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The most popular Linux distribution, Ubuntu offers different OS versions for various devices like desktops, servers, tablets and phones. The desktop version, a fork of Debian, is very stable, particularly due to the number of active users, and provides a lot of features out of the box, so you can start working without having to install hundreds of drivers, tools and software first. For a lot of people, Ubuntu is the most competitive free OS to Windows and Mac.
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Lots of support
As the most popular Linux distribution, there's a wide range of sources for support online if you ever need help, including the Ubuntu Wiki, Ubuntu Forums and the Ask Ubuntu Stack Exchange site.
Pro Just works out of the box
Lots of support for hardware, lots of pre-installed software, and a smooth install process means less time downloading drivers, less time digging through configuration files, and less time deciding on software to use just to get up and running. It also means less time digging through forums looking for support.
Pro Ubuntu Flavors and remixes
Ubuntu provides unique builds (flavors) to suit the user's needs, as well as user/community 'remixes' of several flavors.
Pro Most 'user-friendly' flavor of Linux
Ubuntu is the de-facto standard for new Linux users and is an excellent choice for users looking to escape the closed source nature of other popular operating systems.
Pro Lots of online resources
Whenever you google a question about Linux, answers about Ubuntu will most certainly be available.
Pro Long term support
Ubuntu releases a new long term support (LTS) version every 2 years. The new LTS versions get auto security updates for at least 9 months and support for 5 years (Desktop and Server versions).
Pro Dedicated software center
The Ubuntu Software Center offers a GUI interface for installing new apps which is extremely easy and welcoming for beginners to Linux. But it should not be used by more advanced users since the method of installing through the terminal is much faster and easier after one is used to it.
Pro Use it on almost any device
Not just for laptops - Ubuntu was designed with tablets and touchscreen devices in mind, and with phone support on the way. Ubuntu also has Long Term Support releases, as well as a version oriented toward servers, so you can use the same OS at work or on mobile as you do on your desktop.
Pro Great long term support release schedule (2 years)
This allows for users to always have a new supported release available without long unkown wait times in between.
Pro Company behind it
This means that the system must run well, otherwise they will lose money. There is no better incentive!
Pro UTF-8 is the default character encoding
Beginning with Ubuntu 5.04, UTF-8 became the default character encoding, which allows for support of a variety of non-Roman scripts.
Pro Good PPA repositories available
PPA repositories allow you to install the latest version of your preferred software while keeping the rest of the operating system "stable".
Pro Flexible
The setup for personal use is simple enough for anyone to achieve, and can easily be modified to act as a server. Programs and all features are easy to find and use, and first-timers can easily pick up on how to use it.
Pro Unified search
Type any query into the Dash Home, and search will look through files, stores and web-pages to find what you are looking for.
Pro Perfect for collaboration on open source projects
This is probably the best option when collaborating on open source projects in hardware. This is mostly because packages and tools are readily available via software center.
Pro Good UI for small monitors
Because the menu usually is in the title bar and the launcher auto-hides, the whole screen can be used by an application.
Pro Has a clean Gnome Interface
Gnome has a lot of extensions available and can be customized rather easily.
Cons
Con Not beginner friendly
There are a lot of headaches to setup and/or install/upgrade certain applications.
Con Canonical (author) is proprietary
Canonical is focused on making money so you can see many proprietary offers by them and the OS has built-in trackers (Amazon).
Con Canonical does not respect Ubuntu users' preferences
In 2012 it became impossible in Ubuntu to move the close-window-button back to the upper-right corner of the window, where it always was before. To the questions of their users Canonical replied that they know better than users where it would be convenient for users to have the close-window-button.
Con Binary incompatible to Debian
Ubuntu releases are based on Debian testing/unstable, however, unlike other Debian-based distributions they are not binary compatible due to different libc versions, so you can't install Debian packages in Ubuntu and vice versa.
Con Doesn't shutdown/standby properly on Lenovo laptops (b, e & g series) and desktops (Thinkcentre)
Ubuntu has some serious issue with some Lenovo laptops and desktops. Sometimes, it doesn't shutdown correctly.
Con A tweaked Gnome version
Instead of original Gnome desktop with Ubuntu you get a tweaked Gnome and most of the tweaks makes user experience worse.
Con Redundant
With the removal of Unity, there is no point in choosing Ubuntu over Debian anymore because everything else is imported from Debian to Ubuntu.
Con No rolling release
New Ubuntu versions are released two times a year, during this period almost all software receives only security updates and minor bug fixes.
Con Custom PPAs required for most software
To get the most software available, user must add several PPAs to the system. That has major problems:
1) Terminal recommended for adding a PPA, which can scare away users
2) A PPA can potentially distribute malware by creating a "newer" version of a package than available in other PPAs, such as the Linux kernel.
3) PPAs must be recreated and re-added with every major system update
Con Unstable
Some people pointed out that updating Arch is a high risk affair. And one should carefully read forums before doing it. The same is true about Ubuntu. Making system updates (like it was with 10.04 to 11.04) that screw so many things up became a routine. Even LTS releases should not give confidence that it will work.
Con Relatively high system requirements
The default Unity desktop environment is a resource hog which requires hardware accelerated graphics rendering in order to run smoothly, making out of the box Ubuntu unsuitable for low end systems and older hardware. Even mildly aged hardware, you'll get far better performance out of a lighter desktop environment like LXDE or XFCE.
Con Software can be outdated, if not severely outdated
If you try to download "unpopular" software, you may find you're downloading a version that's several years old.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Pro Wide range of software out of the box
The default apps available in Ubuntu cover the gamut of most anyone's needs. From music, video or office applications Ubuntu has an app that will cover the users needs.
Pro Use it on almost any device
Not just for laptops - Ubuntu was designed with tablets and touchscreen devices in mind, and with phone support on the way. Ubuntu also has Long Term Support releases, as well as a version oriented toward servers, so you can use the same OS at work or on mobile as you do on your desktop.
Con Canonical (author) is proprietary
Canonical is focused on making money so you can see many proprietary offers by them and the OS has built-in trackers (Amazon).
Pro Unified search
Type any query into the Dash Home, and search will look through files, stores and web-pages to find what you are looking for.
Pro UTF-8 is the default character encoding
Beginning with Ubuntu 5.04, UTF-8 became the default character encoding, which allows for support of a variety of non-Roman scripts.
Pro Dedicated software center
The Ubuntu Software Center offers a GUI interface for installing new apps which is extremely easy and welcoming for beginners to Linux. But it should not be used by more advanced users since the method of installing through the terminal is much faster and easier after one is used to it.
Pro Good UI for small monitors
Becaue the menu usually is in the title bar and the launcher auto-hides, the whole screen can be used by an application.
Pro Great Long Term Support release schedule (2 years)
This allows for users to always have a new supported release available without long unkown wait times in between.
Pro Wide range of software out of the box
The default apps available in Ubuntu cover the gamut of most anyone's needs. From music, video or office applications Ubuntu has an app that will cover the users needs.
Out of Date Pros + Cons
Con Unity interface might be confusing for new users
Unity does not align itself with the normal desktop paradigm and thus has a bit of a confusing UI in comparison to the norm of a Windows user.
