- You can choose from a variety of user interfaces or rock it in the terminal.
- Generally speaking, Ubuntu is as polished an OS as any you might pay for.
- I'm not a fan of GNOME, and I realize that this is highly subjective. Unity was much more polished than GNOME. If you want / need to customize GNOME at all it relies on third party extensions, many of which are poorly maintained and/or break whenever GNOME updates. Ditch GNOME and bring back UNITY please.
Ubuntu - An elegant Operating System, easy to install and use, extremely secure and customizable!
- Ease of updating the system and the applications installed on it.
- Variety of high quality applications available, mostly open source and free software.
- Great security, which allows tranquility in the use of professional projects, even the most sensitive ones.
- Thousands of sites on the Internet with tutorials, problem solving (even the most unusual and specific) and technical analysis that turn intensive use into a truly fluid and pleasurable experience.
- More agreements with large companies and governments to publicize the system.
- More hardware options (mainly notebooks and smartphones) with the system pre-installed at the factory.
- Greater support for anti-software piracy laws.
Smooth, reliable operating system
- as a reliable, affordable alternative to other operating systems for users' computers.
- as a server for running the principal software package used in the business.
- as part of a strategy to extend the service life of computers we use.
We also need server software that is both easy to set up and maintain and that is, above all, reliable. Many forms of Linux serve here, but using Ubuntu for both front-facing software and server software cuts down on maintenance time and training.
Because we mostly operating in environments with tight budgets, including volunteer organizations, we tend to buy used computers, most of which are a few generations behind the latest models. Linux generally allows us to use computers that could not handle Windows installations necessary for the job. In a few cases, albeit not with Ubuntu Linux, we are running machines that were designed for Windows XP.
- Ubuntu Linux allows interfaces on desktop machines that are relatively easy for former Windows users to adapt to.
- Ubuntu allows smooth updates, usually with little down time.
- The user base for Ubuntu is large, which means help is easy to find.
- The repository system could be a little better, as some of the software needed is not easily available there.
- Ubuntu sometimes does not play nicely or easily with some modern firmwares.
- Some people report slow responses with newer versions of Ubuntu, although we have not experienced any.
However, for reviving older hardware, I often do not recommend Ubuntu because:
(a) later versions are exclusively 64-bit and (b) among Linux distributions, Ubuntu is usually heavy.
For people using older hardware, I usually recommend Puppy Linux versions that have been adapted from Ubuntu. I am perfectly happy to recommend Ubuntu for any people or organizations that primarily work on the Internet, however.
In many cases, Ubuntu is unsuitable simple because it does not run particular pieces of software designed for other operating systems (Windows, in particular). This is an special problem in many commercial enterprises that use proprietary or branded software. There are even some excellent open-source software packages that are available for Windows that are not for any form of Linux.
- Deep development community ensuring maximum compatibility.
- Abundant user community that provides excellent support.
- Best implementation of Debian-based Linux that we've used.
- Frequently breaking changes are introduced with major revisions of the OS. We stick with the LTS branch to mitigate that.
- Managing multiple servers can become cumbersome without paid solutions.
Good all-around server OS with a solid feature set.
- Lightweight for server contexts
- Frequent updates
- Long Term Support reduces administrative overhead
- Image files can be a bit large
- Desktop UI is quite ugly
- Has a bit of bloat, not a minimal distribution
- Updating is really easy and straightforward, especially for LTS releases.
- Package availability is second to none.
- Unified patch management still is a challenge. Landscape is just not as polished as we would like.
- Not every appliance is built upon Ubuntu, so we have some variance in our OS environment.
Your Developers Will Love Ubuntu
- Ubuntu has an active user base around its distribution, making it easy to find support for issues without ever needed to contact formal support.
- Ubuntu package management makes it easy to keep packages up to date even across a large number of dependencies. Rarely do I encounter issues in updating packages.
- Ubuntu offers an accessible user interface that provides some interface familiarity for users coming from other operating systems. Users feel comfortable navigating the interface with similar experiences to what they are familiar with.
- Ubuntu offers several flavors of desktop management - Gnome, XFCE, and KDE. While this offering of choice is probably a benefit, it makes it difficult to standardize amongst developers who all have strong opinions as to which deployment is "the best."
- Like other Linux distributions, graphics support for bleeding-edge graphics cards can be a challenge, with support not always offered for the latest and greatest cards. Often this support is rectified over time, but that can be a challenge in rolling out to machines with varying hardware configurations.
- Earlier, I talked about how Ubuntu offers many analog operations to other operating systems to promote ease of learning for those migrating. However, as of 19.04, Ubuntu didn't offer native drag and drop operations on the Gnome desktop. This was frustrating for some users trying to learn the new interface. I'm hoping the recently released 19.10 release will address this.
- Great package support.
- Stable.
- Support for the OS is easy to find online.
- Proprietary drivers can be troublesome at times.
- The APT repository is not always up to date with the latest packages.
- Packages are sometimes hard to find in the APT repos.
