WE GOT VMware Fusion for a song when my wife bought her MacBook Pro, and the dilettante in me couldn't resist using it to give Ubuntu 8.04 "Hardy Heron" a whirl. I'd heard good things about this popular Linux distribution and I was eager to compare it to Mac OS X – if only to see what it offered and if it held any advantages over the ease of use, elegance, and robustness of my preferred OS.

To put my reaction in a nutshell, once I got used to Linux's software installation and upgrade process (more a matter of package managers and/or typed terminal commands than of hunting for, downloading, and clicking on little installer packages), I liked what I saw. A lot.

I liked Ubuntu's familiar aspects like "Places" that linked to frequently used folders and devices. I liked the desktop layout and the high degree of customization that was possible. I liked the thoughtful enhancements like the menubar clock with weather icon and drop-down calendar display. I liked that fact that it came with a full-featured office suite and image editor installed. And I liked the fact that it was free and always would be.

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