There are lots and lots of Linux distros and almost all of them are free to use. Linux Red Hat is one of the few paid Linux distros. Well, you might have heard of the name Ubuntu when there was a talk of Linux OS. That is because lots of people use Ubuntu because of its simple interface and user friendliness. I used to use Fedora Core on my desktop which I had made into a dual boot system with Windows XP installed on it. It was quite hard working with Fedora Core (Free linux distro based on Red Hat) as it was not as simple. Then I heard of Ubuntu and I checked it out. After a week of downloading using Bittorrent (I have a 64Kbps net connection 
) the wait was finally over. I deleted Fedora Core from my hard drive and installed Ubuntu instead. Since then, I have never used another Linux distro. I am fairly new to Linux and Ubuntu made it quite simple for me to use a Linux OS. If it weren’t for my internet connection, I would still be using Ubuntu as my main OS (couldn’t configure PPPoE connection, got some unexpected errors). I think it was a one of problem and it might have been caused by my network card (don’t know for sure).
Well, if you want to try out Ubuntu for yourself you should start by downloading Ubuntu for free. I recommend you use download it by using Bittorrent. If you have a slow internet connection like mine, you are better off buying a CD or you can order a free Ubuntu CD here. It will take ten weeks for delivery thoug . After you get hold of an Ubuntu OS, you can install it on a partitioned hard drive (will be quite difficult for novice Linux users) or follow an installation process just like other windows softwares. This won’t mess with your boot loader or anything so for a trial use, this is the best option. There is a special software inside the ISO file or the Ubuntu CD which lets you install and uninstall Ubuntu in a few click of a mouse button. If you are satisfied with it, then you can install it on your hard drive with a dual boot system.
Ubuntu has a lot of must have basic softwares that comes pre-installed so there is almost no need to download other softwares. The latest version of Ubuntu that is available to download is called Gutsy Gibbon and soon there will be another Ubuntu version release. All versions of Ubuntu is provided for free. Actually, Ubuntu was developed for the continent of Africa as not a lot of people there can afford to pay for an operating system and there was almost no user friendly Linux distro available which a computer novice could use without much knowledge. The newest version is called Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron and an ISO file was released for beta testing just on 20th of march 2008. Currently there are four variations of Ubuntu are
Ubuntu is an African word meaning ‘Humanity to others’, or ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. It will always be free of cost, including the updates and new versions. Ubuntu is available for PC, 64-Bit and Mac architectures. You will need a PC or any other computer with at least 256 MB of RAM which is required to run the desktop install CD. Installing Ubuntu requires at least 4 GB of disk space. The most recent full release of Ubuntu is 7.10 Gutsy Gibon which you can directly downloaded here.
You can wait for another 30 days or so for the new release of Ubuntu called Hardy Heron 8.04. I have to say this, Ubuntu is one of the most usable Linux distro and also economical if you can’t afford a Operating Systems like Windows XP or Windows Vista which costs a fortune. I will be downloading the Hardy Heron Ubuntu release and use it on my Dell Vostro 1500 laptop. I will write another article on Ubuntu Hardy Heron when it is out of beta stage.
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