http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

I, like the many millions of computer users out there, used to worship at the altar of Microsoft. I was a slave to the dreaded windows OS and have come face to face with the dreaded blue screen of death more times than I care to count.

My personal experience with the Windows OS forced me to learn how to troubleshoot common pc problems, update drivers, switch out hardware and peripherals, rid my HDD of viruses, and eventually how to place a fresh install on my box of choice.

I was happy to do this up until sometime last year. My wife tried to download a documentary from zshare and we were greeted by the blue screen of death. I was unable to clean the virus off this last time and lost countless photos, songs, and many other files. I was not pleased. I vowed to rid myself of my unholy dependence on Microsoft.

Last year I helped to co-author a grant for my school. We opted to purchase Apple laptops and I was introduced to the Mac OSX. It was elegant, simple, integrated. It was everything I wanted. I finally began to ween myself off of the MIcrosoft teat. However, OSX was still commercial and expensive…and unless you really feel like doing some major hacking it only works on Apple hardware.

I wanted FREE. I wanted secure. I wanted stability. I wanted LINUX. What I found was Ubuntu…Linux for Humans.

I made my way over to Ubuntu and haven’t looked back since. For the uninformed, Ubuntu is a freely available OS that anyone can download, mod, distribute, and install on as many machines as they choose…all for free.

The OS is very intuitive and easy to use. It works right out of the box with most peripherals. I’m actually running the OS in an old eMachines box. I’m using my TV as a monitor and I’m currently using the Microsoft Laser cordless mouse and keyboard. Everything is running smoothly with no issues.

If you’re a casual PC user ( you use the computer to surf the web, play music, write papers, etc) then this OS is perfect for you. You’re not really susceptible to viruses or other exploits because most people simply don’t use this OS.

I love Ubuntu as an alternative OS for education organizations of any size because of the cost. Small start ups, charters, or just plain old cash strapped districts can purchase refurbed windows boxes and replace the Microsoft OS with Ubuntu and be up and running in minutes.

Ubuntu even has a release specifically for k12 institutions called Edubuntu.

If you’re tired of the blue screen of death…or have an old PC sitting in the garage and you’re not sure what to do with it try Ubuntu out. I did and I’ve never been happier.