I bought a $30.00 Sony burner 2 months ago. It's still the same price. In this city, I can just walk in, ask for it, and pick it up at the counter. I'd buy 20 more if I had a reason to. I think I'll buy another one this week. I got it at OEMEXPRESS.COM http://www.oemexpress.com/Itemdesc.asp?ic=OPTSON%2DAWQ170A&eq= It can also burn dual layer dvds. The specs say this about the dvd burning rate: 18X (DVD+/-). It burns cd-r at 48x And yes, it's worked under Ubuntu Gutsy, and Hardy. I always burn NOT AT TOP SPEED, regardless of whether I'm using windoze or linux. When buying media, I always buy brand name, and I check the speed that they are rated for. And after burning something important, I always make sure that all the files on the burnt cd or DVD can be read (by copying the dvd to a temporary folder, as a test). Sony DVDRW AWQ170A-10 18x DL BEIGE --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.