Introduction
A Linux distribution is basically the sum of the things that you need to run Linux on your computer. There are many different Linux distributions, each with its own target audience, set of features, administrative tools, and fan club, the latter of which is more properly known as a user community. Putting aside the downright fanatics, most of the members of the user community for any Linux distribution are people who just happen to find themselves using a distribution for one reason or another. These reasons range from what they've heard from friends, what CD or DVD came with a Linux magazine they bought, or which Linux book they happened to buy.
Ubuntu Linux and siblings such as Kubuntu Linux are the most exciting Linux distributions in years. Ironically, while Ubuntu itself is indeed new, it also comes with a respectable Linux pedigree. Ubuntu has direct roots in one of the oldest and best-known Linux distributions available, the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. The folks who initially created and supported Ubuntu, Canonical Ltd., started out as Debian fans who wanted a faster-moving, more up-to-date distribution than Debian provided. So, in the spirit of Linux and the open source movement, they made their own distribution, Ubuntu Linux, by incorporating the best of Debian, other Linux distributions, and open source applications, and added their own special sauce. Ubuntu lovers who wanted to use a different graphical user interface than the default one provided with ...
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