You don’t need to pay for Ubuntu, and the software installed on Ubuntu because Ubuntu and the software which comes bundled for it, or can be installed on it like VLC Media Play, LibreOffice, Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are open source free software which means mostly volunteers maintain and support the software and operating system for Ubuntu.
You also don’t have to buy and subscribe to anti-virus, anti-malware, and computer security software to keep Ubuntu secure since Ubuntu is a very safe operating system which is very hard to get infected with viruses. You’ll also save time by not needing to learn how to use computer security and maintenance software for Windows and Mac since Ubuntu does a pretty good job of scanning for disk errors, and fixing them on a regular automatic scheledule, and Ubuntu automatically checks for updates for you to install to fix bugs, security problems, and errors in Ubuntu when they are discovered.
Most of the software in the Ubuntu Software Center is free for you to download, and install on your computer. There are some paid software in the Ubuntu Software Center but their prices are not super expensive.
You can also use Ubuntu One Cloud online back up which gives you 5GB of free online disk space to back up your files to Ubuntu’s online file hosting service.
Ubuntu does not break much in my experience, so you would not need to hire a PC Technician to fix your PC.
The System Requirements for Ubuntu are also very low for a modern operating system which means you can install it on most computers which are over 5-10 years or older depending on the speed of the CPU and memory. If you have a newer computer, you can continue using the latest version of Ubuntu as they are released to the public since the system requirements don’t really change much every few years like Windows or Mac.
Ubuntu does not even require a hard drive if you choose to run Ubuntu from a Live CD or USB 1GB Flash drive, so you can use it on computers which can boot from CD or USB Flash drive which are most computers built in the last 10+ years.
Ubuntu also only needs 4GB or less of disk space depending on how many 3rd-party programs which you installed on your computer from the Ubuntu Software Center. This means you can install Ubuntu on cheaper Netbooks, laptops, and older desktops with smaller hard drive capacities like 10GB or lower, or you can replace your hard drive with a smaller sized Solid State drive for faster performance, and less power consumption which save a little on electricity.
I also notice Ubuntu does not use as much CPU, RAM, and networking resources when I am using it compared to non-Linux operating system, so this could mean your hardware will last longer because of its efficient use in Ubuntu.
The Hard drive in Ubuntu also does not need read and write as much when you are just using it for simple tasks like word processing, e-mail, and reading since it does not need to defrag the drive, scan for viruses, malware, and spyware in the background while you work, so your work place should be less quiete.
Because Ubuntu use less system resources, this mean your programs like Firefox, LibreOffice, etc which are installed in Ubuntu have more CPU and free RAM to use to run faster, so this will save you a lot of time in the long run with savings of minutes to seconds when doing work.
Ubuntu more efficient use of hardware resources means you’ll spend less money on computer hardware over time compared to using a proprietary operating system like Windows and Mac.
The Startup and shutdown times are also a lot faster on older computers running Ubuntu, so you get to start working on your work faster, and shutting down your PC faster which will increase your productivity, and electricity bill since your computer won’t be ON as much since startup and shutdowns are faster.
Lastly, there are a lot of free resources like this website, forums, blogs, books, videos, and user groups dedicated to helping newbies learn how to use Ubuntu and Linux compatible software.
In the long run, you could save hundreds to thousands of dollars in hardware and software cost, and many hours to days worth of time since you don’t have to do long intensive computer security scans, and virus removal in Ubuntu like Windows.