There is even faster and more fun to view
your mapping efforts!
Just download an ISO image (Live CD Linux) from : http://artem.dev.openstreetmap.org/files/osm-linux.iso
Burn a CD, boot and then from bash:
mapnik_at_work.py
(It'll prompt you to enter uk postcode or a bounding box. Press enter and enjoy you r data being fetched from live server and displayed in the viewer).
Have fun!