Ubuntu (operating system)

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This article is about the operating system. For other uses, see Ubuntu (disambiguation).

Ubuntu

Screenshot of Ubuntu Desktop 15.04 Vivid Vervet

Developer

Canonical Ltd., Ubuntu community

OS family

Linux

Working state

Current

Source model

Open source (with exceptions)[1]

Initial release

20 October 2004; 10 years ago

Latest release

15.04 Vivid Vervet / 23 April 2015; 5 months

ago[2]

Latest preview

15.10 Wily Werewolf Release Candidate /

15 October 2015; 1 day ago[3]

Marketing target

Personal
computers, servers,smartphones, tablet
computers(Ubuntu Touch), smart TVs(Ubuntu
TV)

Available in

More than 55 languages byLoCos

Update method

APT (Software Updater,Ubuntu Software

Center)

Package manager

dpkg, Click packages

Platforms

IA-32, x86-64,[4]ARMv7,[4][5][6][7][8] ARM6

4,Power[9]

Kernel type

Monolithic (Linux)

Userland

GNU

Default user interface

Unity (since Ubuntu 11.04)

GNOME (until Ubuntu 10.10)

License

Free software licenses

(mainly GPL)

Official website

www.ubuntu.com

Ubuntu (originally /bunt/ uu-BOON-tuu, according to the company website /b ntu/ uuBUUN-too)[10][11][12][13][14] is a Debian-based Linux operating system and distribution, with Unity as its
default desktop environment for personal computers including smartphones in later versions.
Ubuntu also runs network servers. It is based on free software and named after the Southern
African philosophy of ubuntu (literally, "human-ness"), which often is translated as "humanity
towards others" or "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity". [15]
Development of Ubuntu is led by UK-based Canonical Ltd.,[16] a company owned by South African
entrepreneurMark Shuttleworth. Canonical generates revenue through the sale of technical
support and other services related to Ubuntu.[17][18] The Ubuntu project is publicly committed to the
principles of open-source software development; people are encouraged to use free software,
study how it works, improve upon it, and distribute it.[19][20]
Contents
[hide]

1 Features

2 Security

3 History and development process

4 Installation

5 Package classification and support

5.1 Third-party software

6 Releases

7 Variants
o

7.1 Chinese derivative UbuntuKylin

7.2 Ubuntu Server

7.3 Ubuntu Touch

7.4 Cloud computing

8 Adoption and reception

o

8.1 Installed base

8.2 Large-scale deployments

8.3 Critical reception

8.4 Amazon controversy

9 Local communities (LoCos)

10 Hardware vendor support

11 See also

12 References

13 Bibliography

14 External links

Features[edit]
A default installation of Ubuntu contains a wide range of software that
includes LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird,Transmission, and several lightweight games such
as Sudoku and chess.[21][22] Many additional software packages, including titles no longer in the
default installation such as Evolution, GIMP, Pidgin, and Synaptic, are accessible from the built
in Ubuntu Software Center as well as any other APT based package management tool. Execution
of Microsoft Office and other Microsoft Windows applications can be facilitated via the Wine
compatibility package or through the use of a virtual machine such as VirtualBox or VMware
Workstation.

Security[edit]
Ubuntu's goal is to be secure "out-of-the box". By default, the user's programs run with low
privileges and cannot corrupt the operating system or other user's files. For increased security,
the sudo tool is used to assign temporary privileges for performing administrative tasks, which
allows the root account to remain locked and helps prevent inexperienced users from
inadvertently making catastrophic system changes or opening security holes. [23] PolicyKit is also

being widely implemented into the desktop to further harden the system. Most network ports are
closed by default to prevent hacking.[24] A built-in firewall allows end-users who install network
servers to control access. A GUI (GUI for Uncomplicated Firewall) is available to configure it.
[25]
Ubuntu compiles its packages using GCC features such as PIE andbuffer overflow
protection to harden its software.[26] These extra features greatly increase security at the
performance expense of 1% in 32 bit and 0.01% in 64 bit.[27]
The home and Private directories can be encrypted.[28]

History and development process[edit]

