Ubuntu is afreeoperating system that uses theLinux kernel. It is named after the word "ubuntu", which is aZulu word meaning "humanity to others".[9] It is pronounced "oo-boon-too".[10]
Ubuntu is one of the most popularLinux distributions. It is based on theDebianLinux computer operating system. Ubuntu can be used on all types ofpersonal computers (and even devices such asrobots[11][12]) including inWindows 10.[13] Ubuntu is downloaded as aDVD'sISO image, which is free to download from the Ubuntu website. It can be installed or tested by running the DVD.
A new release of Ubuntu is released every six months. Thelong-term support releases are one type of these, and they are released every two years.[14][15] Due to their longer periods of update support, most users prefer to install those releases. The latest long-term support release isUbuntu 24.04 ("Noble Numbat"), which is supported until 2029.
Free software here includes only software that meets the Ubuntu licensing requirements,[17] which almost are the same as theDebian Free Software Guidelines. There is one difference for the Main category, however– it hasfirmware andfonts which cannot be changed, but are included if Ubuntu will not work right.[18]
Non-free software is usually unsupported (Multiverse), but some exceptions (Restricted) are given for very important non-free software. Supported non-free software includedevice drivers that are needed to run Ubuntu on currenthardware. The level of support in the Restricted category is less than that of Main, since thedevelopers may not be able to get to thesource code. It is wanted that Main and Restricted should contain all the software needed for a general-use Linux system.
Besides the officialrepositories isUbuntu Backports,[19] which is an officially known project tobackport newer software from later releases of Ubuntu. The repository is not comprehensive (meaning that it has parts missing from it); it is mostly made up of user-requested packages, which are accepted if they meet quality guidelines.
Two new releases of Ubuntu are released each year, normally inApril andOctober.
The number of the Ubuntu release is 'X.YY', with 'X' being the year of release (minus 2000) and 'Y' being the month of release. For example, Ubuntu 4.10 was released in October (the tenth month of the year), 2004. The name of the release (for example, Breezy Badger) is anadjective (a describing word) followed by the name of ananimal.[20]
Very oldprocessors (i.e.,32-bit Inteli386) have been supported up to Ubuntu 18.04, but users "will not be allowed to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.10 as dropping support for that architecture is being evaluated".
Kubuntu is an official variant of the Ubuntu distribution which usesKDE rather thanGNOME.
Ubuntu is available in many variants because there are several options for whichdesktop environment to use, and they can offer different user experiences.
The official sister distributions which are fully supported by Canonical are:
Ubuntu Kylin, an official derivative aimed at theChinese market
