It is not the most profitable of those in its class, neither is it the oldest nor the classiest. However, it is the most popular and that popularity is set to increase come this April with the release of the LTS edition of Ubuntu Linux.
All things being equal, the release of Ubuntu Lucid Lynx is likely to be a game changer in its own right and help increase the awareness among more people about the existence of alternatives to Windows. The following five factors will definitely play a crucial role in this regard.
Music Store
There is an active development of a music store similar to Apple's iTunes that is set to debut with the release in April. If there is one notable thing lacking in Ubuntu, it is the apparent existence of a music store that will complement the music library of its users. I don't know what form that will take, but I know it is going to answer on of the most asked for features of the distro.
There is an active development of a music store similar to Apple's iTunes that is set to debut with the release in April. If there is one notable thing lacking in Ubuntu, it is the apparent existence of a music store that will complement the music library of its users. I don't know what form that will take, but I know it is going to answer on of the most asked for features of the distro.
User manual
There is currently a survey running seeking to see what aspects of Ubuntu users would like to have covered in a user manual that will be debuting in April with the release. What I foresee is a situation where people can actually download an Ubuntu ISO, burn it to a CD and get the OS running all with the help of an official manual. Imagine how glad people will be to actually have an official manual in hand when they try Ubuntu for the first time.
There is currently a survey running seeking to see what aspects of Ubuntu users would like to have covered in a user manual that will be debuting in April with the release. What I foresee is a situation where people can actually download an Ubuntu ISO, burn it to a CD and get the OS running all with the help of an official manual. Imagine how glad people will be to actually have an official manual in hand when they try Ubuntu for the first time.
Boot time
I personally have not tried any of the alpha releases yet, but from the various reviews that I have seen, it is clear Ubuntu Lucid is on its way to achieving its 10 second boot time goal. Google Chrome received lots of buzz because Google says it will boot and be ready for use in seconds; that is only a browser based OS. Now imagine having a full fledged one booting in 10 seconds. I can only see the smiles on the faces of users, both old and new.
I personally have not tried any of the alpha releases yet, but from the various reviews that I have seen, it is clear Ubuntu Lucid is on its way to achieving its 10 second boot time goal. Google Chrome received lots of buzz because Google says it will boot and be ready for use in seconds; that is only a browser based OS. Now imagine having a full fledged one booting in 10 seconds. I can only see the smiles on the faces of users, both old and new.
User input
Linux distros are mostly community driven by their user communities, but I am very firm in my belief that the input of users to the upcoming release is quite rare. From the unofficial poll asking which proprietary apps to include to the above mentioned survey on the content of the manual, one thing stands out- Lucid Lynx is going to be the release of the masses.
Linux distros are mostly community driven by their user communities, but I am very firm in my belief that the input of users to the upcoming release is quite rare. From the unofficial poll asking which proprietary apps to include to the above mentioned survey on the content of the manual, one thing stands out- Lucid Lynx is going to be the release of the masses.
OEMs
ZaReason, System76 and Dell are among the the OEMs that have Ubuntu preloaded boxes. Also given the fact that the next release is an LTS, I can foresee an increase in the marketing activity of these manufacturers to try to penetrate new markets. That will only go a long way to help increase the ever increasing popularity of the distro.
ZaReason, System76 and Dell are among the the OEMs that have Ubuntu preloaded boxes. Also given the fact that the next release is an LTS, I can foresee an increase in the marketing activity of these manufacturers to try to penetrate new markets. That will only go a long way to help increase the ever increasing popularity of the distro.
For the above reasons and more, the next release of Ubuntu come April 29 is likely set to be a game changer in its own right. Sure Windows 7 is not doing bad, but Lucid Lynx is going to give it a run for all the billions pumped into it. What do you think? Is Lucid the game changer it's going to be business as usual? Would you even try it out?
15 comments:
At least for the past 3 releases, Ubuntu has been projected as being "for the masses"!
To me, personally, its got to do with the user community we are trying to address. As is no secret, Windows holds the top rank among users right now. A desktop environment that mimics windows interface closely (but does not copy it pixel-to-pixel) is better suited.
So, Canonical, IMHO, should throw its developer weight behind Kubuntu and customize it for end-users just as they are doing with Ubunutu (GNOME).
KDE has long been blamed for being too windows-like. It seems that might just work in favour of (K)Ubuntu, that is if Canonical really wants it to.
Reasons it won't:
1.) Too much command line usage needed. When will they ever alleviate this?
2.) Just as buggy as previous releases. They keep getting buggier and buggier with every release. I don't expect the next one to be any different.
3.) Still dependent upon another distro. They're still just a "spin" of a real distro - Debian. Until they become their own ground-up distro like Fedora, OpenSuse, Slackware, or Mandriva they're a wannabe.
