We have all seen Ubuntu emerge as the top distribution. You can argue the figures if you like, but by any standard that I have seen it is far and away the most popular distribution. The biggest problem however is not the Canonical Ubuntu derivatives but the growing number of non-Canonical ones.

Have a CD collection sitting around waiting to find its place in your new Ubuntu lifestyle? Maybe you have existing non-DRM protected MP3s on Ubuntu and are looking for way to listen to them on Ubuntu without resorting to using MP3 considering its gray area of use.

As an introduction for those readers who have just dropped in from a different dimension, Ubuntu is a Linux distribution (an operating system) derived from Debian, and financially supported by Canonical Group Limited, a software technology outfit based in the Isle of Man.

There is a long and somewhat heated argument taking place in the Ubuntu forums over a post by Ian Jackson in the Ubuntu Developers mail list, which is a wrapup of a discussion held on the irc #ubuntu-devel channel. The post advocates a change in the Ubuntu security policy by making it more difficult for new users to install untrusted 3rd party software.

With my previous article, regarding my decision to end my support for Ubuntu, there were some points that I felt where misunderstood, judging from some of the comments.

Every so often I wander over to Distrowatch to see whose at the top of the leaderboard (calculated byPC Linux OS page views on Distrowatch ) for Linux desktop "popularity". I fully expected to see Ubuntu at the top and maybe Fedora Core in second place. I was surprised to see PCLinuxOS in the number one position.

There are several reasons that are important in deciding to employ Ubuntu server. First, Ubuntu is very popular and gaining momentum. On distrowatch.com Ubuntu is listed as the most accessed distribution. The popularity of Ubuntu suggests that there will be business and job opportunities for those who are trained in configuration of the Ubuntu Server.

There is a discussion going on at SugarCRM's forum page, "Why the Sugar license is mad, bad and may be dangerous" -- part of a much larger discussion that Matt Aslett captures well in this article on the current state of such non-OSI-approved licenses -- that reminded me that I've been meaning to explain something to you about trademarks.

In addition to Ubuntu, Canonical also produces or recognizes a number of Ubuntu derivatives such Kubuntu and Edubuntu. These derivatives offer different desktop environments or a more focused selection of software, geared toward a particular purpose.