## Chapter 1. Welcome to Ubuntu 

This chapter provides an overview of the Ubuntu Project, and the Debian Project upon which it is based. If you already know about the Ubuntu Project’s history and the Ubuntu distribution, feel free to skip to the next chapter. 

## 1.1. What is Ubuntu? 

Ubuntu is a complete Linux operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Manifesto: that soft- ware 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. 

• Ubuntu will always be free of charge , and there is no extra fee for the “enterprise edition”, we make our very best work available to everyone on the same Free terms. 

• Ubuntu includes the very best in translations and accessibility infrastructure that the Free Software community has to offer, to make Ubuntu usable by as many people as possible. 

• Ubuntu is shipped in stable and regular release cycles; a new release will be shipped every six months . Every two even years an Ubuntu long term support (LTS) release will become available, that is supported for 5 years. The Ubuntu releases in between (known as development or non-LTS releases) are supported for 9 month each. 

• 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 suitable for both desktop and server use. The current Ubuntu release supports Intel x86 (IBM-compatible PC), AMD64 (x86-64), ARMv7, ARMv8 (ARM64), IBM POWER8/POWER9 (ppc64el), IBM Z zEC12/zEC13/z14 and IBM LinuxONE Rockhopper I+II/Emporer I+II (s390x). 

Ubuntu includes thousands of pieces of software, starting with the Linux kernel version 5.4 and GNOME 3.28, and covering every standard desktop application from word processing and spread- sheet applications to internet access applications, web server software, email software, programming languages and tools and of course several games. 

## 1.1.1. Sponsorship by Canonical 

The Ubuntu Project is sponsored by Canonical Ltd (http://www.canonical.com/). Canonical will not charge licence fees for Ubuntu, now or at any stage in the future. Canonical’s business model is to provide technical support and professional services related to Ubuntu. We encourage more companies also to offer support for Ubuntu, and will list those that do on the Support pages of this web site. 

## 1.2. What is Debian? 

Debian is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to developing free software and promoting the ide- als of the Free Software community. The Debian Project began in 1993, when Ian Murdock issued 

