Ubuntu Features

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system. Ubuntu is designed for smartphones, network servers, and computers. It is developed by Canonical Ltd, which is a UK-based company. All of the principles used to create the Ubuntu software are based on open-source software development principles.

Ubuntu is popular in universities and research groups because it combines all the features of Unix OS with a customizable graphical user interface.

Ubuntu includes a number of software programs, for example, LibreOffice and Firefox. It is also possible to run proprietary software on Ubuntu.

The GNU General Public License is used to license many of Ubuntu's software products. This permits users to create their own version of programs by copying, changing, developing, and redistributing them.

GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment, pronounced gah-NOHM), a graphical user interface (GUI), and as a suite of desktop applications for Linux. GNOME is a desktop environment for Linux that is comparable to the Windows desktop interface. It is designed to make Linux accessible to people who are not programmers.

Background

Ubuntu is created on the infrastructure and architecture of Debian and is composed of Linux desktop, server, and discontinued tablet and phone OS versions. Ubuntu published updated releases every six months predictably, and all versions receive free support for 9 months with security fixes, substantially profitable low-risk bug fixes, and high-impact conservative and bug fixes. The first version was published in October 2004.

• Current LTS versions are supported for 5 years and are published every two years. Each fourth version has gotten long-term support since the publication of Ubuntu 6.06. Long-term support contains updates for hardware, security updates and patches to the 'Ubuntu stack'. The first LTS versions were accessible for three years and five years for the desktop and server, respectively. The LTS support for desktops was also enhanced to five years since Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. LTS versions get daily point releases along with support for integration and hardware of every update released in that series.
• Ubuntu packages are package-based on the unstable branch of Debian, which are synchronized each six months. Distributions use the package management tools and Deb format of Debian. However, Ubuntu and Debian packages are not binary compatible necessarily with each other; hence, packages may require to be re-created from the source to be utilized in Ubuntu. Also, several Ubuntu developers are key package maintainers in Debian.
• Ubuntu collaborates with Debian by forcing modifications back to Debian. However, there has been an opinion that it doesn't often happen enough. The founder of Debian, Ian Murdock, had potentially shown concern about the packages of Ubuntu diverging very far from Debian to stay compatible. Packages are imported continuously from Debian unstable and combined with the Ubuntu-specific changes. Imports are frozen, and then packages work to guarantee that the frozen aspects interoperate together one month before publication.
• Currently, Ubuntu is financed by Canonical Ltd. Canonical and Mark Shuttleworth introduced the Ubuntu Foundation creation and offered initial funding of 10 US million dollars on 8 July 2005. The goal of the foundation is to guarantee the development and support for every future release of Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth specifies the foundation's purpose to guarantee the Ubuntu project continuity.
• Ubuntu introduced developer support for the platforms of third-party cloud management, such as those utilized at Amazon EC2.
• 32-bit x86 processors were also supported up to the 18.04 version of Ubuntu. It was concluded to support "legacy software", i.e., choose 32-bit i386 packages for Ubuntu 19.10 and 20.04 LTS.

Ubuntu Features

The following are some essential features of Ubuntu:

1. Office software
2. An open-source operating system
3. Web browsing
4. Email
5. Photos
6. Videos
7. Gaming
8. A whole world of apps
9. Backed by Canonical
10. No Antivirus
11. Hardware autoconfiguration
12. Software Repositories
13. Multiple desktops
14. ssh client

1. Office Software

In Ubuntu, we have a software called LibreOffice, via which we can create professional documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. LibreOffice is an open-source office suite that is compatible with Microsoft Office. That means we can open and modify files such as Word documents, PowerPoint, and Excel spreadsheets and share them with other people easily and quickly. Google docs can also be used directly from our desktop.

2. An Open-Source Operating System

In Ubuntu, our code is openly shared during the development cycle. We're transparent about our plans for future releases, so as a developer, hardware manufacturer, or OEM, we can start developing Ubuntu applications and systems right now.

3. Email

Thunderbird, Mozilla's famous email applications is included with Ubuntu, so we'll have quick access to our email from our desktop. Email works regardless of the email service we use, such as Microsoft Exchange, Hotmail, Gmail, POP 3, or IMAP.

4. Web Browsing

Ubuntu and Firefox, both famed for their speed and security, make browsing the web a pleasure once more. Ubuntu now supports Chrome and other browsers, which we can get via the Ubuntu Software Centre.

5. Photos

Ubuntu has a plethora of free apps to let you enjoy, edit, manage and share the photos-whatever camera you use to take photos. With excellent support for cameras and phones, we won't require any additional drivers to get started.

In Ubuntu, we can easily and quickly import, edit, organize and view our photos using Shotwell. We can also share our favourite photos on any of the famous websites and social media platforms.

