You don't even have to log in: it just comes up when you boot the system. I think if you install the server version of Ubuntu, no GUI automatically starts so y

You don't even have to log in: it just comes up when you boot the system. I think if you install the server version of Ubuntu, no GUI automatically starts so you could run this on tty1 (first VGA console). Anyway, I understand the OP's point. You are right that a new computer does not come up this way right out of the box. I could see setting up a bunch of Linux machines like this, to recreate something like the C64 school computer labs of the past.