Ubuntu is built on Debian's architecture and infrastructure, to provide Linux server, desktop,
phone, tablet and TV operating systems.[29] Ubuntu releases updated versions predictably every
six months,[13] and each release receives free support for nine months (eighteen months prior to
13.04)[30] with security fixes, high-impact bug fixes and conservative, substantially beneficial lowrisk bug fixes.[31] The first release was in October 2004.
It was decided that every fourth release, issued on a two-year basis, would receive long-term
support (LTS).[13] Long-term support includes updates for new hardware, security patches and
updates to the 'Ubuntu stack' (cloud computing infrastructure).[18] 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. [32][33][34] LTS releases get
regular point releases with support for new hardware and integration of all the updates published
in that series to date.[35]
Ubuntu packages are based on packages from Debian's unstable branch. Both distributions use
Debian's deb package format and package management tools (APT and Ubuntu Software
Center). Debian and Ubuntu packages are not necessarily binary compatible with each other,
however; packages may need to be rebuilt from source to be used in Ubuntu.[36] Many Ubuntu
developers are also maintainers of key packages within Debian. Ubuntu cooperates with Debian
by pushing changes back to Debian,[37] although there has been criticism that this does not
happen often enough. Ian Murdock, the founder of Debian, has expressed concern about Ubuntu
packages potentially diverging too far from Debian to remain compatible. [38] Before release,
packages are imported from Debian Unstablecontinuously and merged with Ubuntu-specific
modifications. One month before release, imports are frozen, and packagers then work to ensure
that the frozen features interoperate well together.
Ubuntu is currently funded by Canonical Ltd. On 8 July 2005, Mark Shuttleworth and Canonical
Ltd., announced the creation of the Ubuntu Foundation and provided an initial funding of
US$10 million. The purpose of the foundation is to ensure the support and development for all
future versions of Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth describes the foundation as an "emergency fund";
which in such a case, Canonical's involvement ends.[39]
On 12 March 2009, Ubuntu announced developer support for 3rd-party cloud management
platforms, such as those used at Amazon EC2.[40]
Unity has become the default GUI for Ubuntu Desktop.[41][42]

Installation[edit]

Ubuntu running on the Nexus S, a smartphone that ran Android prior to Ubuntu

The system requirements vary among Ubuntu products. For the Ubuntu desktop release 14.04, a
PC with at least 768 MB ofRAM and 5 GB of disk space is recommended.[43] For less powerful
computers, there are other Ubuntu distributions such asLubuntu and Xubuntu. As of version
12.04, Ubuntu supports the ARM architecture.[4][5][6][7] Ubuntu is also available onPowerPC,[4][44]
[45]
and SPARC platforms,[citation needed] although these platforms are not officially supported. [46]
Live images are 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 and booted, or run
via UNetbootin directly from a USB drive (making, respectively, a live DVD or live USB medium).
Running Ubuntu in this way is typically slower than running it from a hard 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 an installer
called Ubiquity to install Ubuntu once booted into the live environment.[47] Disk images of all
current and past versions are available for download at the Ubuntu web site. [48] Various third-party
programs such as remastersys and Reconstructor are available to create customized copies of
the Ubuntu Live DVDs (or CDs). "Minimal CDs" are available (for server use) that fit on a CD.
Additionally, USB flash drive installations can be used to boot Ubuntu and Kubuntu in a way that
allows permanent saving of user settings and portability of the USB-installed system between
physical machines (however, the computers' BIOS must support booting from USB).[49] In newer
versions of Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Live USB creator can be used to install Ubuntu on a USB drive
(with or without a live CD or DVD). Creating a bootable USB drive with persistence is as simple
as dragging a slider to determine how much space to reserve for persistence; for this, Ubuntu
employs casper.[50][51]
The desktop edition can also be installed using the Netboot image (aka netbook tarball) which
uses the debian-installer and allows certain specialist installations of Ubuntu: setting up
automated deployments, upgrading from older installations without network
access, LVM and/or RAID partitioning, installs on systems with less than about 256 MB of RAM
(although low-memory systems may not be able to run a full desktop environment reasonably). [52]
Ubuntu works on the newer Raspberry Pi 2,[53] but not the original.

