Ubuntu

For the African philosophy, seeUbuntu philosophy.For other uses, seeUbuntu (disambiguation).

Ubuntu

Ubuntu 24.04 "Noble Numbat"
Developer	Canonical Ltd.
OS family	Linux(Unix-like)
Working state	Current
Source model	Open-source
Initial release	Ubuntu 4.10(Warty Warthog) / 20 October 2004(2004-10-20)
Latest release	LTS:24.04.1 LTS/ 29 August 2024(29 August 2024)
Latest preview	Ubuntu 24.10 Beta (Oracular Oriole) / 19 September 2024(2024-09-19)
Repository	code.launchpad.net/ubuntu
Marketing target	Cloud computing,personal computers,servers,supercomputers,IoT
Available in	More than 55 languagesbyLoCos
Update method	Software Updater,Ubuntu Software,apt
Package manager	GNOME Software,dpkg(APT),Snap– graphical front-end:Snap Store
Platforms	x86-64 ARM64 RISC-V ppc64le(POWER8and later) s390x ARMhf(ARMv7+VFPv3-D16)
Kerneltype	Monolithic(Linux kernel)
Userland	GNU
Default user interface	GNOME
License	Free software+ someproprietarydevice drivers,excluding trademarks
Official website	ubuntu.com

Ubuntu(/ʊˈbʊntuː/uu-BUUN-too)is aLinux distributionderived fromDebianand composed mostly offree and open-source software.Ubuntu is officially released in multiple editions:Desktop,Server,andCoreforInternet of thingsdevicesandrobots.The operating system isdevelopedby the British companyCanonicaland a community of other developers, under ameritocraticgovernance model.As of April 2024,the most-recent long-term support release is24.04( "Noble Numbat" ).

As with other Linux distributions, all of the editions can run on a computer alone, or in avirtual machine.An upgrade to Ubuntu is released every six months, withlong-term support(LTS) releases every two years.Canonical provides security updates and support for each Ubuntu release, starting from the release date until the release reaches its designatedend-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 theNguniphilosophy ofubuntu,"humanity to others" with a connotation of "I am what I am because of who we all are".Since the release of the first version in 2004, Ubuntu has become one of the most popular Linux distributions for general purposesand is backed by large online communities likeAsk Ubuntu.Numerous community-editions of Ubuntu also exist.It is also popular forcloud computing,with support forOpenStack.

Ubuntu - Version History - Visual Timeline - 20231019

History

See also:Ubuntu version history

Ubuntu is built onDebian'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 was in October 2004.

Ubuntu is currently funded byCanonical Ltd.On 8 July 2005,Mark Shuttleworthand 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 anddevelopmentfor all future versions of Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth describes the foundation goal as to ensure the continuity of the Ubuntu project.

On 12 March 2009, Ubuntu announced developer support for third-partycloudmanagement platforms, such as those used atAmazon EC2.

In 2011, Ubuntu's default desktop was changed fromGNOME 2to the in-houseUnityinstead ofGNOME 3.After nearly 6.5 years, the default desktop was changed back to GNOME 3 in 2017 upon the release of version17.10.

Ubuntu, since 16.04.5, requires a 2 GB or larger installation medium.The last release of Ubuntu available on a minimal CD was 18.04.

32-bitx86processors were supported up to Ubuntu 18.04.It was decided to support "legacy software",i.e. select32-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 theLinux kernelat the time of each Ubuntu release, even if the kernel code hasn't seen a stable release.

Features

Adefaultinstallation of Ubuntu as of version 23.10 contains a minimal selection of software, namely a web browser (Firefox) and basicGNOMEutilities (including the desktop).Many additional software packages are accessible from the built-inUbuntu Software(previouslyUbuntu Software Center) as well as any other APT-basedpackage managementtools. Many additional software packages that are no longer installed by default, such asEvolution,GIMP,Pidgin,andSynaptic,are still accessible in the repositories and installable by the main tool or by any other APT-based package management tool. Cross-distributionsnap packagesandFlatpaksare 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 inFedora). The default file manager isGNOME Files,formerly called Nautilus.

