# Off-Topic Discussion > The Lounge > Tech Talk >  >  Ubuntu

## [SomeGuy]

What is so great about this? Should I get it?

----------


## Ynot

Ubuntu is an Operating System that's catered primarily toward desktop users
(as opposed to server, embedded systems, or  special use cases)

Ubuntu targets the same user group as Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh

Specifically, Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux

What is Linux?
Well, without going on for pages and pages (I'll leave that to wikipedia)
Think of Linux as the "chassis" and "drive chain" on which many different operating system "cars" are built
These different Linux "cars" are called distributions

(Same basic "nuts & bolts" mechanics, but put together in different ways to suit different groups of people)

Ubuntu is a car for desktop users
RedHat Linux, for example, is a car designed for enterprise server use

But both use the same underlying mechanics - Linux

What is great about Ubuntu, is a matter of personal preference and is largely subjective - different people will have different opinions on what makes it (or any other OS, for that matter) great (or crap)

Take a look around the Ubuntu site
http://www.ubuntu.com
and if you have any queries, post back here

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Thanks for the info! I heard someone say that you can customise the looks of it...?

----------


## Ne-yo

I prefer Knoppix myself.  ::goodjob2::

----------


## Ynot

you can customise pretty much everything on a distribution of Linux

from the cosmetic look and feel of the user interface (colour and shape of the body panels), all the way down to the nitty gritty parts of gear ratios and fuel injection timings

but don't be scared off
It can be as simple (spray it a different colour)
or as complex (install a nitrous kit and big arse spoiler)
as you like

----------


## Grod

xXSomeGuyXx -- this is what ubuntu can look like:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bvnQE1EAEZY

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Thanks guys for the info.

----------


## Adam

That looks awesome! How much quicker is it than using Vista?

----------


## Umbrasquall

It's fast. My laptop has it installed and it can do most of that stuff, whereas it can't even run Aero in Vista.

----------


## Adam

o0o0o0o

So if I installed it on my PC, to duel boot - could I remove it easilly if I needed to?

----------


## Ynot

Yes,
but you'll need the windows CD to reinstate the original windows boot loader

----------


## Adam

Yeah I have that somewhere as upgraded to Vista from an original disk  :smiley: 

Might havee to give this a try then sometime - when I am feeling brave lol

----------


## Ynot

I did a screenshot tutorial a lttle while ago, for dual booting with Windows

http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...74&postcount=4

----------


## dsr

You don't even need to dual boot.

----------


## Ynot

never used Wubi
(and I don't like recommending something if I have no experience with it)

what's the performance like with a virtual hard disk?

----------


## dsr

I've never used it either, and I know nothing about it other than its purpose.

----------


## wasup

From what I've heard, runs slower and such.  I know it has a bunch more disadvantages, but I don't know them off the top of my head.

----------


## dsr

I am sure Wubi does perform slower than native speed and it might very well underperform a virtual machine, but it sounds like a convenient option for a possible Windows convert to test Ubuntu before committing. Another option would be to download free virtualization software like VirtualBox or QEMU with the kqemu accelerator module.

----------


## wasup

Or just mount the iso to a CD and put it in your computer.  You don't have to install nor uninstall anything and you can test it just the same.  The LiveCD, that is.

----------


## Grod

yeah, just hit f5[fairly sure..] when the boot up screen comes and choose Ubuntu Linux. It's only 698 MB, you can even use a CD to burn it onto.

----------


## Ynot

> yeah, just hit f5[fairly sure..] when the boot up screen comes and choose Ubuntu Linux. It's only 698 MB, you can even use a CD to burn it onto.



Grod,
I'm surprised

have you switched sides?
or just feeling ill?  :tongue2:

----------


## Grod

somethings fishy, that's for sure.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

So, if i put ubuntu on, will it delete all my internet settings? And, programs that require windows, do they work on Ubuntu? (never got a chance to read everything)

----------


## Ynot

Linux won't touch your windows install at all
(well, apart from the option to resize the partition it's on)
but it certainly won't "delete" anything on your windows install

By and large, windows programs will not work on Linux
there are ways, but for now, assume not.
What programs do you have in mind?

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Wordpad, photofiltre, etc.

What, do you mean Dual-Booting?

----------


## ninja9578

There is a nice text editor called GEdit, I'm not sure what photofiltre is, but it sounds like Photoshop so I'll say that Linux has The Gimp for that.

