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88-475: Ubuntu ( / ʊ ˈ b ʊ n t uː / uu- BUUN -too ) is a Linux distribution derived from Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software . Ubuntu is officially released in multiple editions: Desktop , Server , and Core for Internet of things devices and robots . The operating system is developed by the British company Canonical and a community of other developers, under

176-527: A Wayland compositor such as Sway , KDE 's KWin , or GNOME 's Mutter ), a desktop environment (most commonly GNOME , KDE Plasma , or Xfce ), a sound server (usually either PulseAudio or more recently PipeWire ), and other related programs may be included or installed by the user. Typically, most of the included software is free and open-source software – made available both as binary for convenience and as source code to allow for modifying it. A distro may also include proprietary software that

264-498: A meritocratic governance model. As of October 2024, the latest interim release is 24.10 ("Oracular Oriole"), with most-recent long-term support release is 24.04 ("Noble Numbat"). As with other Linux distributions, all of the editions can run on a computer alone, or in a virtual machine . An upgrade to Ubuntu is released every six months, with long-term support (LTS) releases every two years. Canonical provides security updates and support for each Ubuntu release, starting from

352-403: A 2 GB or larger installation medium. The last release of Ubuntu available on a minimal CD was 18.04. 32-bit x86 processors were supported up to Ubuntu 18.04. It was decided to support " legacy software ", i.e. select 32-bit i386 packages , for Ubuntu 19.10 (since out of support) and 20.04 LTS. On 9 August 2024, Ubuntu announced a change in policy to always use the latest upstream code of

440-439: A CD with only a small amount of data on it. New users tend to begin by partitioning a hard drive in order to keep their previously installed operating system. The Linux distribution can then be installed on its own separate partition without affecting previously saved data. In a Live CD setup, the computer boots the entire operating system from CD without first installing it on the computer's hard disk. Many distributions have

528-469: A DVD or USB flash drive and then booted. Other methods include running the live version via Ventoy , UNetbootin , Universal USB Installer , or Startup Disk Creator (a pre-installed tool on Ubuntu, available on machines already running the OS) directly from a USB drive (making, respectively, a live DVD or live USB medium). Running Ubuntu in this way is slower than running it from a hard drive , but does not alter

616-520: A Live CD installer , where the computer boots the operating system from the disk, and it can then be installed on the computer's hard disk, providing a seamless transition from the OS running from the CD to the OS running from the hard disk. Both servers and personal computers that come with Linux already installed are available from vendors including Hewlett-Packard , Dell and System76 . On embedded devices, Linux

704-422: A conscious effort to use a different operating system, and they must either perform the actual installation themselves, or depend on support from a friend, relative, or computer professional. Default (computer science) Default values are standards values that are universal to all instances of the device or model and intended to make the device as accessible as possible "out of the box" without necessitating

792-558: A developer. In combination with other freezes, this helps packagers ensure that frozen features interoperate well together. Ubuntu aims to be secure by default. User programs run with low privileges and cannot corrupt the operating system or other users' files. For increased security, the sudo tool is used to assign temporary privileges for performing administrative tasks, which allows the root account to remain locked and helps prevent inexperienced users from inadvertently making catastrophic system changes or opening security holes. Polkit

880-457: A different set of default packages compared to the standard Ubuntu Desktop. Since they share the same package repositories, all of the same software is available for each of them. Ubuntu Core is the sole exception as it only has access to packages in the Snap Store. The server edition (like the desktop version) supports hardware virtualization and can be run in a virtual machine , either inside

968-512: A distribution, an administrator may create a "distributionless" installation. It is possible to build such systems from scratch, avoiding distributions altogether. One needs a way to generate the first binaries until the system is self-hosting . This can be done via compilation on another system capable of building binaries for the intended target (possibly by cross-compilation ). For example, see Linux From Scratch . In broad terms, Linux distributions may be: The diversity of Linux distributions