All of 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.

Currentlong-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 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 onDebian's unstable branch, which are synchronized every six months. Both distributions use Debian'sdebpackageformat andpackage managementtools (e.g.APTandUbuntu Software). Debian and Ubuntu packages are not necessarilybinary compatiblewith each other, however, so packages may need to be rebuilt fromsourceto 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,the founder of Debian, had expressed concern about Ubuntu packages potentially diverging too far from Debian to remain compatible.Before release, packages are imported fromDebian unstablecontinuously 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 a developer. In combination with other freezes, this helps packagers ensure that frozen features interoperate well together.

Security

Ubuntu aims to be secure by default.User programs run withlow privilegesand cannot corrupt the operating system or other users' files. For increased security, thesudotool is used to assign temporary privileges for performing administrative tasks, which allows theroot accountto remain locked and helps prevent inexperienced users from inadvertently making catastrophic system changes or opening security holes.Polkitis also being widely implemented into the desktop.

Most network ports are closed by default to prevent hacking.A built-infirewallallows end-users who install network servers to control access. AGUI(GUI for Uncomplicated Firewall) is available to configure it.Ubuntu compiles its packages usingGCCfeatures such asPIEandbuffer overflow protectiontohardenits software.These extra features greatly increase security at the performance expense of 0.01% in64-bit.

Ubuntu also supports full disk encryptionas well as encryption of the home and private directories.

Installation

The system requirements vary among Ubuntu products. For the Ubuntu desktop release 22.04 LTS, a PC with at least 2 GHzdual-coreprocessor, 4GBofRAMand 25GBof free disk space is recommended.For less powerful computers, there are other Ubuntu distributions such asLubuntuandXubuntu.Ubuntu also supports theARM architecture.It is also available onPower ISA,while olderPowerPCarchitecture was at one point unofficially supported,and now newerPower ISACPUs (POWER8) are supported. Thex86-64( "AMD64" ) architecture is also officially supported.

Live imagesare the typical way for users to assess and subsequently install Ubuntu.These can be downloaded as a disk image (.iso) and subsequently burnt to a DVD or USB flash drive and then booted. Other methods include running the live version viaVentoy,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, alive DVDorlive USBmedium). Running Ubuntu in this way is slower than running it from ahard drive,but does not alter 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 formerUbiquityinstaller since Ubuntu 23.04.Disk imagesof all current and past versions are available for download at the Ubuntu web site.

Additionally,USB flash driveinstallations can be used to boot Ubuntu andKubuntuin a way that allows permanent saving of user settings and portability of the USB-installed system between physical machines (however, the computers'BIOSmust support booting from USB).In newer versions of Ubuntu, theUbuntu Live USB creatorcan be used to install Ubuntu on a USB drive (with or without a live CD or DVD). Creating a bootable USB drive withpersistenceis as simple as dragging a slider to determine how much space to reserve for persistence; for this, Ubuntu employscasper.

Package classification and support

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 the Universe" (MOTU),but not from Canonical Ltd.

	Free software	Non-free software
Officially supported by Canonical	Main	Restricted
Community supported/Third party	Universe	Multiverse

Free software includes software that has met the Ubuntu licensing requirements,which roughly correspond to theDebian Free Software Guidelines.Exceptions, however, includefirmware,in the Main category, because althoughsome 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-onlygraphics carddrivers.The level of support in the Restricted category is more limited than that of Main, because the developers may not have access to thesource 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 softwaredoes not receive new featuresafter an initial release,Ubuntu Backportsis an officially recognised repository forbackportingnewer software from later versions of Ubuntu.

The-updatesrepository provides stable release updates (SRU) of Ubuntu and are generally installed through update-manager. Each release 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-proposedrepository before being made available to the public.Updates are scheduled to be available until the end of life for the release.

