A new version of Ubuntu Linux that is available. If you have a Broadband connection and a CD burner, you download it here and try it out. Basically, Ubuntu is an operating system like Windows XP and Apple OS X. Unlike either of those, it is open source, which means that you or anyone savy enough can download the source code (which make up a program or os), and check it or use it to build a program. More importantly, that means there are many many eyes looking into and tweaking it to make sure there is no funny business going on when it runs. Which also means that any problems that should arise gets looked into quicker than say on Windows. Because it isn't as prevelant as Windows, it is deemed more secure than Windows and it does have it's share of popularity in its' circle. Graphically, it looks similiar to Windows  and OS X.  It also has a type of linux under the hood (but that shouldn't stop you from trying it), so if you use OS X, you kind of have an idea of what it's running on.

     It's quite fully functional. Once you learned the navigation of it, you might like it. There is a learning curve to it, and if you are a video gamer it's not quite ready for primetime out of the box. You can however use the many applications it comes stock with to browse the web, email, any number of "Office" like tasks and small games ala Freecell and such. Oh and did I mention it's free. If you don't want to take the time to download it, but want to try it, you can get free cd's to do so.  And the best part is, is that you don't have to install it to try it. You can pop the disk in your drive and run the OS from it, providing that you computer is set up to boot from a cd or not. It works quite well, and like I said, you don't have to install the os if you don't want to. If you do, then it's best to read up on installation to make sure you don't delete what you already have. You'd be pissed at yourself if you did. That is probably the thing that people shy away from the most because Windows is established and comes with most computers installed. And by the way, those who say that Windows, and moreso OS X, is easier don't seem to remember that there is a first time for everything. That said, go forth and geek or whatever.

Peace