Dual booting is where you can boot more than one operating system.  You choose the operating system when you turn on your computer.

I would recommend parallel booting instead though because I think it's easier.  That's where you boot towo or more operating systems at the same time.  Switching back and forth between platforms is as simple as Ctrl + Alt + Tab instead of having to reboot.

----------


## Grod

Photoshop won't work on linux..?

the gimp is a very poor substitute.

----------


## Ynot

> the gimp is a very poor substitute.



how so?

----------


## ninja9578

I don't think so, I doubt Adobe would waste their time on supporting Linux.  He didn't say photoshop anyway, I'm sure the gimp is better than whatever photofiltre is.

----------


## Grod

> how so?



How much have you used Ps? Or gimp?

----------


## [SomeGuy]

GIMP will work fine. Ubuntu's a seperate OS right? So, if I parralel boot it, my network settings will stay the same, and everything else will too?

----------


## ninja9578

No, Ubuntu is a middle and top layer.  Linux is the OS.  Everything will be exactly the same in Windows, installing Ubuntu won't touch it other than changing the size of your hard drive partition.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Okay, I read an installing tut. So, when I choose to "Guided - resize the partition and use the freed space" does it automatically parallel boot it?

----------


## ninja9578

No, parallel boot is something you'll have to set up later.  It should dual boot though by bringing up the "GRUB Screen"... right?  Don't quote me on that, I don't dual boot, mine runs Linux exclusively.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Okay thanks. So, how would I go about parallel booting?

----------


## dsr

Download virtualization software like the free VirtualBox, install it, read the instructions, and set up a virtual machine for the guest OS (Ubuntu in this case). Of course, you will also need to download the installer ISO from Ubuntu's web site in order to run Ubuntu as the guest OS in the virtual machine.





> No, Ubuntu is a middle and top layer. Linux is the OS.



That will just confuse the OP. That's like saying that Mac OS X is not an OS but rather just some software atop the XNU operating system. Linux is the kernel (the bridge between the OS and the hardware), and Ubuntu is a particular OS that distributes free software along with the Linux kernel.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Yes, that did confuse me. Ok, so I will go and try that now.

----------


## ninja9578

Sorry me confused you.  Technically speaking Ubuntu is the middle layer, the top layer is called gusty  :tongue2:   All OS's are made up of layers.

Linux, Ubuntu, Gusty
Darwin, OSX, Aqua
NT, Vista, Aero

It's _a lot_ more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

So Linux Darwin and NT are the basic roots of the OS's?
Wait, are they compilations of all three parts?

----------


## dsr

No. What ninja9578 meant is that Mac OS X is based on Darwin (Apple's derivative of FreeBSD), Ubuntu is based on the GNU system and uses the Linux kernel, and Windows XP and Vista are based off of NT. Don't focus on that stuff, though. What's important is that Ubuntu is an operating system (specifically a GNU/Linux distribution or "Linux distro"). It uses free software from GNU and elsewhere, and it uses the Linux 2.6 kernel. Gutsy is the codename for Ubuntu 7.10, the latest stable release of the Ubuntu operating system. There's also a new version coming out in a couple weeks, Ubuntu 8.04, and you can download the beta in the meantime.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Okay. I think I will just get 7.10 though.

----------


## wasup

Well, I recommend not, because it will end up being a pain in the ass.  Wait about 2 weeks and just get the new version that is coming out (8.04).  New versions come out every 6 months.  Setting up 7.10 and then reinstalling the next version will be a pain, so I recommend waiting.  But hey, if you find transferring files doesn't take you long and isn't a hassle (I don't have an external harddrive, so it is for me) and you can set up operating systems without any problems, then go for it.

----------


## Ynot

> Well, I recommend not, because it will end up being a pain in the ass.  Wait about 2 weeks and just get the new version that is coming out (8.04).  New versions come out every 6 months.  Setting up 7.10 and then reinstalling the next version will be a pain, so I recommend waiting.  But hey, if you find transferring files doesn't take you long and isn't a hassle (I don't have an external harddrive, so it is for me) and you can set up operating systems without any problems, then go for it.



Distribution upgrades are usually quite painless

it's all done through the package management

----------


## wasup

Really?  That's good news.

