BASIC FACTS ABOUT UBUNTU & HOW TO RUN IT ON YOUR PC
Ubuntu (pronounced /ʊˈbʊntuː/ is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu ("humanity towards others").
Ubuntu is designed primarily for desktop use, although netbook and server editions exist as well.Web statistics suggest that Ubuntu's share of Linux desktop usage is about 50%,and indicate upward-trending usage as a web server. Ubuntu holds an estimated global usage of more than 12 million users,and it is considered by DistroWatch to be the most popular distribution of Linux. (The second-most popular distribution, Linux Mint, is itself a derivative of Ubuntu.)
System requirements
The desktop version of Ubuntu currently supports the x86 32 bit and 64 bit architectures. Unofficial support is available for the PowerPC,[31] IA-64 (Itanium) and PlayStation 3 architectures (note however that Sony officially removed support for OtherOS on the PS3 with firmware 3.21, released on 1 April 2010), as well as ARM mobile processors (see HTC HD2).[32] A supported GPU is required to enable desktop visual effects.
Current Minimum Requirements[33][34][35] Server Desktop
Processor (x86) with the i686 instruction set[36] 300 MHz 1 GHz
Memory 128 MB 384 MB
Hard Drive (free space) 1 GB 5 GB
Monitor Resolution 640×480 1024×768
[edit] Installation
Ubuntu Desktop 11.04 Live CD
Ubuntu Desktop 11.04 started from the Live CD with the Install window open
Installation of Ubuntu is generally performed with the Live CD. The Ubuntu OS can be run directly from the CD (sometimes with a significant performance loss), allowing a user to "test-drive" the OS for hardware compatibility and driver support. The CD also contains the Ubiquity installer, which can then guide the user through the permanent installation process. CD images of all current and past versions are available for download at the Ubuntu web site. Installing from the CD requires a minimum of 256 MiB of RAM.
Users can download a disk image (.iso) of the CD from http://www.ubuntu.com/download
