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What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux. Ubuntu's goals include providing an up-to-date, stable operating system for the average user, with a strong focus on usability and ease of installation. Ubuntu has been rated as the most popular Linux distribution for the desktop, claiming approximately 30% of desktop Linux installations in 2007.

Ubuntu is composed of free and open source software distributed under various licenses, especially the GNU General Public License (GPL) so that users are free to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. Ubuntu is sponsored by the UK based company Canonical Ltd., owned by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Instead of selling Ubuntu for profit, Canonical creates revenue by selling technical support. By keeping Ubuntu Free software and open source, Canonical is able to take advantage of the talents of outside developers in Ubuntu's constituent components without developing the entire operating system itself.

Canonical endorses and provides support for four additional Ubuntu-based distributions: Kubuntu and Xubuntu, Edubuntu, a subproject and add-on for Ubuntu, designed for school environments and home use; and Ubuntu JeOS (pronounced "Juice"), a stripped-down version of Ubuntu, optimized for virtual appliances.

Canonical releases new versions of Ubuntu every six months and supports Ubuntu for eighteen months by submitting security fixes, patches to critical bugs and including minor updates to programs. LTS (Long Term Support) releases, which occur every two years, are supported for three years on the desktop and five years for servers. The current version of Ubuntu, Intrepid Ibex, was released on October 30, 2008, and the upcoming version, Jaunty Jackalope, will be released in April, 2009. The version after Jaunty will be Karmic Koala, which will possess several advanced features like Eucalyptus.

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What is Edubuntu?

Edubuntu, also known as Ubuntu Education Edition, is an official derivative of the Ubuntu operating system designed for use in classrooms and schools.

Edubuntu has been developed in collaboration with teachers and technologists in multiple countries. Edubuntu is built on top of the Ubuntu base, incorporates the LTSP thin client architecture and several education-specific applications, and is aimed at users aged 6 to 18.

Included with Edubuntu is the Linux Terminal Server Project, a large number of educational applications including GCompris, KDE Edutainment Suite, and Schooltool Calendar. The first Edubuntu release coincided with the release of Ubuntu 5.10, which was codenamed Breezy Badger on 2005-10-13. Edubuntu CDs were previously available for free through their Shipit service. However, as of version 8.10, it is only available as a download.

Edubuntu's default GUI is GNOME, but starting with release 7.10, KDE is also available as Edubuntu KDE.

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Kubuntu is an official derivative of the Ubuntu operating system using the KDE graphical environment instead of GNOME. It is part of the Ubuntu project and uses the same underlying system. It is possible to run both the KDE desktop (kubuntu-desktop) as well as the Gnome desktop (ubuntu-desktop) interchangeably on the same machine. Every package in Kubuntu shares the same repositories as Ubuntu. Kubuntu CDs can be ordered through the Shipit service. It is released regularly and predictably on the same schedule as Ubuntu.

The K at the beginning represents the K Desktop Environment, which Kubuntu runs. By coincidence, Kubuntu also means “free”


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Xubuntu is an official derivative of the Ubuntu operating system, using the Xfce desktop environment. Because the Xfce desktop environment uses fewer system resources, Xubuntu is often used on older computers, systems with limited resources, laptops, netbooks and high-efficiency workstations. The name Xubuntu is a combination of Xfce Desktop Environment and Ubuntu. Xfce originally was an abbreviation for XForms Common Environment, while Ubuntu means "humanity towards others" in the Zulu and Xhosa languages. Combined as Xubuntu it does not have any specific new meaning.

Xubuntu goals at : "Provide an easy to use distribution, based on Ubuntu, using Xfce as the graphical desktop, with a focus on integration, usability and performance, with a particular focus on low memory footprint. The integration in Xubuntu is at a configuration level, a toolkit level, and matching the underlying technology beneath the desktop in Ubuntu. Xubuntu will be built and developed autonomously as part of the wider Ubuntu community, based around the ideals and values of Ubuntu."


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