4.) Lack of true development of anything substantial. Yes, they do good bits of small stuff they keep in-house and don't share with the rest of the Linux community upstream very well, but nothing major and substantive.
5.) They're still only a mediocre distro experience. There simply is little else a user can't get elsewhere. The only thing that sets them apart is the community, and even that annoys users who come from a previous Linux background to death with all the die hard fanboyism.
I see a time when Shuttleworth tires of spending millions trying to keep Canonnical afloat and pulls the plug. They still lose money, and he still bankrolls it. There has to be an end...
rule24: Mark actually addressd the issue of profit during the Open Week:
(12:29:36 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: when and how do you see Canonical making a profit?
(12:29:58 PM) sabdfl: from services, and in due course.
(12:30:16 PM) sabdfl: to a certain extent, we choose to expand faster than our revenue base
(12:30:28 PM) sabdfl: because we want to deliver a great solution across desktop, netbook *and* server
(12:30:34 PM) sabdfl: so we are starting three businesses in one
(12:30:41 PM) sabdfl: which is harder than three times one :-)
(12:30:54 PM) sabdfl: if we wanted to, we could scale back our goals and break even sooner
(12:31:09 PM) sabdfl: but i worry that we are the main hope of genuinely free free software
(12:31:15 PM) sabdfl: and i want to deliver that everywhere
rule24 said: 2.) Just as buggy as previous releases. They keep getting buggier and buggier with every release. I don't expect the next one to be any different.
I think you're completely wrong here. Unlike previous releases (even LTS), Ubuntu is making a real commitment to stability and hardware compatibility. With Lucid, they've made 4 crucial changes to their development and release policy:
1)Based on Debian Testing, not Unstable.
2)Syncing with Debian feature freeze threshold, to attack the same bugs at the same time.
3)More conservative decisions regarding apps installed by default.
4)Only 3 Alphas and more Betas/RC.
So, IMHO Lucid may not be the Linux for the masses (there are a lot of other factors to consider here), but it will likely be the best Ubuntu release ever.
If you require a very stable system Debian is for you. If you prefer the latest software and features Ubuntu is the thing.
Ubuntu has a strict 6 month release cycle. There is a limit to how much tests and bug fixes are possible to perform during this period. Debian on the other hand will only release once it is completely stable.
Ubuntu 10.04 won't change anything. Stop dreaming. Free alfa/beta quality OSS crappy software cannot beat Windows or Mac OS.
Don't know who Anonymous was, and why he's so scared to pony up his name, but Linux already destroys Windows in my house. I've got both Windows and Linux installed, and I'm in Linux 99% of the time. It's not that I hate Windows, but it just keeps letting me down... Recently, Facebook began slowing to a crawl if I have more than one chat open at a time in Windows. Not so in Linux. Runs like a scalded cat on my Core i7 monster.
I for one am awaiting the release eagerly. I think Lucid is going to be super-stable (as the previous few releases have been) and (as we know) very fast boot (as weel as everything else) times.
I have two concerns (on behalf of Joe the User):
1. is the prettiness factor - Windows 7 and Mac do look pretty swish, and of course with some configuring so can Ubuntu. but out of the box it still looks much the same as 8.04... I heard something a while back about this being remedied, but not seen anything as yet.
2. is flash. BBC iplayer is still an annoyance to get working (you can't pause or skip without Flash 10/air which is an arse to install, of course get-iplayer is brilliant). This needs to be made very easy (correct me if this is no longer an issue).
To a lesser extent there is the gaming situation but give it a couple of years...
ruel24 said...
Don't know who Anonymous was, and why he's so scared to pony up his name
You're parents named you Ruel24? That's pretty cool.
You Forgot to tell about the most important thing.ARM CPU's.Pegatron will release new netbooks and nettops running Ubuntu on their powerfull ARM CPU's.Running windows these days is pathetic,usefull only for games but if you want to play games go for a PS3.
Anonymous No1
I'm also seriously of the same view that much attention and publicity should also be paid to Kubuntu. It is actually is able to match Windows boot for boot in terms of eye candiness.
Ruel24
With regards to the issue of CLI, I think Ubuntu has done a great deal accommodate as many people with any CLI knowledge as possible. Of course there is always room for improvement.
As for the issue of bugs, *sigh* I'm yet to see a bugless OS, be it Windows or Linux or Mac OSX.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it not the right to build upon the works of others that make Open Source in general and Linux in particular so great and perpetual?
I don't know what you mean by lack of development of anything substantial, but I think Ubuntu has single handedly done a great deal to advance the cause of Linux than any other distro.
With regards to your last point, sure then why not also point out a single distro that has something so unique to it that cannot be had anywhere else???:-)
Andy, you know in terms of prettiness, I think Kubuntu trumps the Gnome based Ubuntu hands down and gives both Windows and Mac OS a run for their money.