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1056-784: A host operating system or in a hypervisor , such as VMware ESXi , Oracle , Citrix XenServer , Microsoft Hyper-V , QEMU , a Kernel-based Virtual Machine , or any other IBM PC compatible emulator or virtualiser. AppArmor security module for the Linux kernel is used by default on key software packages, and the firewall is extended to common services used by the operating system. It has versions of key server software pre-installed, including Tomcat, PostgreSQL (v12.2), Docker, Puppet, Python (v3.9), PHP (v8.0), NGINX (v1.17), and MySQL (v8.0). Ubuntu had some official distributions that have been discontinued, such as Gobuntu ; including some previously supported by Canonical, like Ubuntu Touch , that

1144-442: A lengthy configuration process prior to use. The user only has to modify the default settings according to their personal preferences. In many devices, the user has the option to restore these default settings for one or all options. Such an assignment makes the choice of that setting or value more likely, this is called the default effect . One use of default parameters is for initial settings for application software . For example,

1232-502: A list which is a reordering of former list, ordered by power-efficiency. On the TOP500 list, that supercomputer was ranked 170nd (and many Ubuntu-based rank higher than that). The public sector has also adopted Ubuntu. As of January 2009, the Ministry of Education and Science of North Macedonia deployed more than 180,000 Ubuntu-based classroom desktops, and has encouraged every student in

1320-404: A live CD or DVD). Creating a bootable USB drive with persistence is as simple as dragging a slider to determine how much space to reserve for persistence; for this, Ubuntu employs casper . Ubuntu divides most software into four domains to reflect differences in licensing and the degree of support available. Some unsupported applications receive updates from community members known as "Masters of

1408-637: A new SLS-based distribution, Slackware , was released by Patrick Volkerding . Also dissatisfied with SLS, Ian Murdock set to create a free distribution by founding Debian in August 1993, with first public BETA released in January 1994 and first stable version in June 1996. Users were attracted to Linux distributions as alternatives to the DOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems on IBM PC compatible computers, Mac OS on

1496-464: A package are present (and either notify the user to install them, or install them automatically). The package can also be provided as source code to be compiled on the system. Most distributions install packages, including the kernel and other core operating system components, in a predetermined configuration. A few now require or permit configuration adjustments at first install time. This makes installation less daunting, particularly for new users, but

1584-439: A partner repository that let vendors of proprietary software deliver their products to Ubuntu users at no cost through the same familiar tools for installing and upgrading software. The software in the partner repository was officially supported with security and other important updates by its respective vendors. Canonical supported the packaging of the software for Ubuntu and provided guidance to vendors. However, in anticipation for

1672-404: A proprietary operating system or by translating proprietary API calls (e.g., calls to Microsoft's Win32 or DirectX APIs) into native Linux API calls. A virtual machine can also be used to run a proprietary OS (like Microsoft Windows) on top of Linux. Computer hardware is usually sold with an operating system other than Linux already installed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). In

1760-462: A specific instruction set , while some (such as Gentoo ) are distributed mostly in source code form and must be built before installation. Linus Torvalds developed the Linux kernel and distributed its first version, 0.01, in 1991. Linux was initially distributed as source code only, and later as a pair of downloadable floppy disk images: one bootable and containing the Linux kernel itself, and

1848-713: A specific application or service. Examples of packages are a library for handling the PNG image format, a collection of fonts, and a web browser . The package is typically provided as compiled code, with installation and removal of packages handled by a package management system (PMS) rather than a simple file archiver . Each package intended for such a PMS contains meta-information such as its description, version number, and its dependencies (other packages it requires to run). The package management system evaluates this meta-information to allow package searches, perform automatic upgrades to newer versions, and to check that all dependencies of

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1936-416: Is a Linux distribution that can be booted from removable storage media such as optical discs or USB flash drives , instead of being installed on and booted from a hard disk drive . The portability of installation-free distributions makes them advantageous for applications such as demonstrations, borrowing someone else's computer, rescue operations, or as installation media for a standard distribution. When

2024-757: Is a Linux distribution; others, such as Google engineer Patrick Brady, disagree by noting the lack of support for many GNU tools in Android, including glibc . Other Linux-kernel-based operating systems include Tizen , Mer / Sailfish OS , KaiOS and Amazon's Kindle firmware . Lightweight Linux distributions are those that have been designed with support for older hardware in mind, allowing older hardware to still be used productively, or, for maximum possible speed in newer hardware by leaving more resources available for use by applications. Examples include Tiny Core Linux , Puppy Linux and Slitaz . Other distributions target specific niches, such as: The Free Standards Group

