Remote

Ubuntu lets you share your desktop with remote computers. From the Gnome control panel, select System | Preferences | Remote Desktop. Then access the machine from any VNC client, such as Vinagre (Applications | Internet | Remote Desktop Viewer). But it didn’t work for me initially, although VNC has been around for years and runs on just about every platform. The symptom was that I could log in but then the desktop appeared frozen, and nothing happened when I pressed the keyboard or mouse.

VirtualBox has gained a following as an alternative to VMware. Although the binaries are proprietary, they’re free for non-commercial use. VirtualBox has some compelling features for desktop users: Automated installer that runs under Windows, Linux, and OSX. For Linux users, there are official versions for Ubuntu, Debian, openSUSE, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise. A 64-bit CPU with hardware virtualization support helps, but isn’t required. User interface that’s easy to grasp.