As of October 2025, the public release of the Ubuntu distribution of Linux is turning 21 years old.
With the end of life of Windows 10 earlier this month, students may have considered switching operating systems to open-source Linux, and Ubuntu may be an option among its different versions.
READ MORE: The fall of Windows 10: What ASU is doing to prepare
Similar to Windows or macOS, the kernel — the core of the system that connects the hardware to its software — on its own does not constitute a full OS. Linux by itself is just a kernel, and a distribution is needed to complete the system.
A fully completed OS generally creates a desktop environment, applications and all other configurations. The customizable nature of the system allows people around the world to create Linux distributions, such as Arch Linux, Fedora and Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is seen as one of the most popular, with TechRadar ranking it as their No. 2 spot for best Linux distributions. It was created as free software, which means "users have the freedom to run, edit, contribute to, and share the software," according to the Free Software Foundation.
Also, it's seen as beginner friendly, according to TechRadar, so non-Linux users might have an easier time dealing with the system. Nevertheless, in terms of ASU Linux users, Ubuntu may not necessarily be on top.
Within the Linux Users Group at ASU, Arch Linux is the most popular. For beginners, the consensus is to use Fedora, Devansh Vimal, an ASU alumnus and former president of the Linux Users Group, said.
"(Fedora) doesn't have a bunch of foot guns — a bunch of ways to shoot yourself in the foot — like Ubuntu does." Vimal said. "Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, made a bunch of technical decisions that a lot of Linux users in the Linux Users Group disagree with."
While David Salazar, the current president of the Linux Users Group and a junior studying computer science, might not always agree with these technical decisions, they aren't a deal-breaker. He said no matter the distribution, the customizability of the OS is consistent.
"Linux makes it so easy to tear down and rebuild everything," Salazar said.
Still, Ubuntu is more similar to OSs like Windows and macOS.
"You click a couple of buttons, and suddenly you have what you'd expect out of an operating system," Vimal said. "Your calculator app, a clock app, your calendar ... web browser — all of the things that you would expect to be installed by default that you might not even consider to be installed software."
While members of the Linux Users Group may be less likely to use Ubuntu, Salazar said a majority of students he encounters outside of the group prefer it as their distribution.
Despite the preconfigured nature of systems like Ubuntu, non-Linux users at ASU may have different reactions toward the OS in general.
"I've never used Linux ... If anything, I would use it as a hobby, but not professionally," Rodrigo Castro, a sophomore studying applied computing, said. "From what I've seen — (it's) too difficult for me."
Interest in Linux systems may not be on the same level as established OSs. Castro said the majority of students he interacts with have only been using Windows or macOS.
While students may be hesitant to use Linux systems, Microsoft's end of support for Windows 10 can be a cause for concern for non-Linux students. Castro said he is scared of the potential of having to buy Windows again.
Because Ubuntu and other distributions were created to be free software, anyone can choose to develop updates and continue support of the OS. Users get to choose the variety of different versions that are created from the kernel.
To potentially ease the difficulty in using Linux systems, websites like DistroSea allow anyone to freely test out several distributions through the web browser itself. There's no need to download anything.
"You're not being locked out of certain things intentionally because of some single, private entity facilitating your use of the computer," Salazar said. "(Linux systems are) a way to have control over your device that you're not relinquishing to a company."
Edited by Kate Gore, George Headley and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at dmle5@asu.edu.
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