In addition to the -updates repository, the unstable-proposedrepository 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 ofregression.Updates in -proposed are confirmed by either Canonical or members of the community.

Canonical previously hosted 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 Ubuntuand provided guidance to vendors.However, in anticipation for the release of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Canonical closed the partner repository, as the only package still hosted in it wasAdobe 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".

Package Archives

APersonal Package Archive(PPA) is asoftware repositoryfor uploading source packages to be built and published as anAdvanced Packaging Tool(APT) repository byLaunchpad.While the term is used exclusively within Ubuntu, Launchpad's host,Canonical,envisions adoption beyond the Ubuntu community.

Third-party software

Some third-party software that does not limit distribution is included in Ubuntu's multiverse component. The packageubuntu-restricted-extrasadditionally contains software that may be legally restricted, including support forDVDplayback,Microsoft TrueType core fonts,many common audio/videocodecs,and unrar, an unarchiver for files compressed in theRAR file format.

Additionally, third-party application suites are available for download via Ubuntu Software and theSnap store,including many games such asBraid,MinecraftandOil Rush,software for DVD playback and media codecs.

Releases

For further information on all Ubuntu releases, including older ones not covered here, seeUbuntu version history.

Currently supported releases

Version	Code name	Release date	General support until	Security support (ESM) until
16.04 LTS	Xenial Xerus	2016-04-21	Old version, no longer maintained:2021-04-30	Old version, yet still maintained:2026-04
18.04 LTS	Bionic Beaver	2018-04-26	Old version, no longer maintained:2023-05-31	Old version, yet still maintained:2028-04
20.04 LTS	Focal Fossa	2020-04-23	Old version, yet still maintained:2025-05-29	Old version, yet still maintained:2030-04
22.04 LTS	Jammy Jellyfish	2022-04-21	Old version, yet still maintained:2027-06-01	Old version, yet still maintained:2032-04
23.10	Mantic Minotaur	2023-10-12	Old version, no longer maintained:2024-07-11	unavailable
24.04 LTS	Noble Numbat	2024-04-25	Current stable version:2029-05-31	Current stable version:2034-04-25
Legend: Old version, not maintained Old version, still maintained Latest version Latest preview version Future release

Each Ubuntu release has aversion numberthat consists of the year and month number of the release.For example, the first release was Ubuntu 4.10 as it was released on 20 October 2004.

Ubuntu releases are also givenalliterativecode 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 ofArtful Aardvarkin October 2017.Commonly, Ubuntu releases are referred to using only 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 oneLTSrelease 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 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),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 toThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxybooks, since, inbinary,101010 equalsdecimal 42,the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" within the series.

Variants

See also:List of Linux distributions § Ubuntu-based

Ubuntu family tree

Ubuntu Desktop (formally named as Ubuntu Desktop Edition, and simply called Ubuntu) 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.LXQtandXfceare often recommended for use with older PCs that may have less memory and processing power available.

Official distributions

Most Ubuntu editions and flavours simply install 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 Coreis the sole exception as it only has access to packages in theSnapStore.

