Jeff,
Are there any plans to offer something like ubuntu images in the future for VDI? Many developers really don't use windows much anymore, and you could probably offer a more competitive price point when there is no need for licensed software. Obviously we can set up our own stuff using raw EC2 instances, but having a simple solution like this is definitely appealing.
We'll certainly keep an open mind and think about offering other OS's in the future. Like every AWS offering, we launch an MVP and then iterate rapidly.
I'm guessing the HN crowd isn't really the target for this offering, though its clients may be. Having the full MS suite is a big deal, especially where there's ancillary storage right on board (and similarly firewalled).
A very interesting move by Amazon. Wish it was available by the hour, though.
