For those of you that don't know, an operating system is the computer program that runs all the OTHER computer programs. Windows is actually a program, and it's ridiculously expensive. The fact that it comes on your computer is no different than the fact that AOL came on your computer 10 years ago. They're both just programs. The Operating System is the basic level of operations that you can access, and it controls how the other programs run and which of your computer's resources are directed to which programs. Mac OSX is another famous operating system. Less recognizable to the average layperson is Linux, an operating system previously held to be an "enthusiast" operating system, accessible only to geeks. Recently, a "flavor" of Linux called Ubuntu has been making the rounds, and it's the best operating system I've ever used. The newest edition of Ubuntu is called Karmic Koala, and it's version 9.10. There are many things an operating system does. It handles user accounts and permissions, it provides the user interfact for interacting with the system, it runs applications (including games), and it provides general system security. I'll try to tackle each of these separately in the full article.

First, we have the user accounts and permissions. As you may know, a Windows user has the ability to install programs, delete files, and do pretty much anything they want with a system. This is how viruses get installed on your computer, because the viruses can exploit the system's trust to install themselves with full permissions to delete files and alter system settings. Whenever you attempt to alter a system setting in Ubuntu, you see this:



You must enter the administrator password any time you want to install new software or modify any files outside of your home directory. You're all familiar with the Windows desktop and the "My Documents" folder, right? In Ubuntu, they're all collectively referred to as your "home directory", and that's where all your files go. Anything you create, anything you save, any downloads you perform, they all go into the home directory, which you can edit to your heart's content without ever needing to enter an administrator password. This means each user of the system can have their own files in a well segregated area, and backing up all your important files is as easy as copying one folder over to a flash drive or CD. This kind of extra security and the segregation of user settings means each member of your family can have their own private user account, with their own settings, their own color scheme, and their own applications, all without affecting each other OR compromising the security of the system. You can easily share files between users by setting up shortcuts, shared folders, or simply viewing each other's files. Every user has "read only" access to every other user's files, so you can view (but not change or delete) the files you may need.

Moving right along, we have the user interface. When you boot into Ubuntu, you're presented with the login screen:



The login screen, as you can see, allows you to select a user, change your login options (like, for instance, enabling high contrast or zoom mode for people with vision problems), or power down the machine. Once you select a user, you're taken to a screen where you can enter your password, and choose a number of start-up options, including the option to forego the graphical interface and boot directly to a terminal. This is where the features start that usually drive the conversation, so I'll take a little detour here. Linux is the most powerful "under the hood" operating system you'll find. MacOS works the same way. You can open up a "terminal" which allows you to type commands to perform any action you may require. Anything, from adjusting the volume, to downloading a file, or playing a movie, can be started from the command line. The command line can also be used to edit files, move files, upgrade and install software, and more. When most "nerds" start talking about Linux operating systems, they inevitably fall into the trap of going on and on about the command line and how powerful it is. I know you don't care, so just know that "it's really powerful" and let's move on.

Once you've logged into the graphical interface, you're shown the default Ubuntu desktop.



Across the top and bottom of the screen are the toolbars. The top toolbar holds your menus. The "Applications" menu mimics the "Start" menu on windows computers, though the applications menu is categorized. The categories range from "Accessories" (where you'll find calculators, text editors, and more) to "Games" (there are thousands of free games available), "Office" (where you'll find word processors and spreadsheet editors), and "Internet" (where you'll find web browsers, chat clients, and bitorrent clients). There are categories for multimedia products like movie and music players, and there's even categories you can enable for programming tools, low level system tools, etc. The other menus along the top bar are "Places" and "System." The "Places" menu will give you one-click access to your home folder, your desktop, your pictures folder, your documents, your removable media drives (like CD drives and thumb drives), and any networked drives you have connected. It also has entries for connecting to new network shares and FTP sites, if you're so inclined. The "System" menu is where you configure your settings, it works like the control panel on Windows or the "System Preferences" app on Mac. All these menus can be customized by right clicking on them. The rest of the top menu bar is reserved for shortcuts and widgets. You can see in that screenshot there are a number of widgets already installed, there are many more that come built in to the system, including weather, system statistics, email checkers, IM clients, and more.

