Browsing Portuguese translation

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\marginnote{For information on Ubuntu Server Edition, and how you can use it in your company, visit \url{http://www.ubuntu.com/server}.} While large organizations often find it useful to pay for support services, Shuttleworth has promised that the Ubuntu desktop operating system will always be free. Ubuntu is installed on an estimated 2\% of the world's computers. This equates to tens of millions of users worldwide, and is growing each year. As there is no compulsory registration, the percentage of Ubuntu users should be treated as an estimate.

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What is Linux?

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Linux

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Ubuntu is built on the foundation of Linux, which is a member of the \Index{Unix} family. \Index{Unix} is one of the oldest types of operating systems, and together with Linux has provided reliability and security for professional applications for almost half a century. Many servers around the world that store data for popular websites (such as YouTube and Google) run some variant of Linux or \Index{Unix}. The popular Android system for smartphones is a Linux variant; modern in-car computers usually run on Linux. Even \OSX is based on Unix. The Linux \Index{kernel} is best described as the core\dash almost the brain\dash of the Ubuntu operating system.

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The Linux \Index{kernel} is the controller of the operating system; it is responsible for allocating memory and processor time. It can also be thought of as the program which manages any and all applications on the computer itself.

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While modern graphical \glspl{desktop environment} have generally replaced early command line interfaces, the command line can still be a quick and efficient way of performing many tasks. See \chaplink{ch:advanced-topics} for more information, and \chaplink{ch:the-ubuntu-desktop} to learn more about \acronym{GNOME} and other desktop environments.

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Linux was designed from the ground up with security and hardware compatibility in mind, and is currently one of the most popular \Index{Unix}-based operating systems. One of the benefits of Linux is that it is incredibly flexible and can be configured to run on almost any device\dash from the smallest micro-computers and cellphones to the largest super-computers. \Index{Unix} was entirely command line-based until graphical user interfaces (\glspl{GUI}) emerged in 1973 (in comparison, Apple came out with Mac \acronym{OS} ten years later, and Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in 1985).

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The early \acronym{GUI}s were difficult to configure, clunky, and generally only used by seasoned computer programmers. In the past decade, however, graphical user interfaces have grown in usability, reliability, and appearance. Ubuntu is one of many different Linux \emph{distributions}. \marginnote{To learn more about Linux distributions, see \chaplink{ch:learning-more}.}

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Is Ubuntu right for you?

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New users to Ubuntu may find that it takes some time to feel comfortable when trying a new operating system. You will no doubt notice many similarities to both Microsoft Windows and \OSX as well as some differences. Users coming from \OSX are more likely to notice similarities due to the fact that both \OSX and Ubuntu originated from \Index{Unix}. The Unity shell, which is the default in Ubuntu, is a completely new concept, which needs some exploring to get used to it. See \chaplink{ch:the-ubuntu-desktop} for more information about the Unity shell.