Package classification and support[edit]

Ubuntu divides most software into four domains to reflect differences in licensing and the degree
of support available.[54] Some unsupported applications receive updates from community
members, but not from Canonical Ltd.

Supported

Unsupported

Free software

Non-free software

Main

Restricted

Universe

Multiverse

Free software includes software that has met the Ubuntu licensing requirements, [54] which roughly
correspond to the Debian Free Software Guidelines. Exceptions, however,
include firmware and fonts, in the Main category, because although they are not allowed to be
modified, their distribution is otherwise unencumbered.[citation needed]
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-only graphics card drivers.
The level of support in the Restricted category is more limited than that of Main, because the

developers may not have access to the source code. It is intended that Main and Restricted
should contain all software needed for a complete desktop environment. [54] Alternative programs
for the same tasks and programs for specialized applications are placed in the Universe and
Multiverse categories.
In addition to the above, in which the software does not receive new features after an initial
release, Ubuntu Backports is an officially recognized repository forbackporting newer software
from later versions of Ubuntu.[55] The repository is not comprehensive; it consists primarily of userrequested packages, which are approved if they meet quality guidelines. Backports receives no
support at all from Canonical, and is entirely community-maintained.
The -updates repository 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 -proposed repository before being
made available to the public.[56] Updates are scheduled to be available until the end of life for the
release.
In addition to the -updates repository, the unstable -proposed repository contains uploads which
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 of regression.[57] Updates in
-proposed are confirmed by either Canonical or members of the community.
Canonical's partner repository lets vendors of proprietary software deliver their products to
Ubuntu users at no cost through the same familiar tools for installing and upgrading software.
[58]
The software in the partner repository is officially supported with security and other important
updates by its respective vendors. Canonical supports the packaging of the software for Ubuntu [58]
[59][60]
and provides guidance to vendors.[58] The partner repository is disabled by default and can be
enabled by the user.[61] Some popular products distributed via the partner repository as of 28 April
2013 are Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader and Skype.

Third-party software[edit]
See also: GetDeb
Ubuntu has a certification system for third-party software. [62] Some third-party software that does
not limit distribution is included in Ubuntu's multiverse component. The package ubunturestricted-extras additionally contains software that may be legally restricted, including support
for MP3 and DVD playback, Microsoft TrueType core fonts, Sun's Java runtime
environment, Adobe's Flash Player plugin, many common audio/video codecs, and unrar, an
unarchiver for files compressed in theRAR file format.
Additionally, third party application suites are available for purchase through Ubuntu Software
Center,[63] including many high-quality games such as Braid and Oil Rush,[64] software for DVD
playback and media codecs.
Steam is also available for Ubuntu with a wide range of indie games, such as Amnesia: The Dark
Descent, as well as some AAA titles, such as Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2.

Releases[edit]
For more details on all Ubuntu releases including older ones not covered here, see List of Ubuntu
releases.
Version

Code name

Release date

Supported until

12.04 LTS

Precise Pangolin

2012-04-26

2017-04

12.10

Quantal Quetzal

2012-10-18

2014-05-16

13.04

Raring Ringtail

2013-04-25

2014-01-27[30]

13.10

Saucy Salamander

2013-10-17

2014-07-17

14.04 LTS[65]

Trusty Tahr

2014-04-17

2019-04

14.10

Utopic Unicorn[66]

2014-10-23[67]

2015-07

15.04

Vivid Vervet[68]

2015-04-23

2016-01

15.10

Wily Werewolf[69]

2015-10-22[70]