2112-496: Is about 3.67%. Many Linux distributions provide an installation system akin to that provided with other modern operating systems. Other distributions, including Gentoo Linux , provide only the binaries of a basic kernel, compilation tools, and an installer; the installer compiles all the requested software for the specific architecture of the user's computer, using these tools and the software's source code. Distributions are normally segmented into packages . Each package contains

2200-437: Is also being widely implemented into the desktop. Most network ports are closed by default to prevent hacking. A built-in firewall , Uncomplicated Firewall , allows end-users who install network servers to control access. A GUI is available to configure it. Ubuntu compiles its packages using GCC features such as PIE and buffer overflow protection to harden its software. These extra features greatly increase security at

2288-501: Is also prevalent on VPS platforms such as DigitalOcean . Ubuntu has support for OpenStack, with Eucalyptus to OpenStack migration tools added by Canonical. Ubuntu 11.10 added focus on OpenStack as the Ubuntu's preferred IaaS offering though Eucalyptus is also supported. Another major focus is Canonical Juju for provisioning, deploying, hosting, managing, and orchestrating enterprise data center infrastructure services, by, with, and for

2376-616: Is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro, if distributed on its own, is often obtained via a website intended specifically for the purpose. Distros have been designed for a wide variety of systems ranging from personal computers (for example, Linux Mint ) to servers (for example, Red Hat Enterprise Linux ) and from embedded devices (for example, OpenWrt ) to supercomputers (for example, Rocks Cluster Distribution ). A distro typically includes many components in addition to

2464-531: Is an organization formed by major software and hardware vendors that aims to improve interoperability between different distributions. Among their proposed standards are the Linux Standard Base , which defines a common ABI and packaging system for Linux, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard which recommends a standard filenaming chart, notably the basic directory names found on the root of

2552-671: Is due to technical, organizational, and philosophical variation among vendors and users. The permissive licensing of free software means that users with sufficient knowledge and interest can customize any existing distribution, or design one to suit their own needs. Rolling Linux distributions are kept current using small and frequent updates . The terms partially rolling and partly rolling (along with synonyms semi-rolling and half-rolling ), fully rolling , truly rolling and optionally rolling are sometimes used by software developers and users. Repositories of rolling distributions usually contain very recent software releases —often

2640-416: Is given its own -updates repository (e.g. intrepid-updates). The repository is supported by Canonical Ltd. for packages in main and restricted, and by the community for packages in universe and multiverse. All updates to the repository must meet certain requirements and go through the -proposed repository before being made available to the public. Updates are scheduled to be available until the end of life for

2728-489: Is not always acceptable. For specific requirements, much software must be carefully configured to be useful, to work correctly with other software, or to be secure, and local administrators are often obliged to spend time reviewing and reconfiguring it. Some (but not all) distributions go to considerable lengths to adjust and customize the software they include, and some provide configuration tools to help users do so. By obtaining and installing everything normally provided in

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2816-545: Is not available in source code form, such as a device driver binary . A distro may be described as a particular assortment of application and utility software (various GNU tools and libraries, for example), packaged with the Linux kernel in such a way that its capabilities meet users' needs. The software is usually adapted to the distribution and then combined into software packages by the distribution's maintainers. The software packages are available online in repositories , which are storage locations usually distributed around

2904-423: Is now maintained by volunteers (UBports Community). Alongside the official flavours are those that are unofficial. These are still in the process of becoming recognised as official flavours by Canonical. Ubuntu offers Ubuntu Cloud Images which are pre-installed disk images that have been customised by Ubuntu engineering to run on cloud-platforms such as Amazon EC2 , OpenStack , Microsoft Azure and LXC . Ubuntu

