Translations by Kanetaka Suto

2006-09-07

Ubuntu is entirely committed to the principles of open source software development; we encourage people to use open source software, improve it and pass it on.

Ubuntu is an entirely open source operating system built around the <emphasis>Linux</emphasis> kernel. The Ubuntu community is built around the ideals enshrined in the <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/philosophy">Ubuntu Philosophy</ulink>: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter their software in whatever way they see fit. For those reasons: <placeholder-1/>

Find out more at <ulink url="http://www.ubuntu.com">the Ubuntu website</ulink>.

A rough translation of the principle of Ubuntu is "humanity towards others". Another translation could be: "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".

"A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed."

The Ubuntu project is entirely committed to the principles of free software development; people are encouraged to use free software, improve it, and pass it on.

You can find out more about free software and the ideological and technical philosophy behind it at the <ulink url="http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/">GNU website</ulink>.

Based on Debian, one of the most widely acclaimed, technologically advanced, and well-supported distributions, Ubuntu aims to create a distribution that provides an up-to-date and coherent Linux system for desktop and server computing. Ubuntu includes a number of carefully selected packages from the Debian distribution and retains its powerful package management system which allows easy installation and clean removal of programs. Unlike most distributions that ship with a large amount of software that may or may not be of use, Ubuntu's list of packages is reduced to a number of important applications of high quality.

Backing and Support

Ubuntu is maintained by a quickly growing community. The project is sponsored by <ulink url="http://www.canonical.com">Canonical Ltd.</ulink>, a holding company founded by Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical employs the core Ubuntu developers and offers support and consulting services for Ubuntu.

Canonical Ltd. also sponsors a number of other Open Source software projects, about which more information can be found on the <ulink url="http://www.canonical.com">Canonical website</ulink>.

What is Linux?

The Linux kernel has gained an ideological importance as well as a technical one. There is an entire community of people who believe in the ideals of free software and spend their time helping to make open source technology as good as it can be.

The spirit of open source, commonly attributed to Linux, is influencing software developers and users everywhere to drive communities with common goals.

The GNU project is closely linked to the philosophy of free software, which is central to the projects that derive from it, such as Ubuntu. The concept of free software is explained at <xref linkend="free-software"/>.