Linux... the Other Operating System

     In the world of desktop/laptop personal computing it is a dominant Windows environment, followed by the growing Mac user base.  What is often left out of the “which operating system to choose” debate is the Linux operating system.  One of the more mainstream consumer flavors of Linux is Ubuntu. 

     Most people think that all operating systems are completely different, and once they learn one system it would be too hard to learn another.  However, all of the operating systems have similar graphical interface systems, it is the back-end software that makes them different.  If you can use Windows, you can use Mac, and also Linux.  They all have the same general file structure; a desktop with documents, music, photos and videos folders.

     Ubuntu is one of the easiest Linux systems to use, as it has been tailored toward consumers and ease-of-use.  The Ubuntu One system gives you 5GB of cloud storage that can be utilized between PC and mobile devices, sharing music and documents.  The Ubuntu Software Center is a one-stop shop for thousands of free applications to install on your system.  Linux has many applications that are compatible and comparable to many popular paid applications.  Office suites, photo and illustration, video editing, and many more mainstream expensive software packages are free with Ubuntu.

     Ubuntu and other distributions of Linux offer a cost-effective and appealing alternative when designing/building a small business or enterprise system.  The main hurdle is convincing clients to shift from Windows, since they think Linux is so different to use.  Many non-profit organizations can benefit from using this open-source alternative, since the main cost would be hardware only. 

     In the presentation I gave, I believe I was able to show the audience how Ubuntu is similar to other operating systems they already use.  The Ubuntu website is very informative and was a good tool during the presentation to show the capabilities of a Linux system.  At the end, I tried to tie it into how Linux could be a cost-effective solution when designing a system for a non-profit organization or small business.