2992-424: Is often referred to as "distro hopping". Virtual machine software such as VirtualBox and VMware Workstation virtualize hardware allowing users to test live media on a virtual machine without installing to the real system. Some websites like DistroWatch offer lists of distributions, and link to screenshots of operating systems as a way to get a first impression of various distributions. Some distributions let

3080-405: Is possible to skip an LTS upgrade, going straight from 16.04 LTS to 18.04.5 LTS, by waiting for a point release that supports such updating. LTS releases have optional extended security maintenance (ESM) support available, including e.g. 18.04 "Bionic" that is otherwise out of public support, adding support for that version up to 2028, giving a total of 10 years. Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) ,

3168-513: Is sometimes possible on closely related distributions. There are several ways to install a Linux distribution. The most common method of installing Linux is by booting from a live USB memory stick , which can be created by using a USB image writer application and the ISO image, which can be downloaded from various Linux distribution websites. DVD disks, CD disks, network installations and even other hard drives can also be used as "installation media". In

3256-452: Is the variant officially recommended for most users. It is designed for desktop and laptop PCs and is officially supported by Canonical. A number of variants are distinguished simply by each featuring a different desktop environment, or, in the case of Ubuntu Server, no desktop. LXQt and Xfce are often recommended for use with older PCs that may have less memory and processing power available. Most Ubuntu editions and flavours simply install

3344-462: Is typically held in the device's firmware and may or may not be consumer-accessible. Anaconda , one of the more popular installers, is used by Red Hat Enterprise Linux , Fedora (which uses the Fedora Media Writer ) and other distributions to simplify the installation process. Debian, Ubuntu and many others use Debian-Installer . The process of constantly switching between distributions

3432-562: The switch statement (which dispatches among a number of alternatives) can make use of the default keyword to provide a case for when no other case matches. In Fortran , the INIT parameter on a declaration defines an initial default value for that variable. In Rust , types that implement the Default trait can produce a default value . For example, the primitive integer types in Rust implement

3520-468: The ARM architecture . It is also available on Power ISA , while older PowerPC architecture was at one point unofficially supported, and now newer Power ISA CPUs ( POWER8 ) are supported. The x86-64 ("AMD64") architecture is also officially supported. Live images are the typical way for users to assess and subsequently install Ubuntu. These can be downloaded as a disk image ( .iso ) and subsequently burnt to

3608-529: The Apple Macintosh , and proprietary versions of Unix . Most early adopters were familiar with Unix from work or school. They embraced Linux distributions for their low (or absent) cost, and the availability of the source code for most or all of their software. As of 2024, Linux has become more popular in server and embedded devices markets than in the desktop market. It is used in approximately 58.9% of web servers; its current operating system market share

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3696-687: The Linux kernel at the time of each Ubuntu release, even if the kernel code hasn't seen a stable release. As of version 24.10, a default installation of Ubuntu contains a minimal selection of software, namely a web browser ( Firefox ) and basic GNOME utilities (including the desktop). Many additional software packages are accessible from the built-in Ubuntu Software (previously Ubuntu Software Center ) as well as any other APT-based package management tools. Many additional software packages that are no longer installed by default, such as Evolution , GIMP , Pidgin , and Synaptic , are still accessible in

3784-496: The RAR file format . Additionally, third-party application suites are available for download via Ubuntu Software and the Snap store , including many games such as Braid , Minecraft and Oil Rush , software for DVD playback and media codecs. Each Ubuntu release has a version number that consists of the year and month number of the release. For example, the first release was Ubuntu 4.10 as it

3872-425: The software development process , standard releases require significant development effort to keep old versions up-to-date by propagating bug fixes back to the newest branch, versus focusing on the newest development branch . Also, unlike rolling releases, standard releases require more than one code branch to be developed and maintained, which increases the workload of the software developers and maintainers. On

3960-1048: The 'Ubuntu stack' (cloud computing infrastructure). The first LTS releases were supported for three years on the desktop and five years on the server; since Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, desktop support for LTS releases was increased to five years as well. LTS releases get regular point releases with support for new hardware and integration of all the updates published in that series to date. Ubuntu packages are based on Debian 's unstable branch, which are synchronized every six months. Both distributions use Debian's deb package format and package management tools (e.g. APT and Ubuntu Software ). Debian and Ubuntu packages are not necessarily binary compatible with each other, however, so packages may need to be rebuilt from source to be used in Ubuntu. Many Ubuntu developers are also maintainers of key packages within Debian. Ubuntu cooperates with Debian by pushing changes back to Debian, although there has been criticism that this does not happen often enough. Ian Murdock ,

