Twenty years ago, on October 20, 2004, the first version of the Ubuntu 4.10 “Warty Warthog” distribution was published.
The project was founded by Mark Shuttleworth, a South African millionaire who had been involved in the development of Debian and was inspired by the idea of creating an affordable desktop distribution with a predictable development cycle for end users.
Several Debian developers were involved in the development, many of whom are still involved in the development of both projects.
The first version of Ubuntu came with GNOME 2.8, Firefox 0.9 and OpenOffice.org 1.1.2. Ubuntu 4.10 is still available for download today, giving a glimpse of what the system looked like 20 years ago.
How Ubuntu changed the Linux world
Ubuntu has become one of the most popular and recognizable versions of Linux.
Its success was due to its user-friendliness, regular updates and friendly community.
From the very beginning, the developers paid special attention to making the distribution as accessible as possible for everyone – from beginners to professionals. This led to Ubuntu becoming a standard for many users who need a stable and easy-to-use Linux.
Achievements and impact
Ubuntu has influenced not only the Linux world, but the entire free software ecosystem. It has made it easier to install and use Linux on home and work computers.
This led to the rise in popularity of Linux among a wide audience and started many other projects and initiatives such as Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Touch, etc.
Ubuntu has also played a key role in the development of cloud technology.
Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has been actively promoting Ubuntu-based solutions for servers and clouds, making it an important player in the world of technology and IT infrastructure.