Distribution		Description
	Edubuntu	Edubuntu, formerly Ubuntu Education Edition, is a flavour of Ubuntu that has been modified for education. It is designed forpreschool,primary,secondaryandtertiaryeducations through the installation of different packages.
	Kubuntu	An Ubuntu flavour using theKDEinterface instead of theGNOME(and Unity) interface used by Ubuntu Desktop.
	Lubuntu	Lubuntu is an Ubuntu flavour that is "lighter, less resource hungry and more energy-efficient", using theLXQtdesktop environment(usedLXDEbefore 18.10).
	Ubuntu Core	An Ubuntu edition focused on IoT and embedded systems. It has no graphical interface, and only allows access over SSH. Unlike other variants, it does not use the traditional apt package manager but relies entirely onSnappackages.It is designed to be configured viamodel assertionswhich are text documents defining which Snap packages and configurations apply to the OS image.
	Ubuntu Budgie	An Ubuntu flavour usingBudgie.
	Ubuntu Cinnamon	An Ubuntu flavour usingLinux Mint'sCinnamon desktop.Formerly known as Ubuntu Cinnamon Remix.
	Ubuntu Kylin	An Ubuntu flavour aimed at the Chinese market.
	Ubuntu MATE	An Ubuntu flavour usingMATE,a desktop environment forked from the now-defunct GNOME 2 code base, with an emphasis on thedesktop metaphor.
	Ubuntu Server	Ubuntu has aservereditionthat uses the same APT repositories as the Ubuntu Desktop Edition. The differences between them are the absence of anX Window environmentin a default installation of the server edition (although one can easily be installed, including GNOME, KDE, Unity or Xfce), and some alterations to the installation process.The server edition uses a screen-mode,character-based interfacefor the installation, instead of a graphical installation process. This enables installation on machines with a serial or "dumb terminal" interface without graphics support. The server edition (like the desktop version) supportshardware virtualizationand can be run in avirtual machine,either inside a host operating system or in ahypervisor,such asVMwareESXi,Oracle,CitrixXenServer,MicrosoftHyper-V,QEMU,aKernel-based Virtual Machine,or any otherIBM PC compatibleemulator or virtualiser.AppArmorsecurity module for theLinux kernelis used by default on key software packages, and thefirewallis extended to common services used by the operating system. Runs on all major (64-bit) architectures –x86-64,ARM v7,ARM64,POWER8and later,IBM System zmainframes viaLinuxONE,and has initial support forRISC-V.SPARCis no longer commercially supported nor are Ubuntu (Server) versions for 32-bitx86. SupportsZFS,a file system with snapshot capabilities, since Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Has LXD, a hypervisor to manageLXCLinuxcontainers. Includes the first production release ofDPDKfor line-speed kernel networking. Uses the latest long-term release Linux kernel andsystemdservice manager. Is certified as a guest onAWS,Microsoft Azure,Joyent,IBMandHP Cloud. Netplansupport(available since Ubuntu 16.04 LTS) snappackage manager LVMencryption support 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 Studio	Based on Ubuntu, providing open-source applications for multimedia creation aimed at the audio, video and graphic editors. This release uses theKDE Plasma 5desktop environment; previous releases usedXfce.
	Ubuntu Unity	An Ubuntu flavour usingUnity 7.
	Xubuntu	An Ubuntu flavour usingXfce.Xubuntu is intended for use on less-powerful computers or those who seek a highly efficient desktop environment on faster systems, and uses mostlyGTKapplications.

Ubuntu had some official distributions that have been discontinued, such asGobuntu;including some previously supported by Canonical, likeUbuntu Touch,that is now maintained by volunteers (UBports Community).

Unofficial distributions

Alongside the official flavours are those that are unofficial. These are still in the process of becoming recognised as official flavours by Canonical.

Distribution		Description
	UbuntuDDE	An unofficial Ubuntu flavour usingDeepin Desktop Environment.
	Ubuntu Sway	An unofficial Ubuntu flavour usingSway Window Manager.
	Ubuntu Web	An unofficial Ubuntu flavour usingGNOME Desktop Environment,with the focus on web applications.

Cloud computing

Cloud Ubuntu Orange Box

Ubuntu offers Ubuntu Cloud Images which are pre-installed disk images that have been customised by Ubuntu engineering to run on cloud-platforms such asAmazon EC2,OpenStack,Microsoft AzureandLXC.Ubuntu is also prevalent onVPSplatforms such asDigitalOcean.

Eucalyptus interface

Ubuntu has support for OpenStack, with Eucalyptus to OpenStack migration tools added by Canonical.Ubuntu 11.10added focus on OpenStack as the Ubuntu's preferredIaaSoffering though Eucalyptus is also supported. Another major focus isCanonical Jujufor provisioning, deploying, hosting, managing, and orchestrating enterprise data center infrastructure services, by, with, and for the Ubuntu Server.