4048-400: The 1990s, Linux distributions were installed using sets of floppy disks but this has been abandoned by all major distributions. By the 2000s many distributions offered CD and DVD sets with the vital packages on the first disc and less important packages on later ones. Some distributions, such as Debian also enabled installation over a network after booting from either a set of floppy disks or

4136-461: The Linux kernel. Commonly, it includes a package manager , an init system (such as systemd , OpenRC , or runit ), GNU tools and libraries , documentation, IP network configuration utilities, the getty TTY setup program, and many more. To provide a desktop experience (most commonly the Mesa userspace graphics drivers) a display server (the most common being the X.org Server , or, more recently,

4224-659: The Restricted category is more limited than that of Main, because the developers may not have access to the source code . It is intended that Main and Restricted should contain all software needed for a complete desktop environment. In addition to the above, in which the software does not receive new features after an initial release, Ubuntu Backports is an officially recognised repository for backporting newer software from later versions of Ubuntu. The -updates repository provides stable release updates (SRU) of Ubuntu and are generally installed through update-manager. Each release

4312-613: The Ubuntu Server. As Ubuntu is distributed freely and historically there was no registration process (still optional), Ubuntu usage can only be roughly estimated. In 2015, Canonical's Ubuntu Insights page stated "Ubuntu now has over 40 million desktop users and counting". W3Techs Web Technology Surveys estimated in November 2020 that: W3Techs analyses the top 10 million websites only. Wikimedia Foundation data (based on user agent ) for September 2013 shows that Ubuntu generated

4400-416: The Ubuntu project. On 12 March 2009, Ubuntu announced developer support for third-party cloud management platforms, such as those used at Amazon EC2 . In 2011, Ubuntu's default desktop was changed from GNOME 2 to the in-house Unity instead of GNOME 3 . After nearly 6.5 years, the default desktop was changed back to GNOME 3 in 2017 upon the release of version 17.10 . Ubuntu, since 16.04.5, requires

4488-532: The Ubuntu web site. Additionally, USB flash drive installations can be used to boot Ubuntu and Kubuntu in a way that allows permanent saving of user settings and portability of the USB-installed system between physical machines (however, the computers' BIOS must support booting from USB). In newer versions of Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Live USB creator can be used to install Ubuntu on a USB drive (with or without

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4576-845: The Universe" (MOTU), but not from Canonical Ltd. Free software includes software that has met the Ubuntu licensing requirements, which roughly correspond to the Debian Free Software Guidelines . Exceptions, however, include firmware , in the Main category, because although some firmware is not allowed to be modified , its distribution is still permitted. Non-free software is usually unsupported (Multiverse), but some exceptions (Restricted) are made for important non-free software. Supported non-free software includes device drivers that can be used to run Ubuntu on some current hardware, such as binary-only graphics card drivers . The level of support in

4664-456: The adjective portion of the code name; for example, the 24.04 LTS release is commonly known as "Noble". Releases are timed to be approximately one month after GNOME releases. Upgrades from one LTS release to the next LTS release (e.g. Ubuntu 16.04 LTS to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS etc.) are supported, while upgrades from non-LTS have only supported upgrade to the next release, regardless of its LTS status (e.g. Ubuntu 23.10 to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS). However, it

4752-504: The application software installed by default is free software. In addition, Ubuntu redistributes some hardware drivers that are available only in binary format, but such packages are clearly marked in the restricted component. Current long-term support (LTS) releases are supported for five years, and are released every two years. Since the release of Ubuntu 6.06, every fourth release receives long-term support. Long-term support includes updates for new hardware, security patches and updates to

