The notion of a strong Linux-based competitor to Windows and, to a lesser extent, Apple’s Mac OS X has been an enduring dream of advocates of open-source software. They champion the idea that software that can be freely altered by the masses can prove cheaper and better than proprietary code produced by stodgy corporations. Try as they might, however, Linux zealots have failed in their quest to make Linux mainstream on desktop and notebook computers. The often quirky software remains in the realm of geeks, not grandmothers.
With Ubuntu, the devotees believe, things might finally be different.
The three page article discusses the goal of Ubuntu: making Linux easy for everyday users, not just the geek users. In fact, the Times estimates Ubuntu is used by 10 million people and organizations - including Google, the Macedonian education department, and schools in Spain and France’s military - not to mention the estimated 11% of American businesses running the open-source operating system.