Flash has so far not been an issue on Karmic as far as I know. I cannot though vouch that that is the case elsewhere but I think your concern is genuine and my co author will look into it and if need be get in touch with the development team.
Hi Manolis, thanks for bringing the Pegatron netbook point to our attention. It honestly escaped me. Thanks. And you are spot on, running Windows can at times be very annoying especially with WGA and their damn updates.
Thanks sinaisix.
To be more specific: in Karmic, without fiddling, bbciplayer can play but not pause, "scroll" or go fullscreen - This is terrible. There are (I have) similar, but less infuriating, problems with 4od.
A lengthy terminal based workaround still leaves me with not entirely satisfactory results. (I'll check if it now "just works" after updates with my friends laptop - Windows no longer boots, +1 Ubuntu.)
Most of my friend use their computer only for (they're getting old): documents, photos, films, internet and bbc iplayer/4od. Ubuntu excels in all bar the last... unfortunately IMO it's a deal-breaker.
On the prettiness side: I hear that window transparency "RGBA" should be included by beta 1. But you're right, KDE is vastly superior...
I think Anonymous 3's initial attempt at spelling "alfa" needs a bug-fix. Oddly enough I wrote a bug-less OS once, unfortunately the code is too long to fit in this box.
For the first time in 'buntu history (I think), Lucid Lynx is being built on Debian Testing rather than Debian Unstable. I am currently testing Xubuntu Lucid Lynx (Alpha 2) and it is not only noticeable faster than Karmic, but much more stable. All Long-Term-Support versions of the 'buntu family should be that way. Lucid will be awesome - Alpha 2 already is!
It won't be awesome, just watch. It will be business as usual.
Music Store; who cares. I already have a music store in Ubuntu, so how is that a game changer?
User Manual; oh so Conanical finally figured out that users need something like this. Now lets see if they can actually put useful information in it that is not all command line.
Boot Time; again they want to talk about boot time? I don't care how long it takes Windows to boot, IT WORKS with all my hardware.
User Input; Yah the "community" really cares what I have so say. That must be why all my comments and suggestions are called "offensive" by so many "community" members.
OEMs; Yes now this is a big deal and would be a game changer if something were actually changing in this regard with it is not.
What is holding UBUNTU back, the UBUNTU community is. You all don't want everyone to use your software, just the people you like, who all agree with you and will think and act like you. You do not want to accept others and their differences or even hear them out or treat them like human beings.
Case in point, I have asked for a port of William Whitaker's Words program for Linux or Unix. Did it happen? Hell no. Developers were too busy making a GUI for a game about selling drugs. I asked for a port of VULSearch. I told that my request was "offensive" because my religion was involved. They wouldn't even consider doing it even though the program is GPfuckingL. Nice way to force me to use Windows guys.
On top of all that, Lucid will probably be just like every Ubuntu release, the second you plug in some strange webcam, you loose your sound until you REINSTALL the ENTIRE OS.
Do you want to use OpenOffice.Org 3.2; tough luck, you have to run the version of OOO that Canonical tells you to run. Doesn't that sound like the way Apple does things? On Windows I can download any version of OOO I want and run it if I like. I am using Karmic now, so why can't I get the new Thunderbird? Because Canonical says I can't. What would happen if someone didn't want to upgrade their ENTIRE OS but instead wanted to keep Karmic and also use Thunderbird 3.1; Tough.
The worst part of dealing with UBUNTU is the community. I can't stand you all and you have made it clear you can't stand me. One of you even said I should be hung for not voting for OBAMA of all things. You don't tell me how to vote.
You all tell me that I am a slave or that I am evil for using closed source software. Well, I don't feel evil about it and I don't see you guys going to church with me so maybe judgement should be going in the other direction on this one. Oh, but then you bring up "thou shalt not judge", the only bible quote the typical UBUNTU community member knows.
If you really want to make UBUNTU a game changer this is what you do. Give us the option of having closed source software on our systems and let us install any software we want from upstream. Stop all the "our definition of free only" crap and give us real freedom to use open or closed source as we choose. Ubuntu is nice now but wait till Google eats your lunch and then another competitor like Solaris on the Desktop finally gets its act together and you will be toast. Bye bye linux "community" garbage.
that is one unsatisfied person.. whoaa...Ubuntu is not for you then, don't use it. It is about choices, use whichever fits you.
Anyway, I also feel the same. I 'll use what ever best suited best for me. For long it was plain DOS programs... then win95,98SE and WinXP. (Exclude WinME and Vista- these wont work for me!) I tried win 7 and like it and then ditch it... nothing new that can surpass Karmic tech - Just a lot more eyecandy.
And right now the best OS/ app for me is Ubuntu Linux with MS Office 2007 (Dont like OOO).
Again, quit complaining... use what do you want to use...
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