Introduction

Overview

I started seriously using Linux in 1995. Back then, Slackware 3.0 was the popular distribution, but RedHat 2.1 and Debian 1.0 were gaining a following. Ah, the good old days of the 1.2.13 kernel…

Over the last decade, I have used Linux on all types of systems and platforms-from personal computers to mission-critical servers, and from Intel's 386 to PowerPC, SGI, and Sun platforms. I view the operating system as a tool, and the right job needs the right tool. Ten years ago, the flexible Linux system filled a niche that Microsoft, Sun, and other proprietary operating systems could not fill. It had all the power and programming hooks that a developer could want, but was seriously lacking in usability and support. Custom device drivers did not exist unless you built them, and compatibility with Microsoft Windows was limited to FTP and the web.

Today, the kernel is up to version 2.6 and Ubuntu is one of the fastest growing Linux distributions available. Ubuntu combines all the desirable features-usability, security, and support-in one distribution.

This book focuses on the Dapper Drake 6.06 LTS version of Ubuntu. Although other versions of Ubuntu have an 18-month support life, Dapper is intended to have up to five years of support from its corporate sponsor, Canonical Ltd.

Note 

LTS stands for Long Term Support.