'cause people are lazy and they like the funny name. I know a guy who uses it. He's one of those peole who when you ask what they have says a dell blah blah blah and not any specs like cpu or ram. when he showed me he didn't even know that ubuntu was linux just that it wasn't windows.

UBUNTU is like marijuana, its a gateway linux


oh yeah and it feels good

I can't understand all the bashing at peoples using a "bit easier" to use distribution as Ubuntu, or even SuSE or Mandrake for that matter, calling them brain dead or moron (yup, this is totally directed at you CouchMaster). What is wrong with a distribution being easier to install or maintain is beyond me...

What makes your a more smart person then another just because you can edit your xorg.conf with vim instead of going at System >> Preferences >> Screen Resolution on Ubuntu is really hard to understand. It's just another way of doing that, there's nothing wrong with that and it's all about Freedom.

Maybe it's the feeling that some Linux users has to be known as hackers or elitists because they can use ssh or start services from the command line, I don't know... or perhaps everybody likes to pretend to be tougher on the Internet then they really are...

If you don't like Ubuntu, don't use it. I don't use it anymore, but thought it was pretty good. And try to respect others, not everybody has to be a computer geek?. Can you pilot a plane?. If you can't, then pilots must think you are a wuss. Can you bake bread?. If you can't, then bakers must think your mommy spoon feeds you don't they?.

It's all Linux, it's all good and we are on the same team!!! For crying out loud...

i agree

i use ubuntu because i dont have time to make everything work, i could give it to my parents, siblings, girlfriend whatever and they could use it. imo that is way better than them using windows..........

Exactly the point I'm making - it's so easy anyone can do first time out. But also, Ubuntu just happens to be a darn good Linux distro. In my opinion though Mepis is better, and if it were click and run, or click and install, it would be #1. Saying that the PWs are common knowledge is BS - so's the firing order of a small block Chevy - To a MECHANIC!

"UBUNTU is like marijuana, its a gateway linux


oh yeah and it feels good"

OK pot is not a gateway drug; using the same backwards logic used to come up with that you could argue that listening to talk radio makes you a serial rapist

and what would that make gentoo? crack?

Dude, you need to chill. Like I said, the passwords are in the MEPIS USER GUIDE which is linked right at the top on the home page. How much more common knowledge do they have to be? I guess the Ubuntu way of sudo is oh so much more intuitive?

BTW, Mandriva is actually #1 as you can see for yourself right here. You can also see on that page that Ubuntu is not even in the top 5 Beginner Friendly distros, but Mepis is.

You got it - chill I will!
I'm just voicing my views to the original poster as to why (I think) Ubuntu is #1.
Give average Joe on the street a Ubuntu CD, and a Mepis CD, and Joe will be running Ubuntu in 15 - 20 minutes.
Direct quote from the link you provided:
Ubuntu Linux has stormed the Linux distribution scene like no other Linux project before. It has done so in a fashion resembling a highly sophisticated player: it seems to have first observed all other major distributions, learnt from their mistakes and combined the best features of all of them into one superior product. A six-month's release cycle, up-to-date package set, a clearly set product lifetime (at 18 months), fast download mirrors, great documentation, even free CDs and free shipment of CDs anywhere in the world to those interested in the distribution. That's Ubuntu.

Good deal then, you seemed to be stressing .

Actually the original poster was questioning why Ubuntu was listed in the #1 spot on the distrowatch home page (of which you can re-read my replies if you skimmed them earlier), not what everyones opinon of Ubuntu was, though theres no real harm in voicing that. I will agree with the earlier poster that said it was good, though a bit overrated.

I think the Ubuntu website pretty much sums it up:
"Ubuntu is a free, open source operating system that starts with the breadth of Debian and adds regular releases (every six months), a clear focus on the user and usability (it should "Just Work", TM) and a commitment to security updates with 18 months of support for every release. Ubuntu ships with the latest Gnome release as well as a selection of server and desktop software that makes for a comfortable desktop experience off a single installation CD."


Personally I use Debian Sid. But Linux is Linux, the easier it is for people to use and install the more people will use it and not windows. The fact that they ship you the cd completely free of charge is a big plus also. Not everyone has a broadband connection.

The Ubuntu Guide explains in very simple terms how to install new software.

As far as which distro is the most popular according to Distrowatch rankings:
"Top 10 Distributions
1. Mandrakelinux
2. Fedora Core
3. SUSE LINUX
4. Debian GNU/Linux
5. Ubuntu Linux (Debian based)
6. Gentoo Linux
7. Slackware Linux
8. Knoppix (Debian Based)
9. MEPIS Linux (Debian Based)
10. Xandros Desktop" (Debian based)
http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

Ubuntu, MEPIS and Xandros are all very simple to install.

