Ubuntu 7.10 (64-bit PC Edition)

in regards to the 1st review...
while it's true that you can get the cd for free, also note that it takes 6-10 weeks to ship. personally, i'd rather pay $12.99 and get it in a few days rather than for free and in a few months.
not to mention, i also like documentation.

I have to agree with the former reviewer that there are cheaper means of getting this operating system, such as downloading an .iso image and burning it to CD. However if you were to give this as a gift to someone else it certainly looks much nicer than some silly disc you've scribbled "Ubuntu" on. Perhaps this way the Ubuntu people make some money on a seriously amazing software product. I am running the OS now, and it is elegant and stable.

The previous reviewer gave Ubuntu two stars simply because he could get it free elsewhere.

I think most folks browsing Amazon who come across Ubuntu are going to know what it is. Simply put, Ubuntu is a Linux based Operating System that will run on any PC. The product on the page you're viewing at present is for folks with AMD64 based processors.

Ubuntu is the OS of the future. And while there's a bit of a learning curve associated with leaving Windows behind, it is well worth it.

With Ubuntu, you can do everything Windows can do without the instability and without having to shell out money every time you need to acquire software. That's because Ubuntu is a free, open-source OS as is nearly all software you will need to meet your day-to-day computer needs. And never again will you see Microsoft's blue screen of death. Ubuntu is unbelievably stable.

This version, 7.10 (also known as Gutsy Gibbon) is a major step forward in terms of hardware compatibility (my modem and wireless card in my HP laptop just worked without me having to install any drivers).

On the downside, and this is true for Windows 64 bit as well, Java and Flash are still unsupported by Sun and Adobe on 64 bit systems. The good folks in the open source community have stepped up however to create to packages that will fill the bill for you though--Gnash (an open flash player) and Iced Tea (an open Java platform). Alternatively, you may install 32 bit Firefox with 32-bit Java and Flash plugins.

For more information, check out http://www.ubuntuforums.org as well as http://www.ubuntu.com.

Ubuntu is great as an operating system (I'm writing this on my AMD X2 desktop running Ubuntu 64bits edition). The only problem I see here is that Ubuntu's shipit service will send the disc for free! Heck, last week I just received 11 copies of it for free! 11 people! That's 10 Ubuntu x86 copies and 1 64bits one (I specified this amount). Don't buy it, order it via UBuntu's own system. It's free and it takes no time.