----------


## Ynot

> Really?  That's good news.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Okay. Downloading the ISO, gunna burn it, and boom. Thanks so much guys. I looked at some reviews and stuff, and it looks awesome. Great, can't wait till I get this up and running.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Okay, I'm just wondering. If I decide to delete my Windows on my Dual-Boot, how would I go about doing that?

----------


## wasup

You simply open up the partition editor and delete the partition, then preferably resize your ubuntu partition to make use of the remaining space.  Though from personal experience, it was a pain in the _ass_ to get my windows back on when I decided I wanted to use it for something again after I had deleted it, so I recommend that maybe you just keep it as a very limited partition.  I'm sure you can spare a couple gigabytes for windows.  Though if you are pretty experienced at installing things and aren't worried about the trouble, then go ahead and delete it by all means.

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Where is the partion editor? Is it in Ubuntu's applications menu?

----------


## wasup

You have to download it...
In Terminal: sudo apt-get install gparted
It should show up in system>administration>partition editor, I believe.
But also, you can get the gparted CD so you can edit your main partition (it's just a GUI version of gparted that runs off a disk so it gives you more freedom to manipulate partitions).

----------


## [SomeGuy]

So i put "sudo apt-get install gparted" in Ubuntu's command prompt? Cool. Alright. That's about all my questions. Oh yeah, is GNOME easy to use?

----------


## Ynot

> So i put "sudo apt-get install gparted" in Ubuntu's command prompt? Cool. Alright. That's about all my questions. Oh yeah, is GNOME easy to use?






```
apt-get install someProgram
```


is the terminal way of doing things
it's quick and there's no GUI to fumble around in
which is important if your remote managing the system
but you may be happier using the Synaptic GUI

The GUI way, is using synaptic
*System -> Administration -> Synaptic
*Then search for someProgram
Mark for installation, and hit apply

----------


## Deus Ex Machina

Since most people already replied about any questions, i'll just add my two cnts and say. Ubuntu is a great linux os, and not too obscenely difficult to understand with installations, once you get around that, you'll find a massive multitupde of various programs to supplement apple or windows.

definitely has my 4.5 star rating if you have an older pc and wish to give it a crack  ::D:

----------


## wasup

Actually, I'd just like to point out it's not only not "obscenely difficult," but it's much EASIER than any windows installation.  The installation of the OS itself is incredibly easy, especially relative to that of other OSs.  The reason being mainly is that Ubuntu doesn't require extensive amount's of checking to make sure everything is legit (presenting itself in various forms such as serial codes, activation, agreeing to terms, etc.).  Ubuntu does all the "next" clicking for you.  It's the same way for programs.  Because everything's open source, it doesn't have any of those "agreeing to terms and services" things and there is no "wizard" to run to install things and click "next" and choose what and where to install things.  You don't even have to open a damn browser to download anything.  Just got to applications, Add/Remove Programs, and you can search in the repositories for anything you want (the slightly, but not really, more complicated version of this being the synaptic package manager).  Then all you do is double click what you want installed and click "install programs."  That's all.  When you think of it, Ubuntu really takes the Mac approach.  That is, trying to make it as simple as possible.  Installing programs (pre-compiled one's, that is) is completely idiot-proof.  You can literally install Ubuntu and get all the programs you need in 10 minutes.  No wise cracks about there not being any programs for Ubuntu  :tongue2:   There are not that many, but for pretty much every program I can find just as good if not a better substitute.  If you have any reservations about this aspect, or can't find a good substitute, just ask  :smiley:   There are some really, really good ones out there.

----------


## Deus Ex Machina

Yeah the repositories are idiot proof, and the ubuntu forum is a great help, and I never had a problem or ever thought windows installation was difficult, Was just saying the installations might look like a task at first finding a repository getting used to the idea of installing either through synaptic or terminal. 

Only trouble I ever had was flash players for youtube and other sites, but was fixed with a quick search of the ubuntu forum lickety split  ::D:

----------


## Ynot

^^ just a side note

Ubuntu has official support for about 1,300 applications

(these are applications that Canonical takes "under it's wing" and provides extensive support for - including, but not limited to, security updates)
These are in the "main" repository

however, there's more than 20,000 applications available in total
these are in the "universe" & "multiverse" repos
(support, including security updates, are down to the app writers and general community, not Canonical)

I think Debian still has the edge on sheer number of apps available, but Ubuntu isn't far behind

and this isn't even touching 3rd party repositories

----------


## [SomeGuy]

I'm loving this. I will have it soon.

