Linux has come a long way in a short time. Computing itself is still relatively young by any standard; if the era of modern computing started with the invention of the microchip, it s still less than 50 years old. But Linux is a youngster compared even to this; it has been around for only 16 of those years. In that brief time span, a student s personal project has grown to where it now runs many computers throughout the world. It has rampaged through the computing industry, providing an alternative to commercial solutions such as those offered by Microsoft, and toppling long-held beliefs...

Introduction Linux applies an alternate philosophy to computing that revolves around the sharing of not only software but also knowledge. To use Linux is to become part of a huge global community of people who have caught on to a phenomenon that is changing the world. Ubuntu (http: //www.ubuntu.com) is the natural continuation of these goals. It s a project founded by entrepreneur businessman Mark Shuttleworth with the intention of bringing a freely available, high-quality operating system to the world. To this end, Shuttleworth invested $10 million of his own money to guarantee that this...