4840-590: The case of IBM PC compatibles , the OS is usually Microsoft Windows ; in the case of Apple 's Mac computers, it has always been macOS ; Sun Microsystems sold SPARC hardware with the Solaris installed; video game consoles such as the Xbox , PlayStation , Wii , and the Nintendo Switch each have their own proprietary OS. This limits Linux's market share: consumers are unaware that an alternative exists, they must make

4928-486: The computer unless specifically instructed by the user. If the user chooses to boot the live image rather than execute an installer at boot time, there is still the option to then use the Ubuntu Desktop Installer once booted into the live environment. The Ubuntu Desktop Installer replaced the former Ubiquity installer since Ubuntu 23.04. Disk images of all current and past versions are available for download at

5016-557: The country to use Ubuntu-powered computer workstations; the Spanish school system has 195,000 Ubuntu desktops. The French police, having already started using open-source software in 2005 by replacing Microsoft Office with OpenOffice.org , decided to transition to Ubuntu from Windows XP after the release of Windows Vista in 2006. By March 2009, the Gendarmerie Nationale had already switched 5,000 workstations to Ubuntu. Based on

5104-420: The default for the next run would involve storing user information in some place, such as in cookies on the user's computer for an Internet application. In Microsoft Windows , default file associations associate applications with file types. A TV or computer monitor typically comes with a button to "restore factory presets". This allows the settings for brightness, contrast, color, etc., to be returned to

5192-422: The defaults recommended by the manufacturer. This button may be used when the settings get badly adjusted (say by a toddler playing with the controls). Some "fine-tuning" of the settings may still be needed from the factory settings, but they will likely be closer to the desired settings than random settings. Using a default involves two goals which sometimes conflict: In cases where there is no clear majority and

5280-457: The evil banker stole the Widow Parson's house. There is an exhaustive list of substitutes (previous, automatic, standard, etc.)". Many languages in the C family (but not C itself, as of C11 ) allow a function to have default parameters or default arguments , that are used if the function is called with omitted parameter specifications. In C and programming languages based on its syntax,

5368-505: The first time a user runs an application it may suggest that the user's delivery address is in the United States. This default might be appropriate if more users of that application were in the US than any other country. If the user selected a new country, it would override the default, and perhaps become the default for the next time the application is used on that computer or by that user. Changing

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5456-728: The first version in 2004, Ubuntu has become one of the most popular Linux distributions for general purposes and is backed by large online communities like Ask Ubuntu . Numerous community-editions of Ubuntu also exist. It is also popular for cloud computing , with support for OpenStack . Ubuntu is built on Debian 's architecture and infrastructure, and comprises Linux server, desktop and discontinued phone and tablet operating system versions. Ubuntu releases updated versions predictably every six months, and each release receives free support for nine months (eighteen months prior to 13.04) with security fixes, high-impact bug fixes and conservative, substantially beneficial low-risk bug fixes. The first release

5544-489: The founder of Debian, had expressed concern about Ubuntu packages potentially diverging too far from Debian to remain compatible. Before release, packages are imported from Debian unstable continuously and merged with Ubuntu-specific modifications. At some point during the release process, the Debian Import Freeze is implemented. This prevents the automatic import of packages from Debian without an explicit request from

5632-459: The latest stable versions available. They have pseudo-releases and installation media that are simply snapshots of the distribution at the time of the installation image's release. Typically, a rolling-release OS installed from older installation medium can be fully updated after it is installed. Depending on the usage case, there can be pros and cons to both standard release and rolling release software development methodologies . In terms of

5720-513: The most page requests to Wikimedia sites, including Misplaced Pages, among recognizable Linux distributions. As of June 2024, Ubuntu 22.04 is used in Microsoft NDv5, a Microsofts Azure cloud computer , its fastest one (of 7 Azure supercomputers, all running on Ubuntu), currently 3rd fastest supercomputer on the TOP500 list (only beaten by the only two exaflop computers; is itself half an exaflop , only

5808-435: The need to change the contents of the system's hard disk drive. The website DistroWatch lists many Linux distributions and displays some of the ones that have the most web traffic on the site. The Wikimedia Foundation released an analysis of the browser User Agents of visitors to WMF websites until 2015, which includes details of the most popular Operating System identifiers, including some Linux distributions. Many of