----------


## Ynot

Ubuntu makes BBC news
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7358483.stm





> *The public perception of open source software is changing fast, said Mark Shuttleworth, who leads distribution of the Ubuntu operating system (OS).*
> 
>  A new version of Ubuntu, a version of the Linux OS, is released on Thursday.
> 
>  Mr Shuttleworth said the success of the Asus EEE PC and the work of the One Laptop Per Child programme had driven awareness of open source.
> 
>  "There has been a sea change in the way people think of Linux, which is very healthy," he said.
> 
> "We have seen a real shift in the last six months from folks seeing open source as either a super-specialist thing for people who run data centres or as an enthusiast thing, to something which is energising a lot of the straight commercial PC industry," said Mr Shuttleworth.
> ...

----------


## Identity X

3 days to go until 8.04 is released, which I will be downloading since I broke my Beta install  :tongue2: .

----------


## Ynot

> 3 days to go until 8.04 is released, which I will be downloading since I broke my Beta install .



Fedora 9 is coming soon, as well - end of May IIRC

(I'm a Debian junky at heart, but like to keep up to speed with the Redhat side of things)

----------


## Ynot

> Mr Shuttleworth said he believed there were about eight to nine million users of Ubuntu worldwide.



Unfortunately, he doesn't go into detail about how this number is calculated
(I'd guess that's hits to the security repos, but I don't know)

but if accurate, it's incredible
8-9 million users
that's World of Warcraft type numbers....

----------


## Identity X

> Fedora 9 is coming soon, as well - end of May IIRC
> 
> (I'm a Debian junky at heart, but like to keep up to speed with the Redhat side of things)



I thought Fedora was unfashionable now? I was of the impression that for desktops at least Ubuntu is the Linux default.

----------


## Ynot

> I thought Fedora was unfashionable now? I was of the impression that for desktops at least Ubuntu is the Linux default.



what do I care about fashion?
leave fashion to Apple  :tongue2:

----------


## Replicon

> what do I care about fashion?
> leave fashion to Apple



Heh silly apple, with their T-1000-like icons that expand when you scroll over them (but also annoyingly slow down your mouse).

Looking forward to my dist-upgrade, once I'm confident everything is stable and ready  :smiley:

----------


## ninja9578

Your dock slows down your mouse?  What hardware do you have?  All is pushed into the graphics card, it shouldn't slow it down.

I think certain Ubuntu themes looks just as nice as OSX (obviously not that orange "Human" theme though  :tongue2: )  I really like the blue one, Ice I think it's called.

----------


## Identity X

Using 8.04 right now... sucks having to set it up again though (that's Wubi for you).

Still, YAY!

----------


## Ynot

I may have to pirate windows
just to try out wubi

I feel I'm missing out...

----------


## Replicon

> Your dock slows down your mouse?  What hardware do you have?  All is pushed into the graphics card, it shouldn't slow it down.



It was an early OSX release, a number of years ago. And I don't mean performance-wise. More like, it was coded to slow down mouse movement, presumably so you can scroll to it quicker from elsewhere without being too careful or something... but it was annoying.

----------


## ninja9578

> Using 8.04 right now... sucks having to set it up again though (that's Wubi for you).
> 
> Still, YAY!



How so, it wasn't just a software update like the 7.10 one?

Oh, it doesn't do that anymore.  :tongue2:

----------


## [SomeGuy]

Oh wow. I have to install 8.10 now? Whatever, i'll wait for the next one.

----------


## Identity X

> How so, it wasn't just a software update like the 7.10 one?
> 
> Oh, it doesn't do that anymore.



I broke my 8.04 beta by mucking around with the network config files (could no longer connect to the internet) so had to reinstall anyway, although Wubi has been known to break installations if you try and update within Ubuntu in the past.

----------


## ninja9578

I'm updating Ubuntu now, maybe I'll get lucky and it will connect to my wireless network, I'm tired of having it tied down to that damn ethernet cord  :Sad:

----------


## Ynot

had a small problem with Hardy not responding to the keyboard numpad

this has happened on 2 machines
(both have the same keyboard)

Fixed by
system > preferences > keyboard > mouse keys
uncheck "allow to control mouse using keyboard"

----------


## wasup

Hmm, hardy heron seems a bit dissapointing I think.  Not because it's bad, but I suppose I was expecting more?  As in, more stuff I could see.  To be honest everything seems exactly the same.  I suppose firefox, from what I've tested so far, seems perhaps a bit more stable.  I'm not only talking about cosmetic changes but I was expecting some more like, differences in applications, new ones, new features, etc.  There doesn't seem much new, am I missing something?

