Take a niche operating system. Put it in the spotlight vs. Microsoft’s disappointing Windows Vista. Hype the niche operating system for a few months. Win a business deal with Dell. And at some point all that wonderful buzz will produce expectations that you can’t meet. Such is the case, apparently, with Ubuntu.

I’ve written about Microsoft Small Business Server and other software suites that are marketed to small business owners. But curiosity about Ubuntu as a small business server and desktop seems to be growing. Back in August, Canonical hinted to me that they are working on a small business server software suite. Now mainstream websites are speculating about Ubuntu’s potential for small business systems. Sounds like 2o08 could be a heck of a year for Ubuntu in small business.

I have to admit: I love Ubuntu but I’m not ready to recommend it to PC novices. However, Ubuntu is making great progress and moving closer and closer to becoming a mainstream consumer operating system. A case in point: I just noticed this new book, Ubuntu for Non-Geeks, Second Edition. I haven’t read it yet, but I do intend to give it a look soon.

So far, so good. That statement sums up Dell’s current desktop Linux strategy, which focuses heavily on the Ubuntu operating system from Canonical. Even so, Dell representatives are careful not to hype the machines. Here’s why.

Yes, The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg is an influential guy. He can make-or-break products with his columns and product reviews. And he has taken a look at Ubuntu. Before you slam Walt for pointing out Ubuntu’s potential weak points, I think the Ubuntu community has to take a deep breath and admit the Walt has some valid points.

You might recall that I’ve got both a MacBook Pro (running Mac OS) and a Dell PC (running Ubuntu). I’m in the market for another PC, and just received a friendly reminder from the PR folks at Parallels — the company that makes virtualization software for Mac hardware. One of my PR sources at Parallels tells me that the company has sold 650,000 licenses for the virtualization software over the past year. And as I work at trade shows and conferences, I can’t help but notice all the Mac users who leverage Parallels for Windows and Linux virtualization.As I weigh my next PC purchase, I’m leaning toward an iMac for my kids — though the Dell/Ubuntu system will remain my personal productivity PC at home. Will Ubuntu also land on my forthcoming iMac? Not sure yet. I’ll let you know when I actually make the iMac purchase and get the new system home.

Here’s an interesting post from PCMechanic, describing how to easily install Ubuntu. But I’ve got to be honest: Ease-of-install isn’t going to make-or-break Ubuntu. We need to see Dell and other PC vendors start to put a few marketing dollars behind Ubuntu, promoting the fact that you can get systems with Ubuntu pre-installed. Dell’s decision to pre-install Ubuntu was the tipping point that made me leave Windows.

This is a bit of a shameless plug, but I wanted to spread the word: I’m hosting a Webcast on Thursday, September 6, that will feature guest speakers from a range of technology backgrounds. One of the speakers is Gerry Carr, a marketing manager from Canonical. Instead of giving a sales pitch, Gerry will describe key trends he’s witnessing with desktop Linux, and the emergence of Ubuntu as a potential solution for VARs and resellers.

What’s the fastest way to learn about one new Ubuntu application every day? Check out The Daily Ubuntu blog. It’s a nifty blog highlighting at least one Ubuntu/Linux application each day. It’s a fast way to quickly get up to speed on your Ubuntu application options. And screen shots give you a quick idea of the “look and feel” you can expect from the applications.

Sure, Dell Inc. sells desktop and mobile PCs with Ubuntu Linux preinstalled. But will the company actually advertise those systems? Such a move would stun Microsoft Corp., which had expected 2007 to be the year of Windows Vista. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that Dell is taking a look at a potential Ubuntu ad campaign.