SUMMARY: Much ado about not much? With one notable exception.

The latest Ubuntu version was released April 24th - this is what's called an "LTS" release, which means it will be supported for three years (five for the server product). Most of the improvements are behind the scenes which are designed to improve security and stability and as such are not that visible to the user (for a detailed list, go HERE.)

There are some new apps - Firefox 3, a disk burning utility called Brasero, and a nifty enhancement to the time/date applet:

There is also an enhanced System Monitor:

The biggest visible change is the ability to install Ubuntu 8.04 using a utility called WUBI. This allows users to load Ubuntu as a Windows program without any disk partitioning. If you don't like it, you use Windows Add/Remove Software function and it removes Ubuntu just as you would remove any Windows program. This is about the most risk-averse way to try and run Ubuntu.

It is also a direct shot over Microsoft's bow. Ubuntu is the most popular linux distro and with this move appears to lower the hurdle for Window's users to give it a no-risk tryout.

After downloading the Ubuntu ISO and burning a CD, running the CD in Windows (here XP) you get this screen:

The "Install inside Windows" option leads to this screen:

Then a typical install sequence - the whole process took about 25 minutes.

Once installed, when your reboot you get a dual-boot screen - choose either your Windows OS or Ubuntu and you're off and running. This is not like a virtual machine - you can't close Ubuntu and get into Windows; you have to reboot. You can see the Ubuntu file folder:

This is not a "true" dual boot in that there is no change to the C drive, no change to the boot record - here is a picture using XP's disk manager after installing Ubuntu:

A very simple and non-threatening way to check out and use Ubuntu - nothing permanent is done to your system, such as setting up a linux partition. IMHO a very aggressive move by Ubuntu to move linux into the mainstream.

It is very easy to upgrade - a one-click operation. However, whether or not this is a good move is open to question. I upgraded and found that it crashed two programs - GIMP and the scanner utility XSane - to the extent that even deleting and reloading these programs did not solve the problem. Not good.

In addition I found that trying a fresh install on my Dell Vostro 200 was NG - this version of Ubuntu does not like this motherboard at all; I had no problem on another sytem using an ABIT motherboard and on the ASUS C90s laptop - go figure.

If you're already happy with a prior version of Ubuntu, I'd hold off at least a month or two for a more trouble-free version. IMHO a fresh install is much preferred to an upgrade over an existing version. In addition, I would try it on a spare hard drive before committing to it. Note that there is no way (no EASY way) to roll back from an 8.04 install to a previous version.

If you're curious about Ubuntu, this version's risk-free Windows installer is the way to go - it's an easy install and can be easily removed without any alteration to your hard drive.

I am disappointed that this latest version will not install on my Dell Vostro 200, and not happy at all at what the upgrade did to my Ubuntu 7.10 version. It has been my experience that each Ubuntu version has its quirks, making upgrades and fresh installs sometimes a frustrating experience. Ubuntu goes a lonq way to being a viable Windows alternative but it's not there yet.