Ubuntu works with the phone out of the box. Plug it in and double click the icon that appears on your desktop.
I find a better experience using linux (Slackware or Ubuntu) than I do when I'm forced to boot to Windows.
Think of your phone as if it were your desktop. Android is Gnome. The apps are just accessories installed into Android, like gimp or empathy are installed into Gnome. On your desktop, Gnome runs on top of linux with a kernel that loads specifically tailored for your hardware. On your phone, Android runs on top of linux with a kernel that loads specifically tailored for your hardware. Of course this is simplified a bit, but it's the general idea.