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UBUNTU 10.10 MAVERICK MEERKAT

Ubuntu is an entirely open source operating system built around the Linux Kernel. The Ubuntu community is built around the ideals enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit. 

Based on Debian, one of the most widely acclaimed technologically advanced and well-supported distributions; Ubuntu aims to create a distribution that provides an up-to-date and coherent Linux system for desktop and server computing. Ubuntu includes a number of carefully selected packages from the Debian Distribution and retains its powerful package management systems which allow easy installation and clean removal of programs.

Unlike most distributions that may or may not be of use, Ubuntu’s list of packages is reduced to a number of important applications of high quality. By focusing on quality, Ubuntu produces a robust and feature-rich computing environment that is suitable for use in both home and commercial environments.

Ubuntu is available in 32-bit and 64-bit flavours and will run on most modern computers. It is also available for the Sun UltraSPARC and Amazon EC2 architectures.

PC SYSTEM INFORMATION

OS MAIN PAGE

PC PERFORMANCE AND FEATURES

OpenOffice.org Word Processor

OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet

Rhythm Box Music Player

Movie Player

POWER CONSUMPTIONACTIVITY POWER CONSUMPTION

(Watts)Notes

OFF 7

MAX BOOT 56

IDLE 48

USING WORD PROCESSING

56 Using OpenOffice.org Word Processor

USING SPREADSHEET 56 Using OpenOffice.org Spreadsheet

PLAYING GOOD MUSIC 56 Rhythm Music Player

PLAYING A VIDEO 56 Video Player

DOWNLOADING ROCKY & BULLWINKLE

56 From www.joost.com

SUMMARYUBUNTU 10.10

WINDOWS 7 Home Premium

MAC OSX Snow Leopard

Boot Time 18.7 seconds 34.7 seconds 16.3 seconds

Installation Experience

Advantages:  Booting from

the CD/DVD drive works like a charm and presents and attractive selection to either try Ubuntu, or simply Install Ubuntu.

The added advantage to trying Ubuntu is that you get to have a useful, operational Operating System while you are installing it to your hard drive.

Advantages:  The Windows 7

Installer is extremely easy to use for a basic installation. Booting from the installation disc works exactly like expected, and loads the Windows 7 installer. From this installer, you simply walk through the Wizard and let the system go

 

Advantages:   Booting a Mac

to the installation media is very simple. Start the Mac, put in the disk, and press enter when it shows up. You will then have to wait a while to load the installation software.

        

UBUNTU 10.10 WINDOWS 7 Home Premium

MAC OSX Snow Leopard

Installation Experience (cont.)

Disadvantages:  Ubuntu Installer

presents options for adding the Adobe Flash player and MP3 music playback as installable options, instead of defaulted options.

Disadvantages:  Compared to the

Ubuntu Installer is that until the system is installed, you cannot actually use the computer as a computer.

Disadvantages:

Has more barriers to entry for the bare installation

 

Application Installation

Almost all the software you’ll ever need is accesible from Ubuntu’s included Software Center. You can install, remove and search for applications to install

Most Windows software is easy to install. Physical media is usually insert the disc, and click next a bunch of times

  With the most

software available for Windows, you’ll be hard pressed to not find software. The downside, you need to find it yourself.

 

With no real installation for most applications, it’s a simple matter of dragging the application icon to your Applications directory in Finder. Easy to add and remove software this way.

UBUNTU 10.10 WINDOWS 7 Home Premium

MAC OSX Snow Leopard

System and Security Updates

The benefit of the Software Center means that when your application has a security or general update, you get it! You don’t need to search through the internet for updates, or launch each application and then install the update after it tells you it’s available. Cleanest, easiest update system around.

Windows 7 is one of the most secure Operating Systems Microsoft have released. The problem is less that Windows isn’t secure, and more that there is so many Windows Users out there, the bad guys target those systems

  Security

Updates, for the most part, are released one a schedule every month, unless a major security flaw is found. When such a flaw is found, it may still take a few days for Microsoft to fix, leaving your system open to attack.

Apple does an OK job of releasing security updates, but they are usually released in large patches instead of as they become available.

  Apple’s

Software Update application updates all of your Apple software, as well as Mac OSX very cleanly, with notifications telling you of available updates. Overall, the Mac OSX update process is clean and easy to do, if a little too infrequent.

UBUNTU 10.10 WINDOWS 7 Home Premium

MAC OSX Snow Leopard

System and Security Updates (cont)

Ubuntu will also notify you when Security updates become available, and even let you setup automatic updating for security updates alone.

Windows currently does not offer a way to update all of the software on your system, just the system itself. It’s up to each application to inform you of an update, or you to find one yourself.