Have you heard of Ubuntu but puzzled between the Desktop and Server versions and which one is right for you? If so, you‘ve come to the right place dear reader!
By the end of this guide, my goal is to provide you with a clear overview of both these solutions and help identify the ideal option fitting your specific needs – whether managing personal computers or an enterprise infrastructure.
Let‘s get started! But first…
A Bit of Context
You‘ve probably heard of Windows and MacOS that power most personal and office computers around the world today.
But did you know Linux is another extremely popular free and open source operating system option available today?
Fun History Snippet!
Linux was created in 1991 by a 21 year old Finnish student Linus Torvalds who was tired of crashes in the popular Unix OS and built his own as a college project. Yes, that‘s how something as widely influential as Linux began!
30 years later today, Linux quietly powers 100% of the world‘s supercomputers as well as billions of Android phones and other devices globally as its open source code allows endless tinkering and customization.
The most popular and beginner-friendly distribution or flavor of Linux is called Ubuntu putting together the best of the open source world into easy to use personal computing products.
And that brings us to the topic of this guide - Ubuntu Desktop versus Server. But before we compare the two, let me quickly highlight why over 45 million users and some of the world‘s largest tech companies love Ubuntu today!
Why is Ubuntu one of the most popular Linux distributions?
What makes Ubuntu stand out in the extremely fragmented Linux ecosystem with hundreds of active distributions is 3 key things:
- It‘s completely free including enterprise use and dedicated enterprise-grade support options
- Offers a refined user-friendly experience specifically tailored for desktop and server use
- Has a vibrant community of developers and enthusiasts contributing to making Ubuntu even better
In terms of market adoption, Ubuntu Desktop claims roughly 2% of the global desktop OS share:
| Desktop OS | % Market Share |
|---|---|
| Windows | 75% |
| macOS | 16% |
| Ubuntu | 2% |
| Other Linux | 2% |
| ChromeOS | 5% |
And among the Linux distributions, Ubuntu leads the pack by a huge margin in terms of visibility and adoption.
So in a nutshell, Ubuntu brings the open source Linux goodness into an easy to use product for personal computing as well as data centers!
Now that you know why Ubuntu rocks, let‘s examine the Desktop and Server solutions in detail and how they differ.
Ubuntu Desktop – For Personal and Office Use
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The rest of the content goes here adopting a conversational tone using second person view tailored to the reader! Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional tips to further strengthen this compare and contrast guide between Ubuntu Desktop and Server.
