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Ubuntu Christian Edition is a free alternative to Windows that has been written specifically for Christians. It offers several advantages over Windows such as better security and effective parental controls for preventing children from accessing the wrong kind of websites.  

Ubuntu is a version (also know as distribution) of the Linux operating system. Just like Windows it is an operating system that provides a platform for other software to run on. Unlike Windows, Ubuntu Christian Edition (CE) comes with all the software you are likely to need including a work processor, the Firefox Internet browser and email software. Ubuntu bucks the tradition image of Linux as hard to use and only for the die hard computer enthusiast. 

Replacing Windows is quite a major step and the good news is that it does not have to be made without trying out Ubuntu CE first. The CD is what is known as a Live CD so Ubuntu can be used without making any changes to the hard disk or your important files. Simply put the Ubuntu CE CD into the CD drive in your computer and restart it. Instead of the Windows screen, a screen of Ubuntu will appear. Press Enter and Ubuntu will load. 
 
The disadvantage of using Ubuntu CE like this is that it is much slower than if it is installed on the hard drive but this is a perfect way of trying Ubuntu for beginners; you can experiment safe in the knowledge that if anything goes wrong you can just restart the computer. Everything worked on our test notebook apart from the notebook  

One of the strongest reasons for choosing Ubuntu Christian Edition is the parental control software. This can be used to stop children (or adults) from accessing unsuitable web sites. it works by blocking know websites and looking for suspicious phrases in webpages. Like  

The parental controls are more effective than many Windows alternatives because Ubuntu is better at dealing with several different people (also known as users) using the computer. When installing you are asked for what is called a root password. root is the name of a very special user who can make important changes to the computer. It is very important never to tell anyone the password so that the parental control settings cannot be changed. No system is perfect but they are far harder to get around than Windows.  

The SWORD Bible study software contains three English Bibles and it is possible to include more. Those includes are the King James Version, Douay-Rheims Bibles and The World English Bible. The latter is a 1997 revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. More familiar versions such as Good News and NIV are not available as they cannot be copied. The software also includes a commentary and dictionary. Extra books can be downloaded from http://www.crosswire.org/sword/index.jsp.

Ubuntu Christian Edition is a great way to breathe life into old computers as it is not demanding; it requires 256MB of memory and 3GB of hard disk space. If you have any computers running Windows 98 or Me this is a secure and above all cheap alternative now that Microsoft is no longer providing security updates for these operating systems.