Ubuntu

Ubuntu is the first Linux distribution I ever installed, and I'd wager the same could be said for a lot of people who started in Linux around the mid-2000s. It's also the distribution I'm using to write this book.

It has enjoyed consistent mindshare on the desktop, thanks to its decent attempt at marketing (including its position in Google's rankings when searching Linux), its perception as Linux for Human Beings, and its user-friendliness.

Downstream from Debian, Ubuntu's development is headed by Canonical, and while they started with an emphasis on making a rock-solid desktop OS, they have since moved into the lofty realms of attempting to dominate the server space, and have entered the IoT device market too.

Known also for its cutesy naming convention (18.04 being Bionic Beaver), the fact Ubuntu was so popular on the desktop meant it was the obvious distribution of choice for sysadmins to install on their servers, reaching for what they were already familiar with.

More recently, it's become increasingly common to find Ubuntu installations when dealing with inherited systems, usually a long-term support (LTS) release (so that confusion and headaches around OS upgrades can be avoided for a reasonable length of time.)

Ubuntu releases on a six-monthly cycle, with every two years being an LTS release (14.04, 16.04, and 18.04, most recently). Their numbering convention is year-released, followed by month (so April 2018 is 18.04). It is possible to upgrade from version to version of Ubuntu.

Canonical also aren't shy of introducing new technology and software in Ubuntu, even when it diverges from their Debian base. Recent examples of this include the following:

• Snaps: A way of distributing distribution-agnostic software
• Upstart: A replacement initialization system that was later also replaced by systemd
• Mir: A display server, which was initially conceived as a way to replace the ageing X Window System