Open source: Based on the latest issuance of Ubuntu, dubbed 8.04, Randall Kennedy writes that the forthcoming 8.1, otherwise known as Hardy Heron, “is shaping up to be one of those releases that reminds of why I can’t stand some of the more desktop-centric distributions.” Ubuntu 8.04: Hardly worth a yawn. “Simply put, Hardy is nothing more than ‘me-tooism’ run amok. I mean, how many Windows Vista features do you need to rip-off before someone calls you a copycat?” Related: Taking the Ubuntu Plunge. Special report: The InfoWorld Test Center journeys into the virtualization realm and returns with this Virtualization superguide. The package includes a review of VMware’s VI3, a walk-through of deployment, and half-a-dozen case studies depicting the planning, execution and, ultimately, lessons learned in virtual virtualization scenarios. Feature well: The Industry Standard — the magazine that chronicled the dotcom boom and fell prey to the bust — has staged a return. Only this time it’s not a magazine at all, rather it’s a Web site for predictive markets “where readers make mock-currency bets based on their predictions about trends and events in the world of technology.” (Full disclosure: The Industry Standard is owned by IDG, the parent company of InfoWorld.) The news beat: Google and Microsoft trade barbs over the proposed Yahoo deal, while executive editor Galen Gruman cuts through the hype and spin to get to the real reason Microsoft wants Yahoo. Intel lifts the veil from Silverthorne, its forthcoming processor tailored specifically for ultraportable devices. Linus Torvalds says that Microsoft is bluffing on patents, maintaining that the software giant’s claims are just “a marketing thing” and convenient element of FUD. And Microsoft finalizes Vista SP1 code for a mid-March release but, even then, some devices may not work with the initial release due to driver issues that continue to plague the OS. Technology Industry