Ubuntu on a Server

Good choices for an OS on a server are:
 * FreeBSD
 * Debian stable
 * Ubuntu server

Ubuntu desktop is in usually not really recommended on a server, since servers should often run stable software, with all security updates. However, in research we sometimes like to run the latest and greatest buggiest, also on servers. In that case, the choices are:
 * FreeBSD
 * Debian testing
 * Ubuntu desktop

In case Ubuntu is chosen, you want to stop the firewall and the network manager:

/etc/init.d/ufw stop aptitude delete --purge network-manager network-manager-chrome

(Rant: although the network manager is supposed to "aim for Network Connectivity which Just Works", it only does so for a client. For a server, it removes the nameserver from /etc/resolv.conf after each boot, and is therefor resulting in "Network Connectivity which Just Does Not Work". Clearly an example of Smart Software that Acts Dumb.)