I notice there's another free alternative to Google Earth in Add/Remove
Applications called Earth3:
Earth3D
Map client displaying a 3D model of the world
"The map data is fetched from a server on the net, and the client will
display recent satellite images and map data."
There is a browser plug-in enabling use of Google Earth, without installing
the Google Earth application, but the plug-in is currently for Windows and
Mac only. It's possible Google might make a version for GNU/Linux available.
In the meantime, using a browser with Google Maps, and choosing Satellite
View, gives some similar functionality. Hit the F11 key for full screen.
