Ubuntu Blitz for 2nd Half of 2008?
Just from looking at what’s in development, Ubuntu looks as if it will have a very good second half of 2008. The situation in the computer industry has been looking up for the Linux distribution, which has been getting good reports from all over.
One of the most common-sense reasons I think Ubuntu will have an awesome second half of 2008 is Canonical’s announcement of the Ubuntu Netbook Remix. This release, with possible devices being released sometime after July of this year, will mark yet another milestone of Ubuntu development as a viable platform for consumers. These netbooks will certainly draw more attention to Ubuntu as an operating system that can be used by OEMs. This version (or repackaging, rather) of Ubuntu is already getting a lot of attention. It will be an interesting situation to watch.
Another reason for a great second half of 2008 is while these new netbook devices are coming out, Ubuntu will have an all-new release, full of new features, a new theme, and better wireless capabilities. The 8.10 release, codenamed Intrepid Ibex, is due for release in October.
The final reason for my prediction of an Ubuntu blitz are several application announcements. Many companies are making their applications compatible with Ubuntu. First, there is the announcement from IBM about their Lotus Symphony office suite, which hit the 1.0 milestone just a couple of days ago. See the last paragraph on this page. Notice the part about Ubuntu? Other applications have also made the Ubuntu-compatible jump. Win4Lin recently announced an Ubuntu edition, specifically made to run on the Ubuntu desktop. On a side note, Microsoft will be including ODF in the service pack 2 release of Office 2007, which is not just a win for open standards, but a win for compatibility as well, which adds the native file format support for Ubuntu’s OpenOffice application. You will soon be able to save documents in an open format that can be read by anyone, whether they are using Microsoft Windows or Ubuntu.
I certainly believe that the next six months will be good ones for Ubuntu. Ubuntu is already starting to be considered an operating system and not just another Linux distribution. As large applications and OEMs begin making Ubuntu a compatible system, there will be ever more reason to use Ubuntu as the desktop of choice.
The predominance of Ubuntu may have a beneficial effect on the rest of the Linux ecosystem: other distros may make themselves more compatible with Ubuntu in order to have easy installation of the same applications that are now being taylored for Ubuntu. Linux needs some de facto standards to stop the kind of useless diversity that hindered Unix in the 1980s and allowed MS to take the market with an inferior (but standardized) product.
While I think that Mike C. has a point, the Linux community has to be careful. I love Ubuntu, and I think it’s a great way for new users to become familiar with Linux, but it is not Linux. We have to be able to see that the diversity of Linux and it’s applications is what makes Linux so versatile. That being said, I think that a little bit of standardization would be helpful. Ubuntu is a great example of a de facto standard that developers can build their applications against to make sure that their applications will be compatible with a lot of Linux users.
Linux as an OS is built on open standards. The trouble is finding the version of Linux that is right for you.
In the desktop arena many distros have tried to make life easier for users. Knoppix is probably one of the best examples. The difference with Ubuntu is Canonical support and the enthusiasm of Mark Shuttleworth.
Canonical are a company in a position to work with big players in the technology world like Intel. They are a company that can provide corporate users with the right support packages they need to make using Ubuntu worth the effort to change.
Fortunately for the home users riding on the Ubuntu free meal ticket the man at the helm of Canonical is passionate about free open source software.
I’m definitely going to be in the ubuntu netbook rush :]