----------


## ninja9578

Looked like from what was on their site that this was mainly a back end change.  They are using a newer kernel and better process scheduling and such.  You got spoiled with Windows where there are no back end changes, but a lot of GUI changes  :tongue2:

----------


## Replicon

My wireless card worked out of the box  :wink2:  [though it probably needed the system76 driver].

Maybe I'll update it tomorrow.

----------


## wasup

> Looked like from what was on their site that this was mainly a back end change.  They are using a newer kernel and better process scheduling and such.  You got spoiled with Windows where there are no back end changes, but a lot of GUI changes



Pretty much  :tongue2:

----------


## Ynot

> Hmm, hardy heron seems a bit dissapointing I think.  Not because it's bad, but I suppose I was expecting more?  As in, more stuff I could see.  To be honest everything seems exactly the same.  I suppose firefox, from what I've tested so far, seems perhaps a bit more stable.  I'm not only talking about cosmetic changes but I was expecting some more like, differences in applications, new ones, new features, etc.  There doesn't seem much new, am I missing something?



well,
people'd have a fit if they changed everything visually
gnome's been the same, cosmetically, for 10 years
if you want flashy stuff, there's plenty of other desktop environments / window managers to choose from - have a play

nice to see the 3D windows back on the compiz cube, though

----------


## Identity X

> nice to see the 3D windows back on the compiz cube, though



How do you bring up the cube? Even if I set it as "on" using the compiz config UI (gnome-compiz-manager in Synaptic or something), I can't seem to work out how to do it.

And how do I switch desktops with a keyboard? Newb questions I know.

In exchange, top tip: Change your browsers default sans font to FreeSans. Looks so much better!

----------


## ninja9578

Ctrl + Alt + arrow button

and Ctrl + grab the desktop and drag

----------


## Ynot

> How do you bring up the cube? Even if I set it as "on" using the compiz config UI (gnome-compiz-manager in Synaptic or something), I can't seem to work out how to do it.



enable:
- Desktop Cube
- Rotate Cube
- 3D Windows

ctrl+alt+left & ctrl+alt+right for flip the cube
ctrl+alt+mouse1 for the free rotate (& 3D windows)

----------


## Identity X

Thanks. I'm in Windows now but I'm missing Ubuntu!  :Sad:

----------


## ninja9578

Still no wireless network  :Sad:

----------


## Replicon

> enable:
> - Desktop Cube
> - Rotate Cube
> - 3D Windows
> 
> ctrl+alt+left & ctrl+alt+right for flip the cube
> ctrl+alt+mouse1 for the free rotate (& 3D windows)



I believe you also have to set your config to have 4 desktops instead of the default 2, and lay them out horizontally.

----------


## Ynot

> I believe you also have to set your config to have 4 desktops instead of the default 2, and lay them out horizontally.



yes,
forgot that (has to be horizontal, but can be 3 or more)

----------


## wasup

Actually, it only has to be 2 or more.  When you have 2 it just looks like a plane with two sides.

----------


## Replicon

I want a dodecahedron that I can control with an old Nintendo Power Glove.

----------


## Identity X

> I want a dodecahedron that I can control with an old Nintendo Power Glove.



Heh.

Desktop Cube can deal with desktops from two to infinity (or whatever maximum GNOME enforces).

In other news, Ubuntu is r0xing my b0x0rs. W00t.

----------


## Ynot

> In other news, Ubuntu is r0xing my b0x0rs. W00t.



yep,
I'm loving PulseAudio, as well

Routing Wine & DosBox through PulseAudio means I can play WoW (wine) or Lemmings (dosbox) and have RhythmBox playing with no sound issues

also, individual volume controls on every sound-producing app means nothing drowns out anything else

----------


## Scatterbrain

Can't wait to make a fresh install with Ubuntu 8.04. (I'm switiching to x86)

Since my internet connection sucks here I ordered last week a CD from the site, by the time I get home in 2 weeks time it'll probably be there already.

