What is your favorite...

[baylorbear]

I'm interested to know what folks like most about Ubuntu...

So please, share with me your favorite software, favorite hack, favorite anything that you think makes Ubuntu the premiere os.

[croak77]

Well Ubuntu isn't the premiere OS, GNU/Linux is.

[fatsheep]

For CD/DVD burning it doesn't get much better then K3B. For word processing - Abiword is the way to go.

[mjpatey]

For getting LOTS of useful software added to your system-- Automatix!

[fatsheep]

Easy Ubuntu is a great app for that as well.

[mjpatey]

Agreed, fatsheep. I used EasyUbuntu in my first Ubuntu install, and Automatix in the second (current). Both went swimmingly!

[baylorbear]

Agreed, fatsheep. I used EasyUbuntu in my first Ubuntu install, and Automatix in the second (current). Both went swimmingly!

I'd not used automatix yet... but just did after reading this post. That was a handy little app!! Not to mention fixed a couple of codec problems I was having...

Thanks for pointing that one out!!

[bruce89]

aptitude is the way to go.

[jISh]

Absolute control over my system makes Linux the premiere OS for me.

[ectospasm]

Slightly different than all of the others, my favorite software that you can get for Ubuntu (or any Linux distro, really) is Asterisk (http://asterisk.org). Of course, if you are not looking or have no need to build a complete software PBX (Private Branch Exchange), Asterisk probably won't be appealing to you. But once you begin to grok Asterisk, you will see how powerful a system it is. If you were to try to build a Commercial, Off The Shelf (COTS) phone system, you'd probably be looking at anywhere from $5,000-$50,000 USD, depending on size. Asterisk allows you to build it for the cost of hardware alone, which can be significantly less than $5,000.


Obligatory disclaimer: I work for Digium (http://digium.com), the makers of Asterisk. To be honest, I would have told you exactly the same thing as I did above before I worked for Digium, simply because I had installed an Asterisk system before this job and I've seen how powerful it is.

Now, if you're used to GUI tools and whatnot to configure every aspect of your Ubuntu or Linux system, plain ol' Asterisk is probably not for you. There are several GUIs out there which address this issue, but by far the best is Switchvox (http://switchvox.com), recently acquired by Digium. They have a free version which is a complete distro install by itself, which will get you started.

..End Asterisk pitch.

[Incense]

I think a package management system in general is one of the true gems of Gnu/Linux. I find myself so lost on my mac when I have to find and install new software. After a while you forget just how useful it is to simply apt-get, yum, zypper, smart.... whatever program you want on your system.

[bruce89]

Talk about a vested interests bump, this thread's over a year old.