"Ubuntu" is an ancient African word, meaning "humanity to others". The Ubuntu Linux distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world.
Ubuntu Linux is a complete open source operating system built around the Linux kernel.
Edubuntu is a version of Ubuntu suitable for classroom use. Edubuntu delivers a turnkey solution that enables time-poor educators with mid-range technical skills to set up an online learning environment with as few clicks as humanly possible, and administer that environment without having to significantly expand their technical skills. Centralized management of configuration, users, and processes together with facilities for working collaboratively in a classroom setting are Edubuntu's principal design goals.
Edubuntu gathers together the best available free software and digital materials for education.
Edubuntu and Ubuntu are not meant to be seen as distinct projects; Edubuntu is part of the Ubuntu project, and they are both part of one development team that contributes to the whole. Edubuntu is Ubuntu with a different default setup.
Thus, as part of the Ubuntu community, Edubuntu is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Manifesto: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter their software in whatever way they see fit. For those reasons:
Creating an operating system is challenging, but it's also great fun. Read further in this document to learn how you can participate in the Edubuntu Project, and about the free software projects that produce the key components of Edubuntu.
The Edubuntu community is made up of software developers, documentation writers, translators, graphic artists, and most importantly, the people who are using Edubuntu in their everyday life. We invite you to join this community and help shape Edubuntu into an operating system that meets your needs better.
You don't have to be a software developer to help improve Edubuntu. You can participate by translating Edubuntu into your own language, test it on desktops, laptops, and servers, help improve the Edubuntu web site with guides and tips for users, answer questions on the forum or mailing lists, contribute artwork, and more. Any contribution, big or small, will shape the future of Edubuntu for all of us. To find out how to participate, visit this webpage!
Read more about Edubuntu and its growing community at www.edubuntu.org and check out other Edubuntu resources such as:
The default desktop environment for Edubuntu 5.10 is GNOME, the emerging standard for free software desktops. GNOME provides a modern desktop environment for users, a powerful platform for devleopers and is fully translated into over 40 languages. You can learn more about the GNOME project at www.gnome.org
Another leading Unix and Linux desktop is KDE. The Kubuntu team is responsible for creating a version of Ubuntu optimized with KDE. Kubuntu releases are synchronized with Ubuntu and can be downloaded at www.kubuntu.org. You can also transform an existing GNOME desktop to a KDE desktop, by removing the GNOME software and installing kubuntu-desktop.
Edubuntu 5.10 includes OpenOffice.org suite. OpenOffice.org includes a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, database and drawing tool combination that is compatible with other popular office suites. It also includes Base, a powerful database application that runs on its own built-in HSQL database engine. Base can also extend to your existing databases such as Adabas D, ADO, Microsoft Access and MySQL. It can also connect to any database through industry-standard ODBC and JDBC Drivers. Read more about the OpenOffice.org project at OpenOffice.org.
A major component of Edubuntu 5.10 is LTSP, or the Linux Terminal Server Project. LTSP allows you to connect lots of low-powered thin client terminals to a Linux server. LTSP provides a simple way to utilize low cost workstations as either graphical or character-based terminals on a GNU/Linux server. You can get more information about LTSP at www.ltsp.org.
SchoolTool provides a robust and reliable means of managing a school or classroom, saving time on routine tasks like managing classroom rosters, tracking student attendance, assessment and demographic information, helping teachers coordinate their schedules and reserve resources like projectors and computer labs. With SchoolTool, you can do more work with less time! Learn more about SchoolTool at www.schooltool.org.
Moodle is a course management system designed to help educators create effective internet-based courses and websites. Moodle scales from a single-teacher clasroom site to a 40,000-student University. Read more about Moodle at www.moodle.org.
You might have heard of this amazing thing called "Linux". Linux is a "kernel", it is the core piece of software that starts up when you turn your computer on, and it in turn runs all of the other applications that make up the whole desktop environment. In many ways its a tiny part of the whole mix, but its role is so important that many people describe the whole desktop as "Linux". Linux is the software which has come to define the worldwide movement to embrace free software. There is another project, called GNU, which set out to create a free operating system before Linux did, and today we use the Linux kernel together with many of the GNU applications. That's why we call Ubuntu an example of GNU/Linux software. Find out about GNU/Linux at www.linux.org.
There are many GNU/Linux distributions (e.g., Fedora, SuSE, Debian, Mandriva, Gentoo), but Ubuntu distinguishes itself with clarity of focus, simplicity of installation and use, and a development approach that is both transparent and welcoming.
By default, Edubuntu includes a core selection of the best desktop software for typical desktop users. Almost everything else, the entire free software universe of applications, is available over the Internet for easy installation directly onto this basic desktop environment. Our package management uses the powerful "APT" package management system, which allows easy installation and clean removal of programs, as well as automatic download of any extra packages required. Edubuntu's core list of officially supported software packages is reduced to only the important applications. This allows for greater quality control. For advanced users, the "Universe" and "Multiverse" archives provide instant access to more applications that are maintained and supported by the Ubuntu community.
By focusing on quality, Edubuntu produces a robust and feature rich computing environment that is flexible for use in home and school environments. The project has more time to spend on the finer details and is able to release a version featuring the latest and greatest versions of the most popular free software every six months. Ubuntu supports the PC (Intel Pentium, AMD Athlon, and IBM-compatible PCs), 64-bit PC (AMD64, Athlon64, Opteron, EM64T Intel Xeon) and PowerPC (Apple iBook, Powerbook, G3, G4 and G5) architectures.