Linux, the free operating system for PC’s, has come along way since its first appearance in the early 90’s.  Created by Linus Torvalds in 1991 as a free alternative to UNIX, it is now widely used in numerous systems from servers to netbooks.   Various versions (distros) have been created over the years – Red Hat, Suse, Mandrake, Ubuntu – some are still around while others have disapared.

The Ubuntu distro started in 2004 with the aim of increasing the uptake of Linux on the desktop PC and it now appears widely on various systems – ACER Aspire One netbooks, ASUS EeePC and Dell have all come with Ubuntu pre-loaded.  The name Ubuntu comes from an African word meaning ‘Humanity to others’, or ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’.

I’ve been having a play with Ubuntu on my laptop – which already had Windows on it.  To install it on a PC already running another OS is a very simple process – it does all the work to create a new partition and setup the boot screen giving you a list of OS on your PC to boot from.

Why use Ubuntu? Aside from the fact that the OS itself is free, it also comes with a huge range of free software, including:

• OpenOffice for word processing, spreadsheets and presentation;
• The GIMP for all your graphics needs;
• Evolution for email;
• Rhythmbox Music Player;
• Firefox web browser;

And to add new software its just a case of using the built-in ‘package manager’ (applications for Linux comes in the form of packages) to search for software by keyword or name.

Ubuntu also comes with a number of ‘mega-packages’ aimed at eduction (edubuntu) – from pre-school to tertiary.  These mega-packages includes a huge range of software from games to programming tools.

Here are just some of the educational software included in these free downloads:

• Marble globe and map widget;
• tuxmath math game for kids with Tux;
• tuxpaint A paint program for young children;
• kstars desktop planetarium;

Some screenshots:

So is Ubuntu the ultimate free lunch? It would appear so – other than having to buy a PC to put it on!  One nice thing about Ubuntu is that it will run happily on systems that Windows would struggle with.  This means it can be loaded on older hardware or on something like the Viewsonic PC mini 120 which is available without a pre-installed OS from DRG Technology for as little as $350 + GST.