Ubuntu strikes many people in the western world as an odd name for an operating system. They may not know that in the African languages of Zulu and Xhosa the word means roughly “humanity towards others.”
It’s a name that sums up the concept behind the Linux distribution known as Ubuntu — especially since it was South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, one of the key financial backers of its development, who selected it.
The makers of Ubuntu have made it their mission to make an operating system that is as easy to use as possible — and to provide it for free. Version 9.10, also known as Karmic Koala, was recently released. Does it live up to its programmers’ lofty goals?
Unlike Windows or Mac OS, it’s very difficult to determine how many users are running any given Linux distribution. After all, the software is licensed for free copying and redistribution. A check with Google Trends does show, however, that interest in Ubuntu among Internet users has grown significantly in recent years in comparison with other popular Linux variants like Open Suse or Fedora. The system is far ahead of the competition when it comes to that kind of search query.
Why Ubuntu instead of other variants? “The developers are attempting to adapt to the needs of private users as much as possible,” explains Kristian Kissling from Ubuntu User magazine. There is also a lively community of users who make their experience and knowledge available to other Internet users.
The new Karmic Koala contains more updates than any Ubuntu release in some time, reports German computer magazine c’t. Users will certainly notice one thing from the start: the system boots up much quicker. The reworked design also stands out. While it still features the brown tones for which Ubuntu is known, it also reminds one…