2016-07

Old version
Older version, still supported
Latest version
Future release

Each Ubuntu release has a version number that consists of the year and month number of the
release.[71] For example, the first release was Ubuntu 4.10 as it was released on 20 October 2004.
Version numbers for future versions are provisional; if the release is delayed the version number
changes accordingly.
Ubuntu releases are also given alliterative code names, using an adjective and an animal (e.g.,
"Trusty Tahr" and "Precise Pangolin"). With the exception of the first two releases, code names
are in alphabetical order, allowing a quick determination of which release is newer. "We might
skip a few letters, and we'll have to wrap eventually." says Mark Shuttleworth while describing the
naming scheme.[72]Commonly, Ubuntu releases are referred to using only the adjective portion of
the code name; for example, the 14.04 LTS release is commonly known as "Trusty".
Releases are timed to be approximately one month after GNOME releases (which in turn are
about one month after releases of X.org). As a result, every Ubuntu release was introduced with
an updated version of both GNOME and X. After each release, the Ubuntu Developer Summit
(UDS) is held, at which the Ubuntu community sets the development direction for the next cycle. [73]
Upgrades between releases have to be done from one release to the next release (e.g. Ubuntu
13.10 to Ubuntu 14.04) or from one LTS release to the next LTS release (e.g. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
to Ubuntu 14.04 LTS).[74]
Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat), was released on 10 October 2010 (101010). This departed
from the traditional schedule of releasing at the end of October in order to get "the perfect 10",
[75]
and makes a playful reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, since, in binary,
101010 equals decimal 42, the "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and
Everything" within the series.[76]

A DVD or bootable flash drive of 1 GB or more is required for Ubuntu 12.10 and later.[77] Server
releases still fit on CDs.[78]

Variants[edit]

Ubuntu family tree

See also: List of Ubuntu-based Linux distributions

The variant officially recommended for most users, and officially supported by Canonical, is
Ubuntu Desktop (formally named as Ubuntu Desktop Edition, and simply called Ubuntu),
designed for desktop and laptop PCs using Unity Desktop interface (earlier versions used
GNOME).[79] A number of other variants are distinguished simply by each featuring a different
desktop environment: Ubuntu GNOME (with the GNOME desktop environment), Ubuntu
MATE (with the MATE desktop environment), Kubuntu (with KDE Plasma
Workspaces), Lubuntu (with LXDE), and Xubuntu (with Xfce). LXDE[80] and Xfce[81]are sometimes
recommended for use with older PCs that may have less memory and processing power
available.
These five are not commercially supported by Canonical. [48]
Besides Ubuntu Desktop, there are several other official Ubuntu editions, which are created and
maintained by Canonical and the Ubuntu community and receive full support from Canonical, its
partners and the Community. They include the following:[82][83]

Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix, a release meant for business users that comes with
special enterprise software including Adobe Flash, Canonical Landscape, OpenJDK 6
and VMware View, while removing social networking and file sharing applications, games and
development/sysadmin tools.[84] The goal of the Business Desktop Remix is not to copy other
enterprise-oriented distributions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, but to make it, according
to Mark Shuttleworth's blog, "easier for institutional users to evaluate Ubuntu Desktop for
their specific needs."[85]

By Precise Pangolin (12.04),Kubuntu is a community-supported variant of the Ubuntu distribution which

uses the KDE Plasma Workspaces.

Ubuntu TV, labeled "TV for human beings" by Canonical, was introduced at the
2012 Consumer Electronics Show by Canonical's marketing executive John D. Bernard.
[86]
Created for smart TVs, Ubuntu TV aimed to provide access to popular Internet services
and stream content to mobile devices running Android, iOS and Ubuntu.
[87]
Launchpad.net has not shown any development activity since late 2011.[88]

There are many Ubuntu variants (or derivatives) based on the official Ubuntu editions. These
Ubuntu variants install a default set of packages that differ from the official Ubuntu distributions.
The variants recognized by Canonical as contributing significantly towards the Ubuntu project are
the following:[83]

Edubuntu, a subproject and add-on for Ubuntu, designed for school environments and
home users.[89]

Mythbuntu, designed for creating a home theater PC with MythTV and uses the Xfce
desktop environment.

Ubuntu Studio, a distribution made for professional video and audio editing, comes with
higher-end free editing software.