The bottom toolbar is reserved for switching windows and switching desktops. Any application you run will put a small box in the bottom toolbar, just like on Windows. There are interface replacements that turn the bottom navigation bar into a "dock" like on Mac, more on that later. You can also see at the right side of the bottom bar a series of blocks. This represents the desktop switcher. Linux supports multiple desktops by default. That means you can open your email and your chat client on one "desktop", then switch to a complete empty "desktop" and open a spreadsheet and a calculator. You can switch between these desktops at will, and there are many plugins that allow those effects to be fantastic. Compiz-Fusion is the window manager that comes with Ubuntu, and it includes such fancy desktop switching animations as the 3D rotating cube:



Almost ever portion of the interface is customizable. Ubuntu includes a quick and easy "theme picker" for basic color scheme and window shape decisions, but the compiz-fusion application allows you to do much more to your system, including things like bendable windows:



Compiz also includes an exposé-like window picker:



With all this ability to easily manage and switch between applications, how do we actually GET applications? On windows or mac, you would have to learn about a particular application that may be useful for you, then go to that applications website and attempt to download the latest version. Once you download it, you have to find the downloaded file, run it, and go through the installer process (which asks you where to save it, what features you want, etc.). On Ubuntu, you simply open the "Ubuntu Software Center" found in the "Applications" menu. It looks like this:




Now let's say I wanted to install Pidgin, an instant messaging client. I could type "Pidgin" in the top search bar, or simply click "Internet" and find it on the list.



Once I click the application, I'm taken to a description of the application, including a screenshot, and the option to either "Install" the application or visit the application's official website. In my particular instance, I already have Pidgin installed, so my "Install" button actually says "remove."



The Ubuntu Software Center offers only a small number of the Linux-compatible programs. The Ubuntu Software Center only offers the applications tested and verified by the Ubuntu development team to work perfectly with Ubuntu. There is also an application in the System->Preferences menu called Synaptic, which allows you to download and install ANY Linux software. Simply search or browse for the application you want to install, and click "mark for installation." You may configure as many applications as you want for installation, and install them all in one go.

By the way, any application you install via the Ubuntu Software Center or through Synaptics are automatically kept up to date by the Ubuntu Update Manager, which runs every so often and will prompt you to update all your software in one fell swoop, ensuring you never have any security vulnerabilities or old software on your system.

Now what about GAMES, I hear some of you saying. It's true that you can't go to Best Buy and buy games with "Works on Linux!" on the box. You can go into the Ubuntu Software Center and click the "games" tab and find the hundreds of games available (all free) for Ubuntu. However, many people prefer to play the mainstream games with their friends. Never fear, gamers. There is an application called Wine (available for free through the Software Center or Synaptics) that works to "trick" Windows software into running on Linux. Through Wine I've been able to play World of Warcraft and Half-Life 2 on Ubuntu, with better performance than on Windows! For more information on what games work with Wine and how to install them, check out the Wine Database

Finally, we're taken to system security. I'm going to be brief on this, because this review has already gotten very long and it's a more technical argument. If you don't care, skip to the next paragraph, it's a good one. Because Linux prevents users from altering the actual system files without a password, most of the windows-style viruses that take over your computer simply won't work. In fact, even loading those viruses in Wine won't do anything bad to your computer, because even with Wine running those viruses cannot break your system the way they can on Windows. The reason why Linux is so perfectly configured for security is because it has a multi-layered architecture. Windows runs as one big chunk of code, each portion of windows is given the same preference as all the rest. The piece of code that draws the start menu is allowed as much security access as the piece of code that logs you into the system. That is bad, because it leads to rogue pieces of code like viruses impersonating real windows applications and gaining access to the inner workings of your computer. Linux, on the other hand, runs in a multi-layered system. The "Kernel" is what Linux actually is. It's a series of core applications that handle basic tasks like system security, network connections, file access, etc. Everything else is laid on top of that, and doesn't have the ability to alter the kernel. The windowing system, including Compiz, is actually a completely different set of code called Gnome. Ubuntu would run just fine if you completely replaced the Gnome windowing system with KDE, and many people do. That's the key to Linux's security and customizability, this multi-leveled architecture.

All right, we're at the home stretch now people. Linux is great and you should use it, I think I've properly established that here. But how can you use it, when all you have is a Windows computer? Here's the REAL good news about Linux, including Ubuntu: It's free. That's right, zero dollars. Go to the Ubuntu download page and download yourself a copy. Burn it to a CD, put that CD in your computer, and reboot. Your computer will ask you if you want to boot from the CD. Hit a key (or select "yes") and Ubuntu will start. THIS WILL NOT BREAK YOUR COMPUTER. Ubuntu will start, and you choose "try Ubuntu" from the menu, then Ubuntu will load. On your desktop will be an icon that will allow you to get to your Windows files, and you'll be able to try Ubuntu for however long you want. If you like it, you can install Ubuntu using the "install Ubuntu" link on the desktop, otherwise use the top-right menu to shut down, take out the disk, and throw it away. It costs you nothing but time (and one blank CD) to try Ubuntu to see what the fuss is all about.