My wife’s aunt’s computer was always getting full of viruses.  I’d spend a few hours every time I came to visit removing the viruses and get the computer back to a working state.  Sounds like the perfect job for….. Linux!  All she does on her computer is email and watch videos - that’s it.  Plus, I can set everything to Vietnamese for her thanks to Linux’s great internationalization efforts.  Since I wanted a nice, worry-free desktop for her, I installed Ubuntu 8.04.

Ubuntu 8.04, Hardy Heron will be released today.  As the name implies, 8.04 will be Hardy because it is a Long Term Support (LTS) version.  This means that for 18 months they will release security updates.  What does that really mean?  It means that if you like Ubuntu, but don’t feel like upgrading every six months, you can stick with Hardy Heron for 3 release cycles.  You won’t get the latest programs, but you’ll get security updates to protect you against crackers, viruses, and other malicious things.