gOS Unboxed: Should Microsoft Worry?, Nov 22, 2007

Microsoft's rivalry with Google heated up considerably this past year when rumors surfaced that Google might release its own operating system to compete with Windows. Has Google finally jumped into the fray with its own OS?

In this review we'll take a look at Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (code named Dapper Drake). Ubuntu come in builds for Intel x86, PowerPC, and AMD64-bit processors and community support via web forums is also available.

When the topic of Ubuntu Linux came up in our weekly ExtremeTech conference call, there were chuckles and guffaws after my colleagues heard the name of the distro. It didn't help that the current release is codenamed "Warty Warthog." Ubuntu is actually a word from the African Nguni language family, meaning "humanity, caring, and harmony"--a fine sentiment to be sure.

The Ubuntu Project is sponsored by Canonical Ltd., a company owned by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. Canonical has vowed to keep Ubuntu free: Its business model focuses on selling services rather than selling the Ubuntu distribution itself. Ubuntu is on the bleeding edge of Linux development, incorporating the 2.6 kernel, Gnome 2.8, and Evolution 2.0.