Egressive's reference Linux platform for Servers, Workstations, and Notebooks is the current version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Of the many Linux distributions available, Egressive has chosen to implement and deploy Ubuntu Linux because of its:

• comprehensive capabilities - Ubuntu is a complete solution, as it is able to leverage the vast collection of open source software making up the technically peerless free Debian Linux distribution on which it is based. No greater library of software exists - Ubuntu users can choose from at least 20,000 tested applications, all free to install.
• superior quality - the software packages making up Ubuntu Linux benefit from the combined rigour of the Ubuntu and Debian community peer review systems which tests every aspect of each Ubuntu Linux release. Just as important, that entire process takes place in the open, transparently including every interested Ubuntu Linux user who want to take part. Very few if any other computing systems of this scale receive similar scrutiny.
• currency - every 6 months, where Ubuntu diverges from Debian is with its willingness to include a small set of important but more "cutting edge" open source software packages that have only passed the initial hurdles of the intensive peer review of the Debian community. Ubuntu developers fast-track a handful of important user and server-focused applications through a vigorous testing process to ensure that each Ubuntu package is high quality and well integrated. Ubuntu developers pass all their improvements back to the Debian community, creating a virtuous cycle.
• versatility - Ubuntu Linux is differentiated from many Linux distributions by its focus on providing a user-friendly desktop environment, easily installed on desktop computers and notebooks alike and its hardware compatibility is legendary. Despite its desktop focus, Ubuntu is also an unbeatable system for servers thanks to its Debian roots. Ubuntu provides the best of both worlds - a system that works brilliantly in every context.
• maintainability - Being a member of the Debian "family," Ubuntu uses the very robust Debian Package Management system which ensures smooth software installations, application of security patches and other upgrades by managing dependencies within any given Ubuntu release. This makes it especially well suited for server applications where reliability, security, and maintainability are paramount. Thanks to Ubuntu's Linux heritage, applying updates and all other administrative tasks can be performed remotely via secure network connections, greatly reducing maintenance time and therefore expense.
• supportability - the Ubuntu Foundation guarantees at least 3 years of security patches for each 6 monthly release - this is not a major issue thanks to the ability to upgrade Ubuntu installations to new release versions in situ, but it does provide peace of mind. Moreover, the Ubuntu Foundation, being a non-profit organisation underwritten by Mark Shuttleworth, is not vulnerable to the fickleness of the IT market. We are supremely confident in it long term existence.
• commitment to freedom - Ubuntu is committed to packaging a pure open source software. As a result, all solutions Egressive provides are entirely free of draconian proprietary licensing terms, and the related compliance anxieties and expenses. Moreover, Ubuntu's open source commitment creates great opportunities for us at Egressive to develop new and better ways to work with its components that would never be possible with proprietary software like Microsoft Windows® or Apple's OS X. That means that we are continuously improving our ability to serve our customers, much to the chagrin of our proprietary software peddling competitors.
• worldwide community - the wider Ubuntu development community is vast, energetic, vocal, and generous. The sheer volume and quality of forums, blogs, websites dedicated to minutiae and other obscure details of Ubuntu provide us with the resources required to solve any problem we might encounter. Without the community, Ubuntu (as its name acknowledges), would be nothing.
• nicknames - with release nicknames like "Warty Warthog", "Hoary Hedgehog", "Breezy Badger", "Dapper Drake", "Edgy Eft", "Feisty Fawn", "Gutsy Gibbon", and "Hardy Heron", what's not to like!

You can also learn more about the philosophical concept of ubuntu, and brief history of Ubuntu Linux.