Ubuntu Is Built from Many Pieces

The first thing to know is that Ubuntu is built around an operating system kernel called Linux. The kernel is the program that is responsible for coordinating all of a computer’s hardware and software. It manages hardware driver support, schedules how applications run and cooperate together and communicate with hardware, and takes care of a lot of behind-the-scenes details that we don’t generally worry about when it comes to using a computer.

The kernel itself doesn’t do anything on its own. It lets other software run in a way that can be built around the operating system and not the specific hardware. This means that a lot of other software must be written to be used with the Linux kernel and distributed alongside that kernel in order to produce a working, controllable computer system.

There are a lot of working parts, and the first thing you’ll usually hear about when you look online is the GNU project. The Free Software Foundation rewrote a lot of the Unix userspace tools , or the command-line utilities that one would use to work with Unix using a text interface. The goal was to provide utilities that could be freely used, examined, modified, and distributed. When the Linux kernel was first published in 1991, the GNU userspace was quickly brought to Linux and together they made a complete, freely distributable operating system that others could build on.

Because it takes a lot of software working together to create a working system, it is common to see references to a GNU/Linux operating system. I won’t use that convention in this book but GNU tools are a major underpinning of most modern Linux-based systems, and we’ll be using a lot of them in Chapter 5 .

Since 1991, Linux has been bundled with other software and distributed in a way that makes it usable out of the box. Several projects began to form that distributed bundles in different ways, and these are now known as Linux distributions, or distros for short. The first distro to focus on creating a full computer system containing only Free Software was called Debian, and since 1993 it has gathered together a vast collection of freely redistributable software that runs on over 20 different computer architectures and can be further modified for use in other projects. Ubuntu builds upon Debian for each release.

Free Software is a term of art that refers to software that can be used for any purpose, commercial or private, and can be freely examined, modified, and redistributed to others. This allowed Linux to receive improvements from others and incorporate these changes so that everyone could benefit from them. It also allowed a more and more useful collection of software to be included along with the new kernel.

Ubuntu Is Linux for Human Beings

In 2004, a Debian developer named Mark Shuttleworth decided that he wanted to take Debian and focus on releasing on a consistent, time-based schedule that would offer fresh software but with special attention given to polishing the user experience and providing high-quality language translations as well. Linux distros tended to include massive amounts of software that you had to choose between during installation, and it often took three to five CDs’ worth of data to download before you could start an install. In the early 2000s, this was a lot of information to download. One of Ubuntu’s initial goals was to fit on a single CD and provide a beautiful desktop with one web browser, one office suite, one email client, and so on. By doing so, the install process was simple and streamlined but additional and alternative software choices were still only a few clicks away.

Another major goal was to build a community that embraced the African philosophy of ubuntu —humanity toward others. Thus, the Ubuntu Code of Conduct ( https://www.ubuntu.com/about/about-ubuntu/conduct ) set clear guidelines for how community members should treat each other. The idea that everyone should be treated with respect and newcomers should be welcomed and celebrated worked to create an online community that was much friendlier and respectful than a lot of other technical communities. It was such a successful example that Ubuntu spread very quickly and many technical communities have adopted their own codes of conduct.

As Ubuntu continued to mature, it further distinguished itself from its origins. While Ubuntu still depends greatly on the Linux kernel, the GNU userspace, the Debian distribution, and thousands of other software projects, it still brings these components together in a way that offers a stunning and unique desktop experience right out of the box. This collaboration also allows Ubuntu to provide security updates and bug fixes to all of the software it installs on your computer.

Ubuntu has been working to redefine the desktop experience, and the Unity desktop shell is a brilliant and bold new interface that dedicates almost your entire screen to your applications but keeps your favorite applications, indicators, and hybrid local and online searches at your fingertips. In addition, a single 1.5 GB DVD download results in a comprehensive, complete computing experience in only about 4 GB of space once installed on your hard drive. From there you can add other software as you see fit.

By knowing some of the history of Ubuntu, we can see how it can be so different than other operating systems. But these differences are often strengths. Because Ubuntu is freely distributable, you can download and try it for free. And the install image that you download can also be installed on a USB drive instead of a DVD, and you can even run Ubuntu directly from the install media and give it a try before you actually choose to install it. That means that the best way to learn more about Ubuntu is to dive in and just try it. But it also means that an Ubuntu disc can be used to test and recover data from computers that aren’t working too well, even if they’re not running Ubuntu.

A wide array of software that can be arranged to accomplish any task, dozens of supported languages, and a friendly, helpful community to turn to for support and exciting activities are just some of the things that make Ubuntu so great. Chapter 1 will help you get Ubuntu installed and up and running so that you can experience it for yourself.

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS is the latest long-term support release of Ubuntu. It provides a platform for a lot of different experiences and will continue to receive security updates until April 2021. For simplicity’s sake, this book is going to assume that you are running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS installed on a computer hard drive, and Chapter 1 is going to help you set this up. But as you explore Ubuntu and become more comfortable with it, you may want to use your computer in a different manner than Ubuntu assumes. There are various flavors of Ubuntu that come preinstalled with different software selections. They are useful in a lot of different circumstances, but all are variations of Ubuntu. You could install Ubuntu and end up with the same configuration as any flavor just by adding and removing software. Chapter 1 will describe some of these differences as well.

If you do not already have an Ubuntu DVD, visit the Ubuntu web site at https://www.ubuntu.com/ and download the Ubuntu Desktop installer. Every six months a new installer called a “point release” will be available that contains all updates up to that point. At the time of publication, Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS is the latest version.