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With this free operating system, you get the basics--utilities, graphics, built-in search, a calculator--and a lot of extras, such as VoIP, an entire office suite, a variety of multimedia applications, and a ton of free games. This alone is enough for most people to thoroughly enjoy Ubuntu without ever having to install another application. Should you want more, the Add/Remove Applications feature compiles downloads, including those from third parties, sparing you the effort of searching online. Ubuntu makes adding software convenient.


One of the first applications you should install from Add/Remove Applications is Firestarter, a firewall supported by the Ubuntu community. It's unclear why this interface to the firewall compiled within the kernel isn't included within the basic Ubuntu install. Once installed, we found we didn't need to tweak Firestarter much. For protection against malicious software, the Ubuntu community recommends Grisoft AVG, a free antivirus application. While threats against Linux are rare, they're not unheard of, so you should exercise the same caution as you would on Windows or Mac OS X.


In general, a safe operating system is one that runs in a nonadministrator mode. Like Windows Vista's controversial User Account Control, a security feature that freezes the desktop screen and asks for a password in order to access administrator-protected features, Ubuntu also darkens the screen during its security prompts, calling your attention to the admin password request prompt. Unlike Windows Vista UAC, Ubuntu asks for an administrator password only once, allowing you to tweak several administration features without additional prompts. Mac OS X also prompts for administrator access.
Like the upcoming Leopard version of Mac OS X, Ubuntu lets you create different desktops and switch them for different work environments. Windows Vista does not offer this feature. Say you have a work environment with productivity applications, a home environment with entertainment, and a gaming environment. Ubuntu Spaces lets you switch among these.
Running other operating systems in virtual environments is gaining popularity, and included within this release of Ubuntu is paravirt-ops. This is a layer that allows Linux to run better under VMWare on other operating systems (such as under Parallels on Mac OS X). Paravirt-ops is designed for the more technical users. If you're already running Ubuntu, paravirt-ops won't do you much good. Instead, KVM allows you to run Windows and other operating systems as guests under Ubuntu.


Another new feature in Ubuntu is a better graphical environment for the desktop. It is optional, depending on which graphics card you have installed. Microsoft spent years developing the Windows Presentation Foundation so they could roll out translucent windows within Windows Vista and 3D stacking. Ubuntu has this, along with a way to make windows "wiggle" when moving. We disabled the wiggle effect after a short time.


Ubuntu is a wonderful Free Open Source operating system which we admire and support.