Bob Pearson Computer Services

Linux FAQ's

History of Linux

Ubuntu Home

Ubuntu Downloads

GNU Home

In a world without walls or fences, who needs Windows and Gates?

What is Linux?

Linux is a comuter operating system originally designed to replace the Unix operating system for servers (see the links to History of Linux and GNU Home above for more information). With the Gnome or KDE Graphical User Interface (GUI)) integrated for use on a personal computer it becomes similar to Microsoft™ Windows™ but with some advantages and some disadvantages (see below). There are a number of different implementations of Linux, known as "Distributions" and each distribution generally has a number of versions. Linux can be installed on any personal computer designed for Windows™ without any modification to the computer hardware, but some modification may be required to achieve optimum performance.

Advantages of Linux

1. It is much more stable than Windows and only ocasionally requires rebooting following a system update or the installation of a new program and it almost never "crashes" or "hangs" because of a software error.
2. It doesn't generally require expensive antivirus software to be installed, (Please go to our Linux FAQ page for more details) and it also doesn't need anti-spyware software to be installed.
3. It is a free operating system, there is no license fee to pay.
4. Most devices will be detected and will work without having to use installation disks as you do for Windows™ and Mac.

Disadvantages of Linux

1. There is less commercial software available for Linux than for Windows™ or Mac, although this is becoming less of a problem as the quantity of software equivalent to those available for Windows™ is increasing steadily and as the popularity of Linux grows software companies are also writing versions specifically for it.

About Our Distribution

We can distribute any of the later versions of Ubuntu Linux on CD if you don't have a fast enough Internet connection to download it directly (4Mbps or better recommended). Ubuntu is a version of Linux itself based on the Debian distribution and developed in South Africa with the Gnome GUI integrated into it. In our opinion it is the easiest version of Linux for the home computer owner to install and use. We do not charge for the software, just for the cost of making and testing the CD's plus packaging and posting.

Tux - the Linux mascot

Ubuntu versions available from us on CD

Desktop versions: Ubuntu 8.04 LTS 'Hardy Heron' i386, 9.04 'Jaunty Jackalope' i386 and AMD64, Ubuntu 9.10 'Karmic Koala' i386 and AMD64, 10.04 'Lucid Lynx' i386. Version 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) i386 and possibly AMD64 will be available shortly.
Server versions: Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.

Which version should I choose?

Ubuntu 8.04 is now quite old and support ends April 2011 for the desktop and April 2013 for the server. If you are considering a new installation in a business environment we recommend you use the 10.04 LTS version. If you are a home user then we would currently also recommend 10.04 until we have fully evaluated 10.10

Additional software available from us on CD

1. Flightgear - a very realistic flight simulator which is as good as a certain expensive one we could mention.

2. Additional aircraft, UK and European scenery, flight planner and world atlas software for Flightgear.

CD Prices

For 1 CD £1.95, for each additional CD posted in the same package to the same address £1. Prices apply to UK mainland only, for prices elsewhere in the UK and europe please email linux@bob-pearson.net

Minimum System Requirements

For Ubuntu i386 distributions with Gnome 2.x GUI: 800MHz processor, Pentium 3 or AMD equivalent, 384MB RAM. For Kubuntu i386 distributions (available for download, not available from us on CD) with KDE 3.x GUI: 1GHz processor, Pentium 3 or AMD equivalent, 512MB RAM.