5896-797: The operating system is booted from a read-only medium such as a CD or DVD, any user data that needs to be retained between sessions cannot be stored on the boot device but must be written to another storage device, such as a USB flash drive or a hard disk drive. Many Linux distributions provide a "live" form in addition to their conventional form, which is a network-based or removable-media image intended to be used only for installation; such distributions include SUSE , Ubuntu, Linux Mint , MEPIS and Fedora Linux . Some distributions, including Knoppix , Puppy Linux , Devil-Linux, SuperGamer , SliTaz GNU/Linux and dyne:bolic , are designed primarily for live use. Additionally, some minimal distributions can be run directly from as little space as one floppy disk without

5984-450: The other hand, software features and technology planning are easier in standard releases due to a better understanding of upcoming features in the next version(s). Software release cycles can also be synchronized with those of major upstream software projects, such as desktop environments . As for the user experience , standard releases are often viewed as more stable and bug-free since software conflicts can be more easily addressed and

6072-446: The other with a set of GNU utilities and tools for setting up a file system. Since the installation procedure was complicated, especially in the face of growing amounts of available software, distributions sprang up to simplify it. Early distributions included: The two oldest, still active distribution projects started in 1993. The SLS distribution was not well maintained, so in July 1993

6160-491: The performance expense of 0.01% in 64-bit . Ubuntu also supports full disk encryption as well as encryption of the home and private directories. The system requirements vary among Ubuntu products. For the Ubuntu desktop release 22.04 LTS, a PC with at least 2 GHz dual-core processor, 4  GB of RAM and 25  GB of free disk space is recommended. For less powerful computers, there are other Ubuntu distributions such as Lubuntu and Xubuntu . Ubuntu also supports

6248-467: The popular distributions are listed below. Several operating systems include the Linux kernel, but have a userland that differs significantly from that of mainstream Linux distributions: Whether such operating systems count as a "Linux distribution" is a controversial topic. They use the Linux kernel, so the Linux Foundation and Chris DiBona , Google's former open-source chief, agree that Android

6336-457: The release date until the release reaches its designated end-of-life (EOL) date. Canonical generates revenue through the sale of premium services related to the Ubuntu software and donations from those who download Ubuntu directly. Ubuntu is named after the Nguni philosophy of ubuntu , "humanity to others" with a connotation of "I am what I am because of who we all are". Since the release of

6424-533: The release of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Canonical closed the partner repository, as the only package still hosted in it was Adobe Flash , which would not be released with 22.04. Ubuntu developer Steve Langasek said in a development mailing list that he felt the "Snap Store has matured to the point that I believe it supersedes the partner archive". A Personal Package Archive (PPA) is a software repository for uploading source packages to be built and published as an Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) repository by Launchpad . While

6512-406: The release. In addition to the -updates repository, the unstable -proposed repository contains uploads that must be confirmed before being copied into -updates. All updates must go through this process to ensure that the patch does truly fix the bug and there is no risk of regression . Updates in -proposed are confirmed by either Canonical or members of the community. Canonical previously hosted

6600-482: The repositories and installable by the main tool or by any other APT-based package management tool. Cross-distribution snap packages and Flatpaks are also available, that both allow installing software, such as some of Microsoft's software, in most of the major Linux operating systems (such as any currently supported Ubuntu version and in Fedora ). The default file manager is GNOME Files , formerly called Nautilus. All of

6688-405: The results cannot easily be verified by other available information, such as the gender of the individual, no default should be offered. Some software applications, however, require that default values be supplied. A 1982 Apple Computer manual for developers warned: "Please do not ever use the word default in a program designed for humans. Default is something the mortgage went into right before

6776-448: The rolling release model can have advantages in timely security updates, fixing system or application security bugs and vulnerabilities , that standard releases may have to wait till the next release for or patch in various versions. In a rolling release distribution, where the user has chosen to run it as a highly dynamic system, the constant flux of software packages can introduce new unintended vulnerabilities. A "live" distribution

