What is Linux
Linux is an open Source operating system developed by people form all over the world. Open source means anyone can contribute to the project and anyone can download and use it for free.
An operating system is special software like Microsoft Windows which provides and environment for people to use their computer. Linux is based on a old and secure operating system called Unix.
Although Microsoft makes a lot of money selling their operating systems, Linux is completely free. But there are many companies out there who make money by creating their own flavour of Linux called distributions, by selling support to people and businesses who use their product.
Ubuntu Desktop
Ubuntu is a major player on the Linux distribution seen. Ubuntu made a huge splash about 10 years ago when Dell started selling computer with Ubuntu preinstalled and it has really taken off after that.
Ubuntu comes in two versions.
The first is a desktop version like you are probably using now, for personal computers and laptops.
The second version is a server edition for server environments for everything from web server which web hosts use to display there pages, to company servers which control what people can and cant do on a network.
For simplicity I am going to talk about the desktop version here because it is something just about any person can use.
Try Ubuntu Desktop
The first thing you need to know about Ubuntu Desktop is you do not need to install it on your computer just to try it. That means no loosing your files or going to a big effort to install it on your computer, only to find out you don’t like it.
Simply download the ISO from the Ubuntu server here, and burn it to CD. If you are familiar with installing operating systems, you can put the CD into your computer and boot from it, and instead of installing Ubuntu Desktop, click try Ubuntu instead.
This will run slower as you will be basically running the software from a optical drive rather than a hard disk, but at least you can try it out and see a lot of its functionality.
What can i do with Ubuntu Desktop
There are so many things you can do with Linux, too many to mention all here. But here are a few:
Install LAMP
Ever wanted to hose your own mail or web server? LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, Mysql and PHP, all the things you will need to start a basic web server to build on.
People from anywhere on the internet can see you very own web page you have completely control.
Install APPGrid
When Linux first started up it was only command line. Basically a black screen with white writing like DOS.
Over time developers have been making their own desktops and there are a lot out there which basically work on all versions of Linux. AppGrid is an additional layer for your desktop to maintain and add applications to your linux installation.
Install and Awesome theme
Every day tonnes of people from everywhere are making new themes for Linux Gone are the days where your computer needs to look the same every day and a fresh new theme can give your boarding desktop a new look.
