So, what can Google do that would make this more special then any other Ubuntu release/spin off? Well, Google services integration is a given but probably the bigger impact will be from the marketting and association that the Google brand name brings. The Google name is extremely recognizable in the Joe Public domain, and while their latest ventures (Google Base? Google Video Store? Google Pack?) haven’t exactly set the world on fire, if Joe is upset with Microsoft and their OS (which many of them are, even if they do just accept it as a fact of life) and hears that those Google folks have a replacement – there is a good chance they will check it out. Sure there is a learning curve, but I have seen quite a few people that don’t know much about linux or administration happily switch to Ubuntu because it lets them do all the basic things a computer is good for (web, email, word processing, etc) and doesn’t turn into a sluggish piece of junk after 6 months.

The direct impact on the rest of the Linux world? Increased support from hardware vendors, probably the final step in end-user legitimacy.