 Ubuntu (pronounced Ooo..bun...two) is a feature rich operating system developed by the world wide open source community. This means that instead of the software being developed by a company, in a building, by employees, it has been developed by thousands of volunteers, programmers, computer enthusiasts, and geeks from almost every country in the world. Its hard to picture or understand how such a thing could come into being, be stable, easy to use, and well supported in an industry that is dominated by monetary gain, but it has, and continues to become a reflection of all of the brilliant minds that have created it. While the use of the software will not differ all that much from what you are used to (exept that it is faster and more secure), what differs is the underlying philosophy. While most software is developed with a desire only to make money, and is therefore very restricted and dependent, this software has been developed with the belief that all information should be open, and that when it is open, innovation is greater. This is a particularly welcome sentiment in light of recent corporate and economic events. In order to insure stability, there are "main hubs" where the software is inspected, tested and generally refined for mass use. In this way, the software continues to improve, provide regular updates, and become even more secure.  Although many software experts are drawn to Ubuntu because of the ability to access or change any part of the system if they so choose, You do not need to be a computer wizard to use and enjoy it! In fact, in some ways, as a former WindowsTM user, I find Ubuntu easier to use and understand. The Layout is very intuitive, and the software familiar. There is also a great deal of free software available for Ubuntu. Under the Applications Menu in the top left corner of your desktop you will find the listing "ADD/REMOVE. This will provide you with a HUGE list of programs...games,office tools, graphics and video editing, as well as serious audio production, that you can install at the click of a button....all for free. You will need internet access to utilize this feature. It should also be noted that if there is software that you have purchased in the past for a Windows based system, you do not have to stop using it. Using A program called Wine, you can run most any Windows based application. You can even use a Virtual Machine program to run Windows inside of Ubuntu! Here is a comprehensive list and explanation of available Ubuntu Applications There is a great deal of documentation regarding any questions you might encounter in your use of Ubuntu or Xubuntu. A quick search in the search engine of your choice will bring an abundance of answers. The official forums are also good sources of information and expertise. View the Ubuntu Forum. Xubuntu is a scaled down (scaled down as in memory use. Not in functionality) version of Ubuntu that runs well on all machines, but better than Ubuntu on older machines with limited memory. We think that you will find the simple layout, and feature rich environments very enjoyable, and easy to access. Read more about Xubuntu Applications.  Ubuntu and Xubuntu are very secure operating systems which attract considerably less virus and malware issues than other operating systems. Your system will come pre-installed with a commonly known user name and password. Username = Shop Password = Goodwill It is therefore STRONGLY recommended that the very first thing you do upon receiving your computer is change the user name and password. A complete description on how to do that with screen shots here. We greatly appreciate your business, and hope you enjoy your purchase. Thank you for shopping at shopgoodwill.com! Return to Shopgoodwill.com If you would like an in-depth explanation on how Linux ( what Ubuntu/Xubuntu are made from) is, in many ways, a better over all Operating System, please read HERE Or read the Wikipedia Definition. Ubuntu Videos... Mark Shuttleworth Ubuntu Developers Summit hosted at Google For serious Geeks, The Ubuntu Developers Channel P.S. It is strongly encouraged that if you appreciate what the open-source community is doing (of which you are now a part) that you donate to the official site of your operating system. Even a dollar makes a difference. . . |