Why is Ubuntu ?? hmm... what about Kubuntu?? the Other Desktop for the same Distribution?

Fave Distribution - Slackware

Suggested Distributions, one that you feel you can use with, depending on you, ease of use, upgrades and what programs are offered. Or how much you can tweak it before it breaks.

User Level, Windows and has never even owned a computer, Power Button, you mean there is one??

Ubuntu / Kubuntu, as stated, this is a VERY Simple and Easy to use, with no real bells and whistles to use. Just use it and be happy.

Gentoo - The Hard core Tweakers OS, somehting to bite into and have hours of fun getting things to work.

Extremes.

Now, Debian, Mandriva, SuSe and Fedora Core are all great in their own right. Each has it's use, and ability. These are for the Tech minded user, extended use and setup, some tweaking to get them to work with certain devices.

Slackware is the only one out of the box that is Middle of the Road, good for the hard core tweaker, good for the semi new user, the one who dowes know the power button is not on the toaster. Simple to install and for all those old DOS users like me. The Command Line operations is the best part. Gives you full control over the entire system. The XWindow system is by far the easy way to do things, but as it goes, most Software is geared to this GUI thing. Makes it better in the long run to use, but that heart of the OS CLI is where most everything is started.

Get a distribution that suits your needs, not what someone else tells you, oh you should have this. The Question is, What is it you are going to do with the Computer, and the OS when you start it up? Games? DOS and Windows are more GAME oriented, yewt there are some pretty nice games for Linux too. Applications?? Hmmm wod processing, data crunching, or ....... Music.... what is it you plan on doing, once this is all done?

Make the decision, get the Distribution and intall it, then use it the way you intended.

Make the decsion and Have fun with Linux, and remember, Windows is a Virus, not a Program, once you get it, you can't get rid of it. Solution Linux Anti Virus.

Basically, Ubuntu is succeeding where other distro-makers (with the possible exception of Mepis and, yeah, Knoppix) have miserably failed -- in presenting Linux to the recovering Windows addict in a way that won't scare the pants off him. The average Joe Sixpack user wants his computer to work straight away, without him needing an engineering degree to pull it off. In this type of user's mind, Linux is still horrendously geeky and complicated -- what's this command line stuff? He can get Ubuntu installed and working fairly quickly without worrying about what will happen to his Windows.

Maybe you can credit the massive Ubuntu PR machine for this, but results is results. Plus Ubuntu ain't a half bad distro anyway, even though I like Debian Sid, Mepis, and Vector a lot more. But if you don't know much about Linux, there's a lot to like about Ubuntu.

thankyou for clearing up my 100% serious and logically thought out post...

I'm a newbie Linux user and tried almost every major distribution out there in the course of a couple weeks. Sometimes only for a day, but mainly to see what they loaded and whether all my hardware was supported. Command line doesn't scare me, and I even gave Gentoo a run for a little bit until it blew up on me. I had to stop at that point, since my Linux troubleshooting skills aren't up there with DOS or Windows.

I tried Mepis, both 3.3 and 3.3.1 and could not use it. Why? It didn't detect all my hardware and was unstable. But the main reason was I couldn't find anyone to help me specifically with Mepis. Their forums suck. Sure, the Linuxquestions.org forums have a lot, but sometimes you want specific distro support. I have that with ubuntu, in spades.

Now, I'm new enough not to have a KDE vs Gnome preference, but in my short time so far I do tend to like KDE a bit more, although I have no problem with the way Gnome is presented in ubuntu except for the colors. No big deal. I can learn KDE later. It has WAAAYYY too many options just to play with the interface and I'd rather not get bogged down wasting my time doing that yet. There isn't as much to change around in Gnome, and I like that. It gives me more time to learn Linux and not just KDE. KDE appears to be a monster in itself from the little I've played with.

What does it for me are the ubuntu forums. Specific answers with specific commands on how to accomplish something. When I get used to the terminology and commands, and get around editing configuration files manually, I'll move on. Sure, Slackware may be next, or regular Debian, but for now, Ubuntu is great to learn on.

There are a lot of things I don't like about Ubuntu, but nothing is a show stopper. I can add more repositories if needed, and force a root user by cheating a little, but it does work as is. I also don't like the fact you don't get to choose applications, but it comes with the basics anyway and no fluff. It may just be the flavor of the month, but everybody appears to be rallying around it for now. Who knows if it will last, but for me, I get all the help I need. From what I've read in my venture into Linux for the last month or so was that Mandrake held the "Newbies" crown for years. What's wrong with someone else getting it now?

-Robert

Amen