Edubuntu, Mythbuntu and Ubuntu Studio are not commercially supported by Canonical. [48]
Other variants are created and maintained by individuals and organizations outside of Canonical,
and they are self-governed projects that work more or less closely with the Ubuntu community.[82]

Chinese derivative UbuntuKylin[edit]

As of Ubuntu 10.10, a Chinese version of Ubuntu Desktop called "Ubuntu Chinese Edition", had
been released alongside the various other editions.[90] However, in 2013, Canonical reached an
agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of
China to make Ubuntu the new basis of the Kylin operating system starting with Raring Ringtail
(version 13.04).[91] The first version of Ubuntu Kylin was released on 25 April 2013.[92]

Ubuntu Server[edit]

A screenshot of the Ubuntu 12.04Server installation boot menu

Ubuntu has a server edition that uses the same APT repositories as the Ubuntu Desktop Edition.
The differences between them are the absence of an X Window environment in a default
installation of the server edition (although one can easily be installed including Unity, GNOME,
KDE or XFCE) and the installation process.[93] The server edition uses a screen modecharacterbased interface for the installation, instead of a graphical installation process.
Ubuntu 10.04 Server Edition[dated info] can also run on VMware ESX
Server, Oracle's VirtualBox and VM, Citrix SystemsXenServer hypervisors, Microsoft HyperV, QEMU, Kernel-based Virtual Machine, or any other IBM PC compatible emulator or virtualizer.
Ubuntu 10.04 turns on AppArmor (security module for the Linux kernel) by default on key
software packages, and the firewall is extended to common services used by the operating
system.
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Edition supports three major architectures: IA-32, x86-64 and ARM.
[93]
Minimum RAM memory requirements are 128 MB.
Ubuntu 14.04 LTS Server Edition
includes MySQL 5.5, OpenJDK 7, Samba 4.1, PHP 5.5, Python 2.7.

Ubuntu Touch[edit]
For more details on this topic, see Ubuntu Touch.
Ubuntu Touch is an alternate version of Ubuntu developed for smartphones and tablets which
was announced on 2 January 2013. Ubuntu Touch was Released To Manufacturing on 16
September 2014.[94] The first device to run it was the Galaxy Nexus.[95] A demo version for higherend Ubuntu smartphones was shown that could run a full Ubuntu desktop when connected to a
monitor and keyboard, which was to ship as Ubuntu for Android.[96] A concept for a smartphone
running Ubuntu for Phones was published[when?] on Ubuntu's official channel on YouTube. The
platform allows developing one app with two interfaces: a smartphone UI, and, when docked, a
desktop UI.[97] Ubuntu for Tablets was previewed at 19 February 2013. According to the keynote
video, an Ubuntu Phone will be able to connect to a tablet, which will then utilize a tablet
interface; plugging a keyboard and mouse into the tablet will transform the phone into a desktop;
and plugging a television monitor into the phone will bring up the Ubuntu TV interface.[98]
On 6 February 2015, the first smartphone running Ubuntu "out of the box" was announced.
The BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition features a 4.5-inch (110 mm) qHDdisplay, a 1.3 GHz quadcore Cortex-A7 processor, and 1 GB of RAM. It was priced at 169.90.[99]

Cloud computing[edit]

Eucalyptus interface

Ubuntu offers Ubuntu Cloud Images which are pre-installed disk images that have been
customized by Ubuntu engineering to run on cloud-platforms such as Amazon EC2, OpenStack,
Windows and LXC.[100] Ubuntu is also prevalent on VPSplatforms such as DigitalOcean.[101]
Ubuntu 11.04 added support for OpenStack, with Eucalyptus to OpenStack migration tools added
by Canonical in Ubuntu Server 11.10.[102][103] Ubuntu 11.10 added focus on OpenStack as the
Ubuntu's preferred IaaS offering though Eucalyptus is also supported. Another major focus
is Canonical Juju for provisioning, deploying, hosting, managing, and orchestrating enterprise
data center infrastructure services, by, with, and for the Ubuntu Server.[104][105]

Adoption and reception[edit]

Installed base[edit]