Tools like Gimp and Krita, both accessible in the Ubuntu Software centre ad we can use these tools to edit images or create professional illustrations and designs.

6. Videos

On Ubuntu, we can watch HD videos in our browser or with the default Movie Player, VLC, and OpenShot from the Snap Store. Use Shotcut or kdenlive to edit our videos, then watch them in Movie Player.

7. Gaming

In Ubuntu, from Sudoku to first-person shooters, we have a number of games that will keep us engaged for hours. There are thousands of games, including titles from the Unity and Steam platforms. Choice from critically acclaimed titles like Dota2, Kerbal Space Program, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.

8. A Whole World of Apps

Thousands of apps are available for download on Ubuntu. Most of them are free to download and install with just a few clicks. For example, VLC player, Firefox, Chromium, Telegram, PyCharm, Skype, Spotify, Atom, Slack, etc.

9. Backed by Canonical

Canonical is a multinational software company that offers commercial, design, and engineering support to the project of Ubuntu. Hundreds of laptops and workstations have been pre-installed with Ubuntu by Ubuntu's hardware enablement team throughout the world.

10. No Antivirus

In the Windows environment, security practices are extremely contradictory. Most of the same companies which write Windows software also make millions of dollars providing hogging applications that safeguard Windows apps from security issues. Although Ubuntu is not malware protected, it is as secure as it needs to be for most users right out of the box, even without the addition of any expensive antivirus scanners.

11. Hardware Autoconfiguration

Another feature of Ubuntu is hardware autoconfiguration. Most hardware drivers are already included in Ubuntu. Anybody who has installed a Windows generic version of Windows (i.e., one that has not been pre-configured by a PC vendor to work with specific hardware) understands how convenient it is not to spend hours looking for drivers after the operating system has been installed.

12. Software Repositories

It's a tremendous advantage to install a number of applications from the repositories of Ubuntu in some clicks. Apart from the fact that the software is free and safer than .exe packages, which are downloaded from random websites, installing programs from a centralized location is far more convenient.

13. Multiple Desktops

The virtual desktops are similar to tabbed web browsing- we do not understand how beneficial they are until we use them. There are various third-party tools for achieving the same capability on Windows, but few of them perform properly with Vista and higher, in our experience.

14. ssh Client

Having a ssh client embedded into the operating system is a significant advantage for us. There are several ssh clients for Windows, such as Putty, but none of them come pre-installed in Windows, and even the finest of them isn't as functional as gnome-terminal.

Advantages of Ubuntu

Below are some essential advantages of Ubuntu:

1. Ubuntu is free and an open-source operating system
2. Ubuntu is more secure
3. Ubuntu runs without install
4. Ubuntu supports window tiling
5. Ubuntu is more resource-friendly
6. Ubuntu is completely customizable
7. A well-rounded operating system for desktop computing
8. Minimal hardware or system requirements

Disadvantages of Ubuntu

Below are some disadvantages of Ubuntu:

1. Issues with Commercialization vs. open-source software.
2. Compatibility issues with software and hardware.
3. There are other Linux operating systems that are better.
4. Has a small number of uninteresting game titles.
5. Limited Functionality as a result of a small number of applications.

Package support and classification

Ubuntu categorizes almost every software into four different domains to show variations in licensing and the support degree available. A few unsupported applications get updates through community members but not through Canonical Ltd.

The free software contains software that has the same requirements as the Ubuntu licensing, which is roughly related to the Debian Free Software Guidelines. However, exceptions contain firmware within the Main category as some firmware is not permitted to be changed, but its distribution is still allowed.

• Usually, non-free software is unsupported, but a few exceptions are available for essential non-free software. Non-free software (supported) contains device drivers that could be used to execute Ubuntu on a few current hardware, like binary-only graphics card drivers.
• The support level in the Restricted category is more restricted than Main, as the developers may not have the authorization to access the source code. It's intended that the Restricted and Main should include every software required for a complete desktop environment. For the same programs and tasks, alternative programs are placed in the Multiverse and Universe categories for specialized applications.
• Officially, Ubuntu Backports is a recognized repository to backport new software from older releases of Ubuntu, where the software doesn't get new aspects after the first release. The repository isn't comprehensive; it is primarily composed of user-requested packages approved when they meet all quality guidelines. Backports gets no support from Canonical at all and is community-maintained entirely.
• The -updates repository offers SRU (stable religious updates) of Ubuntu and is normally installed from the update-manager. All releases are given its -updates repository. The repository is also supported by Canonical Ltd. for several packages in restricted and main and by the community in multiverse and universe for packages. Every update to the repository must be the same as certain requirements and experience the -proposed repository before being publicly made available.