Ubuntu Isn't Linux?

[RobDude]

I'm a *nix newbie; but after reading the TOS that comes with Vista, I've decided to switch. I've got the day off tomorrow, so once I get off work I'll start downloading/backing up/reading/installing/configuring/etc/etc...a Linux Distro.

I was going to go with Ubuntu because it seems to the be the most popular around here, and people seem to have good things to say about it. But I saw this website: Ubuntu is not Linux. Linux is not Windows. Then, Ubuntu is ...

And now I'm a little concerned. Are there actual limitations of what you can do in Ubuntu - should power-users stay away from Ubuntu?

[techieMoe]

I was going to go with Ubuntu because it seems to the be the most popular around here, and people seem to have good things to say about it. But I saw this website: Ubuntu is not Linux. Linux is not Windows. Then, Ubuntu is ...

And now I'm a little concerned. Are there actual limitations of what you can do in Ubuntu - should power-users stay away from Ubuntu?

There is no need for concern. Ubuntu is most definitely Linux, and it is just as capable for a power user as its parent distribution Debian. There is nothing you cannot do in Ubuntu that you can in any other distribution.

The difference (and what scares some people away) is that Ubuntu tries to make things look nice. Heaven forbid.

[oklahomawebhost]

I believe a lot of what the Author is speaking of, is the simple fact that linux, has been for most of it's life, command line programming. Which involved opening a terminal window, and editing, creating, configuration files, and or running linux command and scripts. Kinda like doing things in DOS. if you have the right utilities installed the running things in Windows Command Line can be very powerful.

Ubuntu has the capabilites to run the same linux commands, or be just as powerful, because it is a Debian Distro. And you can login to Terminal SUDO to a powerful account, and do the things you can do in other linux distro's. So I don't think it's less powerful as long as you learn the command line interface (CLI) commands.

But out of the package, Ubuntu allows users to simply "take off running" by using the Graphical User Interface (GUI) to do things like hit the web, open files, listen to music, use office applications etc... Ubuntu is also keen on keeping that users from using too much power and breaking itself, by disabling the root user by default. It's kinda like creating a limited user account in WinXP versus a Admin account. You can request admin rights to do things in Ubuntu, but you have to request them (sudo).

I believe that Ubuntu is a great distro, especially for people switching from things like Windows, because you can still operate and do normal things from out of the box, but you can still jump in and learn the powerful CLI commands as you go.

[RobDude]

Thanks for the replies all - and sorry for posting this in the wrong section.

[techieMoe]

Thanks for the replies all - and sorry for posting this in the wrong section.

You're welcome. And don't worry about the section. Your post could have gone in either one, I just nudged it in here because it seemed to be more of a discussion thread to me.

[bigtomrodney]

I... And you can login to Terminal SUDO to a powerful account, and do the things you can do in other linux distro's. So I don't think it's less powerful as long as you learn the command line interface (CLI) commands.....Ubuntu is also keen on keeping that users from using too much power and breaking itself, by disabling the root user by default. It's kinda like creating a limited user account in WinXP versus a Admin account. You can request admin rights to do things in Ubuntu, but you have to request them (sudo)....

This is not Ubuntu specific. You shouldn't log in as root in any distro or any Unix unless you are performing maintenance. It is not that Ubuntu decided that you shouldn't log in as root more that it was never a good idea. Ubuntu is often for new converts from Windows; most people still feel restricted if they are not administrators and this is really the only way to prevent people thinking they should be root on their own system.

Just for emphasis - root is not a user account. It is the system account and should only be used for maintenance. I think this is self evident when you consider that there can only be 1 root user.

[hazel]

You shouldn't log in as root in any distro or any Unix unless you are performing maintenance. It is not that Ubuntu decided that you shouldn't log in as root more that it was never a good idea.

Quite right too. You should only become root when you need to execute a command that won't work from your own account; then (outside of Ubuntu) use su, do that one thing and exit from the root shell immediately. On my Red Hat machine, I have added a line to root's .bashrc file to print the prompt in bright red so as to give me a constant reminder that working as root is dangerous.

[Freston]

I have added a line to root's .bashrc file to print the prompt in bright red so as to give me a constant reminder that working as root is dangerous.

What a colorful solution I like that.

[Oxygen]

I don't really like the phrasing of that, there's nothing wrong with the root account, you just have to be careful incase you do something accidently. I wouldn't say it was "dangerous".

[bigtomrodney]

I don't really like the phrasing of that, there's nothing wrong with the root account, you just have to be careful incase you do something accidently. I wouldn't say it was "dangerous".

I agree. It's us users who are dangerous. One misspelt command or wrong $PWD is all it takes to bork a system. Not to mention you are allowing the processes you run more (possibly unlimited) access to the system resources and so introduce system instability.