• Award-winning Linux operating system with complete set of open source applications for desktops, laptops, and servers
• Office productivity suite, Web browser, and email for your everyday needs
• Instant messaging, image editing, and various tools for accessing and managing your multimedia files
• Free security updates delivered via the Internet for 18 months on the desktop and server
• Comprehensive DVD with desktop and server installation, alternate installation (e.g., OEM install), plus all of the supported add-on software and translations for dozens of languages

Customer Rating:
Summary: Ubuntu
Comment: Put the disk in your CD drive and let it fly. I am new to Linux but did not have any problems with the install on an older laptop. With some help from the on-line Ubuntu community, I was able to install printer drivers and deal with a troublesome issue with the wireless card that was install on the computer - the wireless chipset maker would not release the specs so someone in the community reverse engineered the drivers!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: It is outdated version. New release is available.
Comment: Ubuntu always gets my best words but new version 8.10 (released on October 30, 2008) is already available:
Kubuntu Ubuntu Ver. 8.10 and Linux Training Library 2DVD+CD

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Product, Awful Price
Comment: Normally I'd choose amazon.com to find the lowest prices. However on Linux operating systems this isn't the case. To anyone in the U.S. who is interested in Ubuntu I'd recommend going to [.....]. Their service is great and I haven't had one bad disk from them. They charge a flat rate of $0.99 per cd and $1.99 per dvd. Shipping is only $1.99 for the whole order. However if you can come up with a reason to spend more than $20 on your order shipping is free. They accept paypal, checks or money orders (you have to email them to find out how to pay with a check or money order).

The system requirements listed by amazon are a bit sketchy. For Ubuntu 8.04 and Kubuntu 8.04 a minimum of 384 MB of RAM is required. For Xubuntu 8.04 a minimum of 256 MB of RAM is required. I have personally used Xubuntu 8.04 on 2 old computers one with a 766 MHz celeron processor and 256 MB of RAM and the other a 1.3 GHz celeron processor with 256 MB of RAM. Both have worked fine. I've used Ubuntu 8.04 and Kubuntu 8.04 on a 1.5 GHz celeron processor with 512 MB of RAM and both OS's worked great.

Support for Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu is second to none in my opinion. The forums at [....] are great. You have alot of people who are eager to help people make the transition from Windows to Linux. If you do decide to switch from Windows to a Linux OS you need to be aware that there is a learning curve and things may not go as smoothly as you may wish. But if you are fed up with Microsoft it's worth taking the time to learn.

The main difference between Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Xubuntu is the desktop environment. Which is essentially the way the computer looks and feels.

Ubuntu uses the Gnome Desktop Environment
Kubuntu uses the KDE Desktop Environment
Xubuntu uses the Xfce Desktop Environment

On some forums asking what is the best desktop environment will cause a flame war. The best way to find out which one you like is to try a few and pick which ever one you like. At the prices that frozentech charges that option isn't too expensive for most people.

Edit: 11/19/08

I looked back at my review and realized that amazon deleted my links to a few websites. I didn't realize that it was against amazon's review guidelines (my error). The first mention of [....] was to frozentech's website. And the second was to the ubuntu forums. I'll have to be more careful in future reviews. My apologies to amazon.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Rate the product not Amazon
Comment: I have read several "reviews" here and find one at least to be simply silly. Note to complainers about the charge here for Ubuntu: If you don't want to support the folks who actually go to the trouble of making a professionally produced installable DVD, take your $13 elsewhere. You are only making yourself look stupid - like you need this review to do that.

There are myriad people who do not want to be bothered with downloading a huge file and then figuring out how to make an installable CD or DVD who want to get an alternative to M$ who also trust Amazon. This is only one of several options available.

Personally, I downloaded it and burned 30 DVDs for people who were somewhat timid but who now are very satisfied getting away from Vista to an O/S that actually works and gives them Open Office and GIMP.

The implied suggestion here is to go elsewhere but don't downgrade a great, entry level piece of software because you don't want to pay a lousy $13.

As for this distro, well done, easy to install, I put it on a couple of homebuilts, an HP desktop, an Acer desktop, and a Lenovo Thinkpad. All went flawlessly - no driver issues at all. Plain and simple, Ubuntu is a class act making the open source world available for everyone, not just those with enough smack to "buy" XP or Vista. The only better alternative is Leopard but the outlay for the machine stands in many people's way. This O/S can go on any machine out there, legacy to SOTA.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The BEST bargain in computing
Comment: Ubuntu 8.04 DVD
I have replaced my 150.00 copy of Windows XP with this operating system.
In addition, I have used it to install a huge amount of mathematical and
astronomical software- free of added charge. Finally, I installed WINE,
a Windows emulator which enables me to use some of my old, paid-for, software. What a marvelous product, and what a wonderful spirit behind
the development of it.
I recommend this product without hesitation!

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