One caveat is that these equivalent applications will perform most of the functionality the same but they are not an exact copy of Microsoft's software and some features may be unavailable. If you absolutely require a Microsoft product like Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Visio or Project, you'd best look elsewhere as there are currently no versions available for Linux. While you may be able to use Wine or PlayOnLinux to get the applications to run, your mileage may vary and a lot of time, research and tweaking will be required to make things work as expected.
Ubuntu Linux, A Great Server OS
- Package management
- Compatibility
- Customization
- Quality of updates
- Ease of use
- Learning curve
Ubuntu Linux, a Great Way to Extend a Computer's Life.
- Ubuntu Linux appears to be more efficient than Windows, at least on some machines.
- Ubuntu Linux is very secure and typically requires no antivirus software.
- Ubuntu Linux utilizes an update system that stays out of the way of the user.
- Ubuntu Linux is probably the least intimidating of all the different Linux distributions; however, in some cases, the user may still run into problems with certain hardware drivers.
- The software center that comes with Ubuntu Linux has historically been very buggy. The software center is also supposed to serve as the package manager for the operating system. I believe that Ubuntu could choose a better package manager for the operating system.
- Generally, Ubuntu Linux allows users to avoid having to use the terminal for interacting with the operating system; however, sometimes it seems that using the terminal is unavoidable. I think that Ubuntu Linux should have a built-in tutorial for all new users to learn at least the basics of the Linux terminal commands.
Your best overall Linux distribution of choice
- Availability across cloud vendors is unmatched, you can expect that any cloud or hosting setup will offer a Ubuntu Linux image for you to use.
- Community support is great. Canonical does a great job supporting the system and the community does its part with forum participation, documentation and email support.
- Being based on Debian, it offers a more "modern" stable system than the former, with newer versions of most software. If you want the quality and stability from a Debian distribution, but also want modern software, this is the distribution of choice.
- The desktop environment is one of the bests for end users in the Linux ecosystem.
- Server setup and configuration is easy with the extended utilities and software from Canonical.
- It's a standard among Linux distributions, so you can trust that almost any Linux software will be packaged for your Ubuntu distribution.
- I'd like to see Canonical REALLY betting on desktop Linux and move one step forward with innovation in that area to improve user adoption.
- Desktop UI decisions have been not-so-happy in the past. The ability to move back and forth with Unity has pushed a lot of users in favor of options. Having REAL desktop environment options is something to improve as well.
- Improvements in interoperability with other OSes would be very welcome. Sometimes it's just hard to communicate with MacOS or Windows across some protocols. Maybe it's due to the private nature of these protocols, but alternatives are around, we just need to compile and improve them.
- Flexibility. It is easy to add and remove services. As our business needs change, so can our Ubuntu Linux system.
- Software Updates. Very rarely does a software update break Ubuntu. If issues do arise it is fairly easy to back out the changes
- Third-party applications. The lack of mainstream applications, like MS Office, make it more difficult to deploy any Linux system at the client end.
- Linux is more of a do it yourself OS. Implementation, support, and use require more technical expertise than other OS's, most notably macOS.
Ubuntu Linux is less appropriate for end users with little or no experience with open systems management and use.
New experiences using Ubuntu
- It is a very stable and easy administration platform. It defines roles and profiles for installation, graphic environment and only command. line.
- In the internal operation is a platform that helps us to support websites for employees. Its integration with web services and its graphic environment make an easy management of the platform.
- It is very useful to carry out tests and validations in its desktop versions, for the development area it allows having virtual environments and doing many tests before launching a service.
- Cleaning of packages or incomplete installations in a graphic environment
- Better documentation and help for the configuration of the firewall, in the graphics mode, and the command line. Not all users are experts in this area and implementing it can be very difficult.
Ubuntu - The first real competitor to Windows
- Usability ( ease of installation)
- "Store" concept: bringing package management (in Linux this has always been a problem) into the 21st century
- Flexibility ( there are sub-distros of Ubuntu)
- Debian-based (so some sanity in package management)
- Too system-oriented: often contains large libraries to accomplish just one small problem (remind of you another OS?)
- Requires too many resources to run simple software (i.e. TOO pretty)
- Unity.
My experience with Ubuntu Linux
- The user interface is sleek, intuitive, and easy to use. I love it! It is also highly customizable.
- Package installation is very easy. You can either download via the command prompt or search for packages within the Ubuntu software center and download via the GUI.
- Ubuntu is much more lightweight than Windows, has less bugs, and is more stable.
- Not all software is compatible with Ubuntu Linux. Many of our collaborators use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.), which makes sharing files difficult.
- Adobe is not available for Ubuntu Linux, and although it is not a huge issue, it is somewhat annoying when working with collaborators who do use Adobe software.
- Hardware support for Ubuntu operating systems is limited.
Ubuntu makes your developers happy!
- Efficient & fast
- Installation of software packages
- Automatic security updates
- Up to date libraries
- Authentication with AD
- Security certification