Adoption and reception

Installed base

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:

• Ubuntu is by far the most popularLinux distributionfor runningweb servers;of the websites they analyze it is "used by 47.3% of all the websites who use Linux",and Ubuntu alone powers more websites thanMicrosoft Windows,which powers 28.2% of all websites, or 39% of the share Unix has (which includes Linux and thus Ubuntu). All Linux/Unix distributions in total power well over twice the number of hosts as Windows for websites based on W3Techs numbers. Ubuntu and Debian only (which Ubuntu is based on, with the same package manager and thus administered the same way) make up 65% of all Linux distributions for web serving use; the usage of Ubuntu surpassed Debian (for suchserveruse) in May 2016.
• Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution among the top 1,000 sites and gains around 500 of the top 10 million websites per day.

W3Techs analyses the top 10 million websites only.

Wikimedia Foundationdata (based onuser agent) for September 2013 shows that Ubuntu generated the most page requests to Wikimedia sites, including Wikipedia, among recognizable Linux distributions.

As of June 2024,Ubuntu 22.04 is used in Microsoft NDv5, aMicrosofts Azure cloud computer,its fastest one (of 7 Azure supercomputers, all running on Ubuntu), currently 3rd fastestsupercomputeron theTOP500list (only beaten by the only two exaflop computers; is itself half anexaflop,only 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 2022after an upgrade from seventh place, where it entered the list in June. Another Nvidia-based supercomputer using Ubuntu previously topped theGreen500list (it and the next one was also Ubuntu-based), 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).

Large-scale deployments

The public sector has also adopted Ubuntu. As of January 2009,the Ministry of Education and Science ofNorth Macedoniadeployed more than 180,000Ubuntu-based classroom desktops, and has encouraged every student in the country to use Ubuntu-powered computer workstations;the Spanish school system has 195,000 Ubuntu desktops.The French police, having already started usingopen-source softwarein 2005 by replacingMicrosoft OfficewithOpenOffice.org,decided to transition to Ubuntu fromWindows XPafter the release ofWindows Vistain 2006.By March 2009, theGendarmerie Nationalehad already switched 5,000 workstations to Ubuntu.Based on 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.

In 2004,the city ofMunich,Germany, started theLiMuxproject, and later forked Kubuntu 10.04 LTS for use on the city's computers.After originally planning to migrate 12,000 desktop computers to LiMux, it was announced in December 2013 that the project had completed successfully with the migration of 14,800 out of 15,500 desktop computers,but still keeping about 5,000 Windows clients for unported applications. In February 2017 the majority coalition decided, against heavy protest from the opposition,to evaluate the migration back to Windows,after Microsoft had decided to move its company headquarters to Munich.Governing MayorDieter Reitercited lack of compatibility with systems outside of the administrative sector, such as requiring a governmentalmail serverto send e-mails to his personalsmartphone,as reasons for the return, but has been criticised for evaluating administrative IT based on private and business standards.In May 2020, the recently electedAlliance 90/The Greensparty and theSocial Democratparty negotiated a new coalition agreement, stating: "Where it is technologically and financially possible, the city will put emphasis on open standards and free open-source licensed software".

In March 2012, the government of Iceland launched a project to get all public institutions using free and open-source software. Already, several government agencies and schools have adopted Ubuntu. The government cited cost savings as a big factor for the decision, and also stated that open-source software avoidsvendor lock-in.A 12-month project was launched to migrate the biggest public institutions in Iceland to using open-source software, and help ease the migration for others.US presidentBarack Obama's successfulcampaignfor re-election in 2012 used Ubuntu in its IT department.In August 2014, the city ofTurin,Italy, announced its migration fromWindows XPto Ubuntu for the 8,300 desktop computers used by the municipality, becoming the first city in Italy to adopt Ubuntu.

