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Why Choose Ubuntu Linux operating system?

The main reason you should choose Ubuntu Linux as your computer operating system of choice is because it is free. It is also widely supported since Ubuntu is always being updated with new updates for the Latest versions of Ubuntu which is Ubuntu 11.04 as of May 2011.

Ubuntu Linux can also run better on older computers compared to the latest versions of MS Windows and Mac OS X on a computer with slower computer parts. A computer with only a 1GHz CPU, 10GB hard drive, onboard video, onboard video and 512MB of RAM can typically run Ubuntu Linux at a decent speed, so the user does not experience much slowness when running their computer on Ubuntu compared to using Windows Vista on a older computer with only 512MB of RAM. Ubuntu also does not use your SWAP/Page file as aggressively as Windows since Ubuntu does not use as much RAM as Windows, so it has no need to use your SWAP file very aggressively unless your computer has very little RAM, and you are opening many applications at the same time while multi-tasking. If your computer have a decent amount of RAM like 1GB then Ubuntu would be a great operating system for your multi-tasking needs. My computer only have 1GB of RAM, but it runs great in Ubuntu while I surf the web, have a word processor open, and listen to music. Also, Ubuntu Linux is easy to upgrade to. Most of the time you can just use the Ubuntu update manager to update to the latest version of Ubuntu by agreeing to let Ubuntu download the install files, and automatically upgrading to Ubuntu. Plus, I notice Ubuntu does not make it a requirement for you to upgrade your computer with more RAM and a faster CPU like upgrading Windows since the CPU and RAM requirements are very low by today’s minimum requirements for an operating system. If your computer does not meet the system requirements for the latest version of Ubuntu, you can still safely use Ubuntu without fear of getting attacked by a virus since the chances of Ubuntu getting attacked by a virus is very unlikely unlike running an older version of Microsoft Windows which stop getting updates and new security features.

Ubuntu Linux can also be use to make a Dual-boot computer where you can use your computer for running Ubuntu or Windows by selecting which operating system which you want to start from during computer start up. Ubuntu Linux can also be used to read and write NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, and FAT formatted hard drive formatted for Windows, and HFS+ for Apple Mac OS X formatted hard drive.

The Ubuntu LiveCD or Ubuntu install on a hard drive can also be used for data recovery when Windows or Mac OS X fails to start up, but you need to recover some files. All you have to do is start your computer into Ubuntu, and browse to the drive where you saved your files to, and copy it to an external hard drive or flash drive or your Ubuntu hard drive location if you have Ubuntu installed locally on your hard drive. You can also use Ubuntu to delete locked files and virus programs if you know the location of the file which you want to delete.

You can use the Ubuntu LiveCD to test your computer memory since Ubuntu comes bundled with a memory tester program called memtest. The Ubuntu LiveCD is also good for testing your computer hardware like video card, sound card, network card, mouse, and keyboard since if it works in Ubuntu, but does not work in Windows then there are very high chances you have a Windows problem which is preventing Windows from using your computer hardware.

Also, some older computer accessories like printers, scanners, video cards, and sound cards may not work on the latest versions of Windows or Mac, but work on Ubuntu Linux operating System.

Ubuntu Linux also is easy to use since most of the most used programs like media players, office suites, e-mail client, chat programs, web browsers, dictionary, etc are pre-installed on the liveCD, so you can use them from the CD, or after installing Ubuntu on your hard drive. Ubuntu’s user interface is also very easy to use since it uses Windows, a desktop, icons, and folders to let you use your computer like Windows and Mac. It also comes in many different languages, so if English is not your native language, you can switch the language in Ubuntu to your native language during the install, or using the LiveCD.

Ubuntu is also very easy to install on your computer. All you have to do is burn a copy of the Ubuntu Linux Live CD, and start your computer from the LiveCD where you have the option to try out Ubuntu from the CD, or install it onto your hard drive. If you want to install Ubuntu onto your hard drive, all you have to select the option to install Ubuntu onto your hard drive from the start up menu for the Live CD, and follow the step by step instructions to install Ubuntu onto your PC. The Ubuntu themes, visual effects, and graphical user interface settings are also pretty cool. In Ubuntu, you can also have multiple workspaces/desktops, so you can improve your multi-casting, and make your desktop less cluttered by having more then one work space. Also, when using Ubuntu Linux, your desktop is less cluttered since when you install new programs to Ubuntu, there won’t be a new Shortcut on your desktop since all the shortcuts are conveniently located in your applications menu on the top toolbar in Ubuntu. You can still make shortcuts for your applications on your desktop if you want to, but there is less need to since every shortcut in your applications menu is nicely organize in submenus like games, media, etc.

One of the main advantages of Ubuntu Linux over other popular operating system is it can’t get infected by the millions of Windows Virus programs, and virus programs for other operating systems like Mac since Ubuntu can’t natively run Windows programs including virus programs, so you do not have to install an anti-virus or firewall program to keep Ubuntu secure like Windows and Mac based operating systems.

Ubuntu Linux is also more stable in my experience. Ubuntu hardly crashes or freezes when I am using it. It also starts up and shut down very quickly on most computers made in the last 5 years. I also do not have to run disk defrags, disk cleanups, registry scans, disable start up programs, or do any software based maintenance except sometimes running the Ubuntu update manager sometimes. Plus, by running Ubuntu Update Manager, you also have the option of updating third party software like Adobe Flash, FireFox, Google Chrome, etc. This save you the trouble of manually updating your Ubuntu software by going to the website to download the installer, and running the installer to update to the latest version of Google Chrome, or other 3rd party software for Ubuntu. There are also games which you can download for Ubuntu Linux by using the Ubuntu Software Center, downloading them from online linux games websites or running Windows Games on Wine.

Using Linux based operating systems with Wine Windows Compatibility layer is one of the only ways to run Windows based software and games without buying a computer with a Windows Operating System when you use Wine to run Windows based programs in Ubuntu Linux which is free for life. However, not all Windows software and games are compatible with Ubuntu Linux which has Wine installed. Hopefully, in the future more games which you can be found on Windows can also be installed on Ubuntu Linux.

Ubuntu also now have the Ubuntu software center which is a free online directory which list a lot of compatible software for Ubuntu which are safe and work for Ubuntu operating systems. This makes it harder for hackers to trick you into installing malware programs which can ruin your computer. Plus, using the Ubuntu Software Center program to install and uninstall programs is very simple since it has a built-in search engines to find software for doing tasks like media playback, chat, etc. Best of all, most of the programs on the Ubuntu Software Center is free to download, and use.

newer versions of Ubuntu Linux like 10.10, 11.04, and future versions now provides 2 GB of free online storage which is password protected for backing up your important files like documents, photos, music, etc to their online server when you sign up for a Ubuntu One Online Cloud storage account. Ubuntu One is similar to DropBox, but you can backup more then one folder unlike Dropbox where you can only backup your Dropbox folder.

In Summary, Ubuntu Linuxcan be the perfect free Operating System you are looking for to install on your desktop computer or laptop because Ubuntu Linux is free, fast, stable, and secure. Plus, it can do every kind of tasks which paid operating systems can do.

To learn more about Ubuntu Linux, I recommend that you buy a copy of Official Ubuntu Book, The (5th Edition) to learn all the advantages of Ubuntu Linux 10.04, and how you can use Ubuntu in your daily computing needs like office work, photos, entertainment, internet, e-mail, and multimedia.

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