Ubuntu Innovations

Introduction

In the short amount of time that Ubuntu has been around (3 years, with 6 releases) it has attained an impressive level of popularity and growth. I believe this success is due to some critical improvements that Ubuntu has implemented when compared to other Linux distributions.

These improvements were not always created by Ubuntu, but Ubuntu was the first distro to strategically implement the best features and to remove the unnecessary ones. I will discuss some of the major advantages that Ubuntu has provided from day one.

UPDATE: There were some great points made in the comments to this post, so I am updating this post in the interest of accuracy. I want to emphasize what I said in the previous paragraph; Ubuntu did not create many of these improvements, and they were not always the first distro to use them. It is the unique combination of these improvements that has helped Ubuntu achieve its popularity.

Secondly, I intended this post to be a historical comparison of features from when Ubuntu first came out, in the Fall of 2004. (The Live-CD installer came later in 2006 with Dapper)

Simple install

Ubuntu has always had a very simple install, and it requires very little input from the user. The first versions were text-based, but they were simple enough that almost any novice could install Ubuntu with a few presses of the "Enter" key.

This was considered a major breakthrough since Debian (which Ubuntu is based on) was historically difficult to install. Back then, the Debian install had many steps and required the user to know how to partition a hard drive, select hardware drivers, and make several other technical choices.

Regular release schedule

As far as I know, Ubuntu was the first Linux distribution to follow a regular release schedule. Ever since the first version of Ubuntu, Canonical has promised that a new version would be released every 6 months, and that each release would be supported for 18 months. This has proven to be true, except for a 2-month delay to polish the first long-term-support (LTS) release.

We now know that there will be an LTS version of Ubuntu every two years. These LTS versions provide a much longer life-cycle, which is preferred by server administrators. LTS versions receive security updates for 3 years on the Desktop Edition, and 5 years on the Server Edition.

Live-CD that you can install from

Following the success of the Knoppix live-cd, Ubuntu created a way to install directly from a live-cd. This innovation makes it simple to test Ubuntu on a system, and then to quickly install it on that system, without a reboot. Sort of a "Try before you buy" approach. This also removed the need for a separate "Install CD". Meanwhile, the other Linux distributions required you to download and burn up to 6 CDs.

One application for each purpose

Before Ubuntu, most Linux distributions would install multiple applications that performed the same function. For example, the default install would include two web browsers, two chat applications, three multimedia players, etc. This was very confusing to new users, who wouldn't know which application they should use. By default, Ubuntu only includes one application per function, but you have the ability to install more applications at any time.

Secure by default

The default install does not run any externally visible network services. This surprised our security administrator, who wanted to make sure that I installed a firewall on my Ubuntu desktop. I told him that nothing is externally visible, and after a quick NMAP scan, he confirmed it (you can also use the "netstat" command to test this). At the time, most Linux distributions came with running network applications such as SSH. Be sure to install a firewall (like FireStarter) if you decide to install a remote network service on your computer.

UPDATE: This has changed recently, starting with the 7.04 Fiesty Fawn release. Ubuntu has made an exception to the "no open ports" policy for Avahi. Avahi is a system which facilitates service discovery on a local network. This means that you can plug your laptop or computer into a network and instantly be able to view other people who you can chat with, find shared printers or find files being shared. For more information on this, please read the following links:

• ZeroConf in Ubuntu
  
• Default Network Services
  
• HowToZeroconf
  

Administration actions require "sudo"

Long before Microsoft implemented UAC, Ubuntu required users to use "sudo" to perform administrative actions. Ubuntu did not create "sudo", but I believe they were the first to disable the root user and require the user to use "sudo".

Over 20,000 applications can easily be installed

(Thanks Debian!) What more do I need to say about this? Many other distros (RPM-based) offered thousands of packages, but they forced you to manually download the package, find out if there are any dependencies, download those packages, and if you are lucky you will get the original application installed. Debian's packaging system is super slick and Ubuntu has created some easy-to-use front-ends that make installing software a breeze.

UPDATE: Ubuntu has over 20,000 packages, but a typical application consists of multiple packages. Therefore, the number of actual applications is quite a bit less. Secondly, modern RPM-based distributions have created better tools to deal with dependencies.

Include non-free hardware drivers

This is the most controversial feature that Ubuntu has provided. Their reasoning is simple: If you can't use the hardware, then you will never access the 20,000 open source applications. Which of these two options is better:

A. Person uses Windows because Linux would not run on their computer, or
B. Person uses some non-free hardware drivers, but only uses open source applications

Yes, this is a compromise, but I believe it is a necessary one. Only once Linux achieves a critical mass will we be able to force the hardware industry to provide open source drivers. Wide-spread adoption needs to occur BEFORE we will get a fully open source operating system that runs on all hardware.

Made the color brown sexy

Who used a brown desktop theme before Ubuntu? Some people don't like the brown, but they can quickly change it. I like to use the default interface so that I can show people what it would be like for them.

(NEW) Get an Ubuntu CD for FREE (NEW)

This is truly a feature that is unique to Ubuntu. For no cost at all, you can get Ubuntu CDs shipped to your location anywhere in the world!

(NEW) The Ubuntu Community (NEW)

How could I forget this point! The Ubuntu Community is often imitated, but never duplicated. Guided by an important Code of Conduct, this community is the friendliest that I have ever worked with.

Your turn!

I am sure that there are many other important factors to Ubuntu's success. I would appreciate it if you shared your favorite ones in a comment, or on your blog.