Kamis, 14 Oktober 2010

Ubuntu - The Flagship Linux Desktop Distro

Like it or hate you have to admit:

Ubuntu has done wonders for the Linux desktop.

Through Canonical's works, community development, and the various spin offs such as Linux Mint, PinguyOS, Zorin, and many others there is no arguing that Ubuntu based systems are the most popular choice for the Linux desktop operating system. Ubuntu has almost become synonymous, or at the very least as popular, as Linux in general. If Google search trends mean anyhing just "Ubuntu" could very well surpass "Linux" itself within a few years (because we know Canonical like to keep the Linux hidden). The year after Ubuntu's first release the amount of searches of "Ubuntu" versus searches for "Linux" was 13 to 1:


This number quickly changed as Ubuntu gained in popularity. In 2006 this ratio was more than cut in half:


Ubuntu continued to gain steam from this point forward, in the next year this ratio was halved yet again:


Now, in 2010 the Ubuntu search ratio is extremely close to that of Linux itself, settling at a 1.24 to 1 for the last twelve months:


As someone who has used nearly every distro on the Distro-Watch top 100 list, I can say from personal experience that Ubuntu based systems have always been the easiest to configure. They are what I recommend to friends and family when they ask about Linux. Some people will tell you Ubuntu is harder to use than some other operating systems, but we know that is just plain FUD.

If you are a Linux user do you use something Ubuntu-based on your personal machine? If you have a friend interested in learning Linux, would you recommend Ubuntu or a different distro? Finally, why do you think Ubuntu is the most popular around?

~Jeff Hoogland

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