Linux comes in many packages – from no-charge distributions to expensive enterprise offerings. Ubuntu Linux is somewhere in between – a free Debian derivative with support options for the enterprise.
Debian [1] has a reputation for reliability despite the fact that it is not backed by a company but is a community effort. Economic concerns prohibit a rapid release policy; on the contrary, the latest stable version of Debian mostly lacks state-of-the-art software. Of course you can climb onto the testing branch, but you are on your own with it, and don’t expect security updates. In contrast to this, companies that release commercial distributions promise regular updates and support. Canonical [2], with its Debian derivate Ubuntu Linux [3], tries to find the golden mean. Each release of this distribution is based on a snapshot of Debian Sarge, which is still in testing. The Ubuntu team adds a modern desktop and a useful default configuration, and they give you security updates if vulnerabilities appear
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