Because of a lack of registration, any number provided for Ubuntu usage can only be estimated.
[106]
In 2015, Canonical's Ubuntu Insights page stated "Ubuntu now has over 40 million desktop
users and counting".[107]
W3Techs estimated in October 2013 that:
1. Ubuntu is used by 26.1% of all Linux websites, behind only Debian (on which Ubuntu is
based), which is used by 32.7% of all Linux websites.[108]
2. Ubuntu is the most popular Linux distribution among the top 1000 sites and gains around
500 of the top 10 million websites per day.[109]
3. Ubuntu is used by 8.2% of all websites analyzed, growing from less than 7% in October
2012.[110]
W3Techs only analyses the top 10 million websites.[111] It considers Linux as a subcategory
of Unix and estimated in the same month that 66.4% of the analyzed websites use Unix. [112]
According to thecloudmarket.com, Ubuntu is on at least 54% of the images it scanned on
Amazon EC2.[113]
Wikimedia data (based on User agent) for September 2013 shows that Ubuntu generated the
most page requests to Wikimedia among recognizable Linux distributions. [114][115]

Large-scale deployments[edit]
The public sector has also adopted Ubuntu. As of January 2009, the Ministry of Education and
Science of Republic of Macedonia deployed more than 180,000[116]Ubuntu-based classroom
desktops, and has encouraged every student in the country to use Ubuntu-powered computer
workstations;[117] the Spanish school system has 195,000 Ubuntu desktops.[116] The French police,
having already started using open-source software in 2005 by replacing Microsoft
Office withOpenOffice.org, decided to transition to Ubuntu from Windows XP after the release
of Windows Vista in 2006.[118] By March 2009, the Gendarmerie Nationale had already switched
5000 workstations to Ubuntu.[118] 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).[118] 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. [118] In 2011,
Ubuntu 10.04 was adopted by the Indian justice system. [119] The Government of Kerala adopted
Ubuntu for the legislators in Kerala and the government schools of Kerala began to use
customized IT@School Project Ubuntu 10.04 which contains specially created software for
students. Earlier, Windows was used in the schools. Textbooks were also remade with Ubuntu
syllabus and are currently used in schools.[120]
The city of Munich, Germany has forked Kubuntu 10.04 LTS and created LiMux for use on the
city's computers.[121] After originally planning to migrate 12,000 desktop computer 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.[122] 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 avoids vendor lock-in. A 12month project was launched to migrate the biggest public institutions in Iceland to open-source,
and help ease the migration for others.[123] Incumbent U.S. president Barack Obama's
successful campaign for re-election in 2012 used Ubuntu in its IT department. [124] In August 2014,
the city ofTurin, Italy, announced the migration from Windows XP to Ubuntu for its 8,300 desktop
computers used by the municipality, becoming the first city in Italy to adopt Ubuntu. [125][126]

Critical reception[edit]
Ubuntu was awarded the Reader Award for best Linux distribution at the 2005 LinuxWorld
Conference and Expo in London,[127] received favorable reviews in online and print publications,[128]
[129]
and has won InfoWorld's 2007 Bossie Award for Best Open Source Client OS.[130] In early

2008 PC World named Ubuntu the "best all-around Linux distribution available today", though it
criticized the lack of an integrated desktop effects manager.[131] Although it is likely to be a
prejudiced view, since Google promotes their own Linux-derived operating system called Android
for mobile devices, Chris DiBona, the program manager for open-source software at Google, said
"I think Ubuntu has captured peoples 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 Googles 20,000
employees used a slightly modified version of Ubuntu.[116]
In 2008, Jamie Hyneman, co-host of the American television series Mythbusters, advocated Linux
(giving the example of Ubuntu) as a solution to software bloat.[132]Other celebrity users of Ubuntu
include science fiction writer Cory Doctorow[133] and actor Stephen Fry.[134]
In March 2013, Canonical announced that it had decided to develop Mir,[135] reversing an earlier
plan to move to Wayland as the primary Ubuntu display server[136]and causing widespread
objection from the open source desktop community.[137][138][139][140] X.Org contributor Daniel Stone
opined: "I'm just irritated that this means more work for us, more work for upstream developers,
more work for toolkits, more work for hardware vendors...."[141] In September 2013, an Intel
developer removed XMir support from their video driver and wrote "We do not condone or
support Canonical in the course of action they have chosen, and will not carry XMir patches
upstream".[142][143][144]
In January 2014, the UK's authority for computer security, CESG, reported that Ubuntu 12.04
LTS was "the only operating system that passes as many as 9 out of 12 requirements without any
significant risks".[145]
As of 2015, Ubuntu's page on DistroWatch is the second most accessed among Linux distribution
pages there, behind its offshoot Linux Mint.[146]
Ubuntu's developers acknowledged battery life problems from version 10.04 [147] and sought to
solve the issues of power consumption in the 12.04 LTS release. [148]The 14.04 release improved
the situation, but still lagged other operating systems in the battery life metric. [149]

