Hewlett Packard has released a custom version of Ubuntu Linux designed for netbooks. For the HP Mini 1000 Mi Edition, to be exact. Under the hood, the operating system is based on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. That means it can run pretty much any application that runs on Ubuntu.

Dell's been showing Ubuntu lots of love over the past few months, so it's no real shock to see the Linux-based operating system slide on over to Dell's hottest 13-incher.

There's a great office suite and Ubuntu Studio, a version created especially for audio, video and graphic enthusiasts. The interface is easy to use, media capabilities and even gaming are now mainstream on Ubuntu. So why aren't users switching 'en masse' to Ubuntu?

Last year MTE gave you a hands on review of the beta release of Ubuntu One, Canonical’s answer to the popular Dropbox file syncing service. Ubuntu One allows users to have a local folder on their computers linked and synced with a folder on an Ubuntu One server. They can also share files with their other computers and even with other users.

Dell has shipped close to 40,000 systems pre-installed with the Ubuntu flavor of Linux, according to multiple sources. By most accounts, that's a heck of a total for what remains more or less a fringe operating system.

Ubuntu user management. Ubuntu has three different types of users who are listed on the Ubuntu server; root, service accounts and regular users. Users on Ubuntu have login, resource and environmental options that can be set. This is the first in a series on how to manage users on Ubuntu.

In the US Dell has famously started offering Ubuntu on selected machines as a direct alternative to XP or Vista. Fortunately these machines cost less than their Windows counterparts and that's good, but Dell really should consider moving beyond offering Ubuntu; and here's why.

Everyone agrees that Ubuntu is making huge progress towards mainstream adoption. But what do we mean when we say "Ubuntu"? Don't we really mean *buntu, a collection of all Ubuntu versions? How do we explain this to the mainstream user? Will the names "Kubuntu", "Edubuntu" and "Xubuntu" make sense to a newcomer? Are they self-explanatory?

Dell's U.S. website has started offering Ubuntu 9.04 on a Mini 10V and Inspiron 15N laptop. The move comes less than two months before Microsoft's Windows 7 launch - essentially reinforcing Dell's commitment to Ubuntu. But will Dell pre-load Ubuntu 9.04 on a desktop PC? Here's some analysis.