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The world is coping with an economic recession. What better time can you find to switch to open source operating system Ubuntu?

Companies across the globe have been realigning their businesses, trying to save money at all possible fronts. If the company invests significantly in information technology and computers, and most chances are it must be, it can save plenty of money by opting for open source Linux, of which Ubuntu is one of the best and user-friendly option.

Many businesses depend heavily on some proprietary application for successful execution of its various activities. They might not be able to switch to Ubuntu if their main application runs on Windows, but many of their computers and laptops might be in use for simple wordprocessing, creating presentations and writing emails. If the computer is required for functions that are not bound to Windows, the firms can opt for computers without Windows, and install free Ubunt operating system.

Canonical, the firm that develops and distributes Ubuntu, will send you a free disc of any or all versions of Ubuntu, including that used for servers. You don't even have to pay for shipping.

If you have made it till here, you might be interested in installing Ubuntu. Here is the most basic information that you will require for switching to Ubuntu:

1. Get a free copy of Ubuntu from Ubuntu Shipit website, or download it.
2. How to get started? You can find the answer in this guide on getting started with Ubuntu.
3. Now that you have a Ubuntu system , you will need to install some basic applications on Ubuntu.
4. If your computer has hard disk partitions other the ones which contain Ubuntu, you need to each time mount them manually. You can easily make Ubuntu mount partitions and drives automatically at startup.
5. If you have switched from Windows or have music that is not supported by default Ubuntu formats, you can activating restricted music formats, Java and Flash on Ubuntu.
6. In case you need to use a lone Windows applicatUsing ion, you can install install Wine and then install the Windows applicaatio in Wine. When you don't need Windows application, uninstall the application from Wine and then completely uninstall Wine from Ubuntu.
7. If you are into technology support (or a geeky user), you can install a Web server on Ubuntu home computer.
8. You can also tweak Ubuntu to suit your needs by installing Ubuntu Tweak.
9. If you want to installing Ubuntu along with Windows, here's a simple guide to dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows with common storage drives.

PS: In the above blogposts, if any command fails to execute or gives error, that is because that terminal command has to be executed as the root user. To enter root user, open Applications-> Accessories-> Terminal and type "su" and press enter. It will ask for password.

Else, you can prefix "sudo" to all commands. For example, if there is a command that says "apt-get install opera", you will have to convert it to "sudo apt-get install opera".