OS GUI

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system family. Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free software and of open source development; its underlying source code is available for anyone to use, modify, and redistribute freely.

After the Linux kernel was released to the public on 17 September 1991, the first Linux systems were completed by combining the kernel with system utilities and libraries from the GNU project, which led to the coining of the term GNU/Linux. From the late 1990s onward Linux gained the support of corporations such as IBM,  Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and Novell.

Predominantly known for its use in servers, Linux is used as an operating system for a wider variety of computer hardware than any other operating system, including desktop computers, supercomputers, mainframes, and embedded devices such as cellphones. Linux is packaged for different uses in Linux distributions, which contain the kernel along with a variety of other software packages tailored to requirements.

Ubuntu Linux is a very recent project out of Africa with participation from many community volunteers and is sponsored by Canonical LTD. It is based on Debian and offers Linux kernel 2.6 and Gnome 2.8. It comes in a few different arch flavors too. Images are available for x86, AMD64 and also for the PowerPC. The Ubuntu team is strongly committed to free (and free of charge) software and plans on regular releases every 6 months. Product security updates for 18 months which will also be provided free of charge regardless of the release version.

Zenwalk is a lightweight desktop oriented Slackware based GNU/Linux distribution that aims to be fast and user friendly. It is still quite new, but the growth, as well as the progress of development, has been pretty fast so far. I've taken a hike with the latest release, Zenwalk 4.0, and here's what I can say about it.

I expect this review will ultimately be lengthy, for which I apologize. The reason for this is simply my enthusiasm over X2. I had read several reviews and loads of posts in forums prior to ordering the Standard Edition, but really wasn't prepared for what was to come.