Starting in 2008, theWikimedia Foundation,the non-profit organization behindWikipedia,switched from multiple different Linux operating systems to Ubuntu.

Reception

Ubuntu was awarded the Reader Award for best Linux distribution at the 2005LinuxWorld Conference and Expoin London,received favorable reviews in online and print publications,and has wonInfoWorld's 2007 Bossie Award forBest Open Source Client OS.In early 2008,PC Worldnamed Ubuntu the "best all-around Linux distribution available today", though it criticized the lack of an integrated desktop effects manager.Chris DiBona, the program manager for open-source software at Google, said "I think Ubuntu has captured people's imaginations around the Linux desktop," and "If there is a hope for the Linux desktop, it would be them". As of January 2009,almost half of Google's 20,000 employees usedGoobuntu,a slightly modified version of Ubuntu.In 2012,ZDNetreported that Ubuntu was still Google's desktop of choice.In March 2016, Matt Hartley picked a list of best Linux distributions forDatamation;he chose Ubuntu as number one.

In 2008,Jamie Hyneman,co-host of the American television seriesMythBusters,advocated Linux (giving the example of Ubuntu) as a solution tosoftware bloat.Other celebrity users of Ubuntu include science fiction writerCory Doctorowand actorStephen Fry.

In January 2014, the UK's authority for computer security,CESG,reported thatUbuntu 12.04 LTSwas "the only operating system that passes as many as 9 out of 12 requirements without any significant risks", though it was unclear if any other Linux distributions were tested.

32-bit "deprecation" controversy

In June 2019, Canonical announced that they would be deprecating support for32-bit applicationsand libraries in Ubuntu 19.10.

BecauseSteam'sLinux client depends on these 32-bit libraries,Valveannounced that they would no longer be supporting Ubuntu. After uproar from the Linux gaming community, Canonical backtracked on this decision and decided to support select 32-bit libraries. As a result, Valve decided that Steam would support Ubuntu 19.10 again.

Wineneeds most of the same 32-bit library packages that the Steam package depends on, and more, to enable its version ofWoW64to run 32-bit Windows applications. The parts of Wine that would continue to function without 32-bit libraries would be limited to the subset of Windows applications that have a 64-bit version, removing decades of Windows compatibility. In Canonical's statement on bringing back the libraries, they mentioned using "container technology" in the future to make sure that Wine continues to function.

Conformity with European data privacy law

Soon after being introduced in 2012, doubts emerged on the conformance of theshopping lens(a feature that displays Amazon suggestions in the searching toolUnity Dash) with the EuropeanData Protection Directive.A petition was later signed and delivered to Canonical demanding various modifications to the feature in order to clearly frame it within European law. Canonical did not reply.

In 2013, a formal complaint on the shopping lens was filed with theInformation Commissioner's Office(ICO), the UK data privacy office. Almost one year later the ICO ruled in favor of Canonical, considering the various improvements introduced to the feature in the meantime to render it conformable with theData Protection Directive.According to European rules, this ruling is automatically effective in the entirety of the European Union. However, the ruling also made clear that at the time of introduction the feature was not legal, among other things, since it was missing a privacy policy statement.

System terminal advertising controversies

Ubuntu has integrated increasing quantities of advertising into the operating system's terminal, leading to multiple controversies with its user base.

In 2017, Canonical placed a message regarding HBO's Silicon Valley in theMOTDfile, causing the message to be shown whenever a terminal session started. Over the following years, more messages would be placed into the MOTD.

In 2022, ads for Ubuntu's premium service, Ubuntu Advantage, were introduced into the apt system update utility. This move caused controversy in the user community, with some users considering advertising a fair business model to support development, while other users found the inclusion inappropriate and annoying.

Local communities (LoCos)

Not to be confused withLinux User Group.

In an effort to reach out to users who are less technical, and to foster a sense of community around the distribution, Local Communities,better known as "LoCos", have been established throughout the world. Originally, each country had one LoCo Team. However, in some areas, most notably the United States and Canada, each state or province may establish a team.A LoCo Council approves teams based upon their efforts to aid in either the development or the promotion of Ubuntu.

