It’s October 20, 2004, and Ubuntu 4.10 Warty Warthog is coming to the world. The very first version of the new Linux distribution came to a market dominated by Red Hat, SUSE or Debian, but it quickly gained respect. The system bet on fresh software and bold marketing.
„Ubuntu is a new Linux distribution that combines the exceptional breadth of Debian with quick and easy installation, regular releases (every six months), a carefully selected package of excellent programs installed by default, and a commitment to updates with 18 months of security and technical support.“ he wrote then Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, which publishes Ubuntu.
Shuttleworth was one of the developers of Debian in the 1990s, so it is not surprising that he chose it as the basis of the new distribution. Debian opted for a conservative approach with irregular releases and an emphasis on stability. Ubuntu, on the other hand, has been released for twenty years at regular six-monthly intervals and, if possible, with the current version of the kernel and other packages, even if they may not yet be so debugged.
What about that marketing? Although Ubuntu could be downloaded from the Internet as an ISO image that you had to burn, Canonical also provided an unprecedented option at the time to have the pressed installation media sent to you for free. It also worked in the Czech Republic. This form of distribution lasted until 2011, when the Internet was already so widespread and fast that downloading a 700MB file was not such a big problem.
A year later, installation discs began to gradually increase in size, so they had to be burned to DVD or recorded to bootable flash drives. Today, Ubuntu 24.10 won’t even fit on a single-layer DVD because the size has exceeded 5.3 GB.
Ubuntu 4.10
By the way, you can still have the first version of Ubuntu downloadimages are available for x86, AMD64 and PowerPC platforms. The distribution stood on Linux 2.6.8, desktop Gnome 2.8, included Firefox 0.9, Gimp 2.8 or OpenOffice.org 1.1.2.
Ubuntu originated as a derivative of Debian, but then itself became a springboard for other distributions. For one thing, official offshoots are emerging that use the same foundation with a different desktop environment than the base Gnome: Kubuntu (KDE Plasma), Lubuntu (LXQt), Ubuntu Budgie (Budgie), Ubuntu Mate, Xubuntu (Xfce), and Ubuntu Kylin (UKUI). On the one hand, there have been many derivatives from third parties, the most popular being Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Zorin OS or Pop!_OS.
For the 20th anniversary, Canonical created special pageon which it reminds the main milestones.
The Rise of Ubuntu: From Warty Warthog to the World
Ah, October 20, 2004. A date that will live in… well, a portion of the tech-savvy community’s hearts, anyway! That’s when Ubuntu 4.10—a name more befitting for a student’s pet tortoise than an operating system—decided to crash the party that was, at the time, dominated by the likes of Red Hat and SUSE. And what a party it was! Warty Warthog, rolling in with fresh software and marketing so bold it might as well have worn a fluorescent tuxedo.
As our dear friend Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Canonical, pointed out with unabashed enthusiasm, “Ubuntu is a new Linux distribution that combines the exceptional breadth of Debian with quick and easy installation…”—which, let’s be honest, sounds a bit like a Tinder bio gone horribly right! With a promise of updates for 18 months and an installation process that, at least according to Shuttleworth, didn’t require a PhD in astrophysics, it was a game changer.
A Love Story Between Ubuntu and Debian
Now, Shuttleworth had a bit of history on his side, having contributed to Debian back in the 90s—how quaint! It’s like when your parents talk about walking ten miles to school in the snow. Debian had its fine wine approach: older, classy, and arguably a little gloomy with its focus on stability and irregular releases. Meanwhile, Ubuntu strolled in like a cheeky teenager at a family reunion, yelling “YOLO!” whilst rolling out six-month release cycles with the latest kernel updates, not caring if the packages were still warm from the oven.
The ‘Free’ Part: An Ingenious Marketing Move!
But let’s not forget the marketing magic. While you could download Ubuntu as an ISO image and burn it—assuming you knew what “burning” something means truly—Canonical upped the ante by offering free installation media. Yes, that’s right! They actually sent you CDs! I mean, when was the last time you got a letter that wasn’t a bill, a tax return, or an ominous warning from the local wildlife about over-feeding the pigeons? This was revolutionary! Naturally, this ended around 2011, but it’s safe to say it worked like a charm in the early 2000s when the Internet was as reliable as a street magician.
From Warty Warthog to a Multi-Layered Beast
Let’s talk size; it’s a popular topic at dinner tables, isn’t it? Well, Ubuntu started as a mere 700MB back then, which, when burned onto a CD, was like a cozy little Swiss Army knife in your pocket. Fast-forward to today—with Ubuntu 24.10—these digital wonders have bulged up to 5.3 GB! They’ve gone from dainty to downright indulgent. I mean, can you imagine trying to stuff that down the Internet’s throat back in 2004?
Still Crazy After All These Years
The beauty of it all? You can still indulge your nostalgia and download Ubuntu 4.10 by going on a delightful scavenger hunt on the Ubuntu archives. Why not fire up your old computer, throw on some slacker tunes, and take a stroll down memory lane?
What’s more surprising is how Ubuntu, which was merely a child of Debian, became a parent itself, sprouting offshoots that include many creative names like Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and even the intriguingly named Ubuntu Mate! It’s like a tech-savvy Brady Bunch!
Celebrating 20 Years of Ubuntu!
As we draw closer to its 20th anniversary, Canonical has put together a special page to remind us of its journey—because nothing says “victory” like a flashy website celebrating your massive growth over two decades. Centuries of knowledge, countless packaging updates, and the sheer audacity to reinvent itself! Not to mention the astonishing number of derivatives that have sprung up like mushrooms after a rainy day, such as Linux Mint and Elementary OS, each wacky and wonderful in their own way.
So here’s to Ubuntu: a tale of tenacity, cheekiness, and yes, a certain Warty Warthog that dared to dream big. Cheers to more flaky updates and the beautiful chaos that is the open-source community!