Amazon controversy[edit]
See also: Unity (user interface) Privacy controversy
One of the new features of Unity in Ubuntu 12.10 was the shopping lens Amazon search results
displayed in the Unity dash. It was alternately described as the "Amazon controversy", [150]
[151]
"privacy fiasco"[152] and "spyware".[153]
As of October 2012, it sent (through a secure HTTPS connection) the user's queries from the
home lens to productsearch.ubuntu.com,[154] which then polledAmazon.com to find relevant
products; Amazon then sent product images directly to the user's computer through HTTP (this
changed in September 2013). If the user clicked in one of these results and then bought
something, Canonical got a small fraction of the sale.[155]
In 2012, many reviewers criticized it: as the home lens is the natural means to search for content
on the local machine, reviewers were concerned about the disclosure of queries that were
intended to be local, creating a privacy problem.[154] As the feature is active by default[154][155][156]
[157]
(instead of opt-in), many users could be unaware of it.
Some users chose to turn it off or to remove the feature using a patch.[158] An April 2014 article by
Scott Gilbertson stated that the online search components of Ubuntu could be turned off with a
couple of clicks in version 14.04. The feature may be changed to opt-in in a future release. [149]
For the move, it was awarded the 2013 Austria Big Brother Award.[159]

Local communities (LoCos)[edit]

Not to be confused with Linux 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,[160] 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[edit]

Ubuntu works closely with OEMs to jointly make Ubuntu available on a wide range of devices.
[161]
A number of vendors offer computers with Ubuntu pre-installed, including Dell,[162] Hasee,
[163]
Sharp Corporation,[164] Specifically, Dell offers the XPS 13 laptop, Developer Edition with
Ubuntu pre-installed.[165] Together, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and ASUS offer over 200 desktop and close
to 500 laptop PCs preloaded with Ubuntu. Certified OEM images are also available for Ubuntu
Advantage customers.[161] System76,[166] WeWi[167] and Tesco[citation needed]. System76 PCs are sold
exclusively with Ubuntu. Dell and System76 customers are able to choose between 30-day,
three-month, and yearly Ubuntu support plans through Canonical. [168] Dell computers (running
Ubuntu 10.04) include extra support for ATI Video Graphics, Dell Wireless, Fingerprint
Readers, HDMI, Bluetooth, DVD playback (using LinDVD), and MP3/WMA/WMV.[169] Asus is also
selling some Asus Eee PCswith Ubuntu pre-installed and announced that "many more" Eee PC
models running Ubuntu for 2011.[170][171][172] Vodafone has made available a notebook for the SouthAfrican market called "Webbook".[173][174][175]
Dell sells computers (initially Inspiron 14R and 15R laptops) pre-loaded with Ubuntu in India and
China, with 850 and 350 retail outlets respectively.[176][177] Starting in 2013, Alienware began offering
its X51 model gaming desktop pre-installed with Ubuntu at a lower price than if it were preinstalled with Windows.[178]
While Linux already works in IBM's mainframe system (zLinux), IBM in collaboration with
Canonical (and SUSE; "Linux Foundation will form a new Open Mainframe Project") announced
Ubuntu support for their z/Architecture (IBM claims their latest system, IBM zEnterprise System,
version z13 is the most powerful computer in the world; it is the largest computer by transistor
count) for the first time, at the time of their "biggest code drop" ("LinuxOne") in Linux history.[179]
In early 2015, Intel launched the Intel Compute Stick small form factor computer available
preloaded with Ubuntu or Windows operating systems.[180]