“But recently Linux has finally begun to offer itself as a
serious alternative. Those cheap netbooks that have undoubtedly
become the hot technology of the year routinely ship with Linux,
while public demand means that Dell offers Ubuntu as an alternative
operating system on an ever-expanding range of its PCs.“Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, the company that
sponsors Ubuntu development, believes the next release will be the
one to finally prick the public consciousness, and has begun hiring
people to make sure that when it hits the mainstream, Ubuntu is
pretty enough to hold the attention of those accustomed to the
glamour of OS X and Vista.”