Ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) is an African word representing an ethical concept emphasizing community, sharing and generosity. In effect, it means “good will to others”.

Ubuntu Linux is a community developed, Debian-based computer operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need – a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more. Ubuntu’s slogan is “Linux for human beings” which is apt, as the Ubuntu project is a massive attempt at bringing ease of use for beginners and experts alike to an operating system traditionally (and stereotypically) known for being a difficult geek-only command-line zone.

Ubuntu was conceived by Mark Shuttleworth – an entrepenuer and self-made millionaire who used open source software to found an Internet security certificates company called Thawte. Mark has since sold that company for several millions, but decided that he needed to give back to the Linux community that helped him make his millions. So using Debian as a foundation, he created a new Linux distribution with the aim of being easy to use by anyone and dubbed it “Ubuntu”. The Ubuntu logo also symbolises friendship and community. Dubbed the “circle of friends”, the logo represents people (three in this case) of different backgrounds with their arms intertwined and looking up at the world.

In the three years following its initial release in October 2004, Ubuntu had transformed the face of Linux in ways that no other distro has ever managed to do in the ten years preceding it, and has almost single-handedly put Linux on the world map as a serious and practical alternative desktop operating system to the established contender, Microsoft Windows. Note that Ubuntu Linux is not attempting to be a competitor to Windows. Linux is not Windows, nor is it is a “Better Windows than Windows” either. Linux does many things differently to Windows which may initially seem alien to a user who has a full Windows background, but like anything new, an open mind and a sensible approach eventually sees many users wanting Windows to operate more like Linux!

Ubuntu as a project is currently funded out of Mark’s own back pocket as of this writing, however Ubuntu has now become such a hallmark that it will soon be purely self-funded through the support contracts Canonical have gained with large corporate and government bodies over the years as Ubuntu becomes more widely accepted as a bonafide operating system to run a business on.

Ubuntu’s professional and enthusiast community is massive as reflected by the mammoth entity that is the Ubuntu Forums and the Ubuntu Brainstorm sites, and is quite possibly the only distribution that has become so ubiquitous that it has spawned its own dedicated third-party magazine publication and even a comic strip!

You can read up about Ubuntu at Wikipedia or visit Ubuntu’s home page where you can download or order copies of the server and desktop Ubuntu products – completely free of charge (due to Ubuntu’s immense popularity, as of Q4 2009, there are now restrictions imposed on which people can order a free CD instead of simply downloading the ISO images and burning it to their own CD).

So you really only need to ask yourself one thing… Do you Ubuntu?