----------


## Identity X

Anyone else experiencing severe stablility issues? Programs are segfaulting everywhere and taking Ubuntu with it, necessitating some painful and potentially corrupting hard reboots. It's really starting to piss me off, Ubuntu seems to have no crash protection at all, as soon as a segfault is registered it just hangs.

----------


## Ynot

> Anyone else experiencing severe stablility issues? Programs are segfaulting everywhere and taking Ubuntu with it, necessitating some painful and potentially corrupting hard reboots. It's really starting to piss me off, Ubuntu seems to have no crash protection at all, as soon as a segfault is registered it just hangs.



Anything in particular causing the problems?

If something's taking the OS down, it's not going to be any user-level program
Are you using anything "out of the ordinary", driver-wise?

I know it's hardly useful,
but I'm pretty rock solid (flash throws a barney occasionally, but sadly that's normal)
but certainly nothing that takes the OS with it

worst comes to worst
drop back to 7.10 (it's supported till 2009), and enable the backports repo if you want

----------


## Man of Steel

I was having problems with Firefox crashing 7.10 yesterday, but it may have been something to do with the torrent file I'd just clicked on, since it was perfectly fine up to that point. I think it was trying to open it with a program not installed, as I left it at FF's default instead of choosing KTorrent. 

It also wouldn't update for some reason. Gah. I only ever use Ubuntu at wireless hotspots anyway, but I had to hard reboot it twice as Ctrl+Alt+Backspace wasn't working, and neither were any other key combinations.

----------


## Hercuflea

can you run Windows programs in Ubuntu with mods?  like games and stuff, or MS Word for school

sorry i'm not the most software-savvy person but i am going to build a computer and am thinking about using linux instead of gay hacker-friendly-spyware-NSA tracking- Windows

----------


## Ynot

> can you run Windows programs in Ubuntu with mods?  like games and stuff, or MS Word for school
> 
> sorry i'm not the most software-savvy person but i am going to build a computer and am thinking about using linux instead of gay hacker-friendly-spyware-NSA tracking- Windows



Yes, you can
There's a compatibility layer for Win32 applications, called Wine
See http://www.winehq.org/site/download

however, I would advice you to use native Linux applications where ever possible
OpenOffice for example, come pre-loaded on many Linux distros
and offers a native office suite (instead of running MS's Office under Wine)

It's largely down to personal preference
but always consider native apps

If you really must run Windows Apps (games, for example) that have no native port, you can check how well the app performs under Wine
Wine has a large database of working & non-working apps
http://appdb.winehq.org/

----------


## Hercuflea

Can it run MS Word?  Because thats what the school computers use and i need to put stuff on a flash drive and transfer it to school

----------


## Replicon

> Can it run MS Word?  Because thats what the school computers use and i need to put stuff on a flash drive and transfer it to school



You should be able to open the documents saved using OpenOffice on your school computer, yes. Just be sure not to save them to the newest format (yet). My aunt sends me lots of power point documents as forwards, and I can open them all.

----------


## Hercuflea

ok

well anyways i am probably just going to install ubuntu once i build the computer and if i dont like it ill just wipe the whole thing

----------


## Ynot

Rather than start a new thread,
A follow up on the French police force's migration to Linux

http://arstechnica.com/open-source/n...ing-ubuntu.ars





> *French police: we saved millions of euros by adopting Ubuntu*
> 
> _A recent report has revealed that France's national police force has saved an estimated 50 million euros since 2004 by migrating a portion of the organization's workstations to Ubuntu Linux. They plan to roll out the Linux distro to all 90,000 of their workstations by 2015._
> 
> France's Gendarmerie Nationale, the country's national police force, says it has saved millions of dollars by migrating its desktop software infrastructure away from Microsoft Windows and replacing it with the Ubuntu Linux distribution.
> 
> The Gendarmerie began its transition to open source software in 2005 when it replaced Microsoft Office with OpenOffice.org across the entire organization. It gradually adopted other open source software applications, including Firefox and Thunderbird. After the launch of Windows Vista in 2006, it decided to phase out Windows and incrementally migrate to Ubuntu.
> 
> At the current stage of the migration, it has adopted Ubuntu on 5,000 workstations. Based on the success of this pilot migration, it plans to move forward and switch a total of 15,000 workstations to Ubuntu by the end of the year. It aims to have the entire organization, and all 90,000 of its workstations, running the Linux distribution by 2015.
> ...

----------