6864-507: The software stack more thoroughly tested and evaluated, during the software development cycle. For this reason, they tend to be the preferred choice in enterprise environments and mission-critical tasks. However, rolling releases offer more current software which can also provide increased stability and fewer software bugs along with the additional benefits of new features, greater functionality, faster running speeds, and improved system and application security . Regarding software security ,

6952-561: The success of that transition, it planned to switch 15,000 more over by the end of 2009 and to have switched all 90,000 workstations over by 2015 (GendBuntu project) . Lt. Colonel Guimard announced that the move was very easy and allowed for a 70% saving on the IT budget without having to reduce its capabilities. In 2011, Ubuntu 10.04 was adopted by the Indian justice system. Linux distribution A Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro )

7040-487: The term is used exclusively within Ubuntu, Launchpad's host, Canonical , envisions adoption beyond the Ubuntu community. Some third-party software that does not limit distribution is included in Ubuntu's multiverse component. The package ubuntu-restricted-extras additionally contains software that may be legally restricted, including support for DVD playback, Microsoft TrueType core fonts , many common audio/video codecs , and unrar, an unarchiver for files compressed in

7128-456: The top 3 are that powerful). Other supercomputers running Ubuntu rank also high on the list e.g. NVIDIA's Selene supercomputer still ranks highly, and was fifth-fastest one in the world in November 2022 after an upgrade from seventh place, where it entered the list in June. Another Nvidia-based supercomputer using Ubuntu previously topped the Green500 list (it and the next one was also Ubuntu-based),

7216-435: The tree of any Linux filesystem. Those standards, however, see limited use, even among the distributions developed by members of the organization. The diversity of Linux distributions means that not all software runs on all distributions, depending on what libraries and other system attributes are required. Packaged software and software repositories are usually specific to a particular distribution, though cross-installation

7304-462: The user install Linux on top of their current system, such as WinLinux or coLinux . Linux is installed to the Windows hard disk partition, and can be started from inside Windows itself. Virtual machines (such as VirtualBox or VMware ) also make it possible for Linux to be run inside another OS. The VM software simulates a separate computer onto which the Linux system is installed. After installation,

7392-640: The virtual machine can be booted as if it were an independent computer. Various tools are also available to perform full dual-boot installations from existing platforms without a CD, most notably: Some specific proprietary software products are not available in any form for Linux. As of September 2015, the Steam gaming service has over 1,500 games available on Linux, compared to 2,323 games for Mac and 6,500 Windows games. Emulation and API-translation projects like Wine and CrossOver make it possible to run non-Linux-based software on Linux systems, either by emulating

7480-724: The world. Beside "glue" components, such as the distribution installers (for example, Debian-Installer and Anaconda ) and the package management systems, very few packages are actually written by a distribution's maintainers. Distributions have been designed for a wide range of computing environments, including desktops , servers , laptops , netbooks , mobile devices (phones and tablets), and embedded systems . There are commercially backed distributions, such as Fedora Linux ( Red Hat ), openSUSE ( SUSE ) and Ubuntu ( Canonical Ltd. ), and entirely community-driven distributions, such as Debian , Slackware , Gentoo and Arch Linux . Most distributions come ready-to-use and prebuilt for

7568-515: Was in October 2004. Ubuntu is currently funded by Canonical Ltd . On 8 July 2005, Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical announced the creation of the Ubuntu Foundation and provided initial funding of US$ 10 million. The purpose of the foundation is to ensure the support and development for all future versions of Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth describes the foundation's goal to ensure the continuity of

7656-574: Was released on 10 October 2010 (10–10–10). This departed from the traditional schedule of releasing at the end of October in order to get "the perfect 10", and makes a playful reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, since, in binary , 101010 equals decimal 42 , the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" within the series. Ubuntu Desktop (formally named as Ubuntu Desktop Edition, and simply called Ubuntu)

7744-438: Was released on 20 October 2004. Ubuntu releases are also given alliterative code names , using an adjective and an animal (e.g., "Bionic Beaver"). With the exception of the first two releases, code names are in alphabetical order, allowing a quick determination of which release is newer, at least until restarting the cycle with the release of Artful Aardvark in October 2017. Commonly, Ubuntu releases are referred to using only

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