From the user perspective, it's designed to make online apps feel just the same as local apps.

"It obeys all the conventions you'd expect of a local app," George noted. "We've added a bunch of these and put them into the Ubuntu Software Center. We've also shown developers how they can add more."

Last but not least, George had a message for small businesses: "If you're on XP, which a lot of businesses are, it's a great time to re-look at your desktop strategy," he said. "Windows 8 is a challenge to explain to users--it's a big deal for them."

Meanwhile, with the arrival of technologies like Google Docs and virtualization, "a lot of the tie-in Microsoft has to people's data is disappearing," he pointed out. "A lot of the friction that used to stop people from using alternative desktops has been massively reduced over the past few years."