However, Linux has, quite recently, gained a significant boost as a desktop operating system. This increase in popularity of Linux on the desktop can be said to be partly due to the rise of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. In addition, the increase in the use of low power personal computers, such as netbooks, has also prompted an increase in the use of Linux systems. Some netbooks are now being shipped with stripped down, simplified Linux operating systems, to enable faster boot times and reduced power consumption, resulting in lower battery consumption over time on these smaller computing devices.

Another advantage of Linux systems is their relatively low vulnerability to malicious software such as viruses and spyware, when comparing to Microsoft Windows based systems. This is one of the major reasons, amongst others, that Linux is used on many servers and the advantage is becoming more and more evident as desktop adoption of Linux becomes more prevalent.

One of the major incentives of Linux on the desktop is true customisability. Since, as a general rule, all the code used in the majority of Linux desktop environment is open-source, it can essentially be modified precisely to the end-user’s liking. Of course, for most users, reprogramming their desktop environment entirely is not an option, and thus most desktop environments and their provide many options customisable via configuration files or more commonly a graphical configuration utility of some kind.

This is a very broad introduction of what Linux is, and due to that aim, it contains very little in the way of details or specifics. I have written more articles and several tutorials regarding Linux systems in the Ubuntu / Linux section of my website, which you are free to read.

More general information about Linux is available from the Linux Wikipedia article or if interested in specific Linux distributions, visit the DistroWatch website. My personally recommended and regularly used Linux distribution is Ubuntu, which is generally considered fine for new users and experts alike.

If you want to request an article about any Linux or open-source software topic, feel free to make your request in the comments section below. Also, any constructive criticism or general on-topic discussion is entirely welcome.

Having been a tester of Ubuntu 9.10 during its development, I can tell you that Ubuntu 9.10 will feature the following upon its release.

• E-mail and Chat Features – Ubuntu 9.10 will feature a built-in instant messenging client, Empathy, which can connect to many of the most popular instant messaging services, including Yahoo, Gmail (Google Talk), MSN (Windows Live), Jabber, AOL, QQ and many more. In addition to instant messaging, the latest version of the e-mail and personal information management program, Evolution, is included. Evolution can manage your contacts, e-mail, schedule, tasks and memos – all for free.

• Internet – Ubuntu 9.10 ships will the very latest version of Mozilla Firefox, which is much faster and excellent for browsing modern websites and web applications which are heavy on dynamic client-side content, such as Javascript. Complex web pages such as Facebook, Google Maps and others will load and work lightning fast.

• Music and videos – Music and videos are managed with ease in Ubuntu 9.10. Simply plug in your iPod, PSP, MP3 or MP4 player and use the built-in media player, Rhytmbox, to download, store, buy and play your music collection. Ubuntu 9.10 can play many video formats with no problems and anything it can not play it will offer to download and install the required codecs automatically, and for free.

• Office and productivity – Word processing, spreadsheets or presentations can all be handled by the latest version of OpenOffice.org which is including in the latest version of Ubuntu. OpenOffice is compatible with all other office applications including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office.

• Store, share and synchronise – Ubuntu 9.10 features integrated ‘Ubuntu One’ service, which allows you to easily and seamlessly synchronise your contacts, notes, files and folders between all your Ubuntu computers. Even if you are on a computer running Mac or Windows you can still access all your files online, meaning you’ll never be at computer without your files.

• Software centre – The brand new software centre for this version of Ubuntu allows you to download and install thousands of free and open-source applications automatically with only 2 or 3 clicks.

• Gaming – Linux-based systems are generally not well known for their gaming prowess. However, Ubuntu 9.10 ships with the ability to download over 400 fun games directly from the built-in software centre. All these games are still completely free and installable with only a few clicks.

This latest version of Ubuntu provides advantages for both business workstations and home user desktops. Although not mentioned in this article so far, for enterprises and small home/offices, the server edition of Ubuntu 9.10 is also released tomorrow alongside the desktop edition.

For more information about Ubuntu, visit the official Ubuntu website.