Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth at Fudan University

Ubuntu is a GNU/Linux distribution that uses Linux as the operating system kernel, but it puts more emphasis on ease of use on the desktop. Since its release in 2004, it has quickly gained popularity among Linux users and users of other operating systems, becoming the undisputed number one distribution today, and even Dell has launched Ubuntu on PCS pre-installed this year. Ubuntu is free to download, and even free to ship CDS to users, all in order to give users the freedom to own and customize their software. Ubuntu is an ancient African word that means universal love for others.