The operating system (OS) is the software that runs the computer, it manages all the different pieces of hardware that make up your computer. It also determines how the display on your computer will look, even with customising, a computer running windows has a specific look and feel, so does a computer running OSX or Ubuntu (a Distribution of the GNU/Linux Operating System).
Each OS has it's own commands and means of communicating, so for any application to be able to run on your computer it needs to be presented in a language that the OS can understand. A program that is built for OSX won't run on Windows or on Ubuntu. The application needs to be built in a way that each operating system can understand it.
There are many FLOSS operating systems available to choose from and the best one for your business will depend on your specific requirements. We have chosen to focus on Ubuntu for this manual for it's stability, ease of installation and use. Ubuntu is also a very popular GNU/Linux Distribution with a large community to help provide support if needed, including professional enterprises in many parts of the world.
People may convert to a FLOSS operating system such as Ubuntu for a variety of reasons. One of the advantages for a business to transfer to Ubuntu is cost.
Another reason for converting is that a new release of the software comes out every six months, this way your computers can easily stay up to date with the latest operating system improvements in terms of security, functionality and also hardware adaptability.
Support can be another reason for transferring, Ubuntu has many support options from the solutions for the non-technical to help for those who have a high level of technical skill. For the first line of support, Ubuntu comes with the standard help files, good for giving overviews of many features, for more in depth documentation, you can also check out their website. If the support required is a more major affair, then you have the choice of either the Ubuntu forums for the those who like to get their feet wet, or there is the availability of commercial support from a number of businesses around the globe.
One of the major reasons for switching to a FLOSS operating system is freedom. Because you are able to get copies of the source code that created Ubuntu, you are completely free to hire a programmer to customise it to suit your businesses needs as long as you make the source code you developed available with the same freedoms as Ubuntu. This is a major advantage because the Operating System is able to be streamlined to include only elements that your business uses or if you use specialist hardware you are able to add in support for it from Ubuntu.
Choice, the Ubuntu operating system comes in many flavours developed by the community. There are 3 main flavours that are officially supported by the Ubuntu project. Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu, while having different appearances and means of interacting with the computer they all use the same framework under the hood. Ubuntu is the primary version and runs the Gnome desktop environment. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop environment which uses more resources than Gnome but has a large range of "Bells and Whistles" for its Graphical Environment. Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop environment, which is a "lighter" environment using fewer resources than either KDE or Gnome, this environment is very useful if using older computers with less resources to use or if your business requires intensive resource use for it's applications (such as high resolution graphics processing or video editing) and doesn't want to waste any performance on running a desktop.
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