I realize that some of you might be thinking, based on reading the title, that I’ve lost it and am now speaking in gibberish! Rest assured that I have not lost all my marbles, just yet.

Ubuntu is a distribution or “distro” of the Linux operating system. It’s open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License. Without getting into all the nuances, what this means is that you can download the software onto your machine, and use it for free!

There are many ways to install Ubuntu, however the newest method, called Wubi (Windows-based Ubuntu Installer) is arguably the easiest instillation option for new users.

At this point you may be asking yourself why you would want to go through the trouble of first installing, and then learning how to use a new operating system? The answer is that having a Linux distribution installed on your machine allows you to run a whole host of other useful, open-source software packages, most of which have been built to run exclusively on the Linux platform.

These open-source programs have the potential to handle all of your computing needs including: spreadsheets, word processing, graphic design, digital video editing, screen capture, and screen recording.

All this having been said, there is a trade-off to using open-source software. Open source software is often less user friendly, harder to install, and usually comes with less customer service. So for those of you who have never used Linux before, but are willing to get out of their comfort zone and embark on a technical adventure, know that there will likely be frustrations and plenty of bumps on the road.

The advantage you will gain in return will be hundreds and potentially thousands of dollars saved in comparison to the costs of conventional software!

So the Challenge of The Week is to install Ubuntu on one of your computers using the Wubi Installer. Please note that the instillation requires at least five gigabytes of free space on your machine. It’s also helpful to know ahead of time if the computer you will be using is built on a 32 or 64 bit architecture. You can find this out either by reading the specs that came with your computer or, if you are a Vista user, you can follow the steps laid out here.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 at 10:38 pm by Phil Weslow and is filed under General Feedback Secrets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.