Hardware vendor support

Ubuntu works closely with OEMs to jointly make Ubuntu available on a wide range of devices.A number of vendors offer computers with Ubuntu pre-installed, includingDell,Hasee,Sharp Corporation,and Cirrus7.Specifically,Delloffers the XPS 13 laptop, Developer Edition with Ubuntu pre-installed.Together, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Acer offer over 200 desktop and over 400 laptop PCs preloaded with Ubuntu.System76computers are also sold with Ubuntu.Dell and System76 customers are able to choose between 30-day, three-month, and yearly Ubuntu support plans through Canonical.Dell computers (running Ubuntu 10.04) include extra support forATI/AMDVideo Graphics, Dell Wireless,fingerprint readers,HDMI,Bluetooth,DVDplayback (usingLinDVD), andMP3/WMA/WMV.Asusalso sold someEee PCswith Ubuntu pre-installed and announced "many more" models running Ubuntu for 2011.Vodafonehas made available a notebook for the South African market called "Webbook".

Dell sells computers (initially Inspiron 14R and 15R laptops) pre-loaded with Ubuntu in India and China, with 850 and 350 retail outlets respectively.Starting in 2013, Alienware began offering its X51 model gaming desktop pre-installed with Ubuntu at a lower price than if it were pre-installed with Windows.

While Linux already works on IBM's mainframe system (Linux on IBM Z), IBM in collaboration with Canonical (andSUSE;"Linux Foundationwill form a new Open Mainframe Project ") announced Ubuntu support for theirz/Architecturefor the first time (IBM claimed their system,IBM zEnterprise System,version z13, the most powerful computer in the world in 2015;it was then the largest computer by transistor count; again claimed fastest in 2017 withIBM z14), at the time of their "biggest code drop" ( "LinuxOne" ) in Linux history.

In early 2015, Intel launched theIntel Compute Sticksmall form factor computer available preloaded with Ubuntu or Windows operating systems.

Windows interoperability

Many Windows applications can be run on Ubuntu, much like in other Linux distributions, using theWinecompatibility layer, which can be managed via frontends such asBottles.

Multiple Windows virtual machines can also be installed by KVM/QEMU and Virt-Manager.Graphics settings are easiest in QXL/SPICE mode. For 3D accelerated graphics performance, there is a third-party VirGL driver or GPU Full Passthrough mode.

In a networked environment, file sharing between Ubuntu Linux and Windows is possible bySambaclient/server software. Host Ubuntu Linux and the guest Windows virtual machines are also virtually networked in KVM, so file sharing between the host and virtual guest machines can also be done by the Samba in theKVMenvironment.

RDP server of GNOME Remote Desktop andRemminaclient software is used for remote desktop connection between Ubuntu Linux and the other OSs.

In March 2016,Microsoftannounced that it would support the Ubuntuuserlandon top of theWindows 10kernelby implementing the Linuxsystem callsasa subsystem.At the time, it was focused oncommand-line toolslikeBashand was aimed atsoftware developers.WSL was made available with Windows 10, version 1709.As of 2019, other Linux distributions are also supported.

In 2019, Microsoft announced the newWSL 2subsystem that includes aLinux kernel,that Canonical announced will have "full support for Ubuntu".By this time, it was possible to run graphical Linux apps on Windows.In 2021, Microsoft went on to add out-of-the-box support for graphical Linux apps, through the WSLg project.

In May 2021, Microsoft extended its Threat and Vulnerability Management solution, which was a Windows-only solution thus far, to support Ubuntu, RHEL, and CentOS.Starting with version 6,PowerShellruns on Ubuntu and can manage both Windows and Ubuntu computers remotely from either platforms.

See also

• Comparison of Linux distributions

External links

• Official website
• UbuntuatDistroWatch