Electronics & Computers Deals here!Hardy Heron reflects Ubuntu Linux ambitions
Correction 8 p.m. PT: I included the wrong duration for regular Ubuntu releases. It's 18 months.
Canonical plans to release Hardy Heron, its newest version of Ubuntu Linux on Thursday, and Chief Executive Mark Shuttleworth isn't being shy and retiring about it.
"This is our most significant release ever," he said in an interview.
Ordinarily I avoid publishing such marketing superlatives, but Shuttleworth is right. Hardy Heron, also called version 8.04 for its April 2008 launch date, is Canonical's proof-in-the-pudding moment that will show whether the company can grow beyond its subsidized roots into a self-sustaining business. Ubuntu has a strong following among Linux enthusiasts, but it's Red Hat and Novell that still dominate the commercial Linux market.
The reason so much weight rests on the skinny legs of Hardy Heron is because it's only the second Linux product from the company to come with long-term support. The first LTS version of Ubuntu, Dapper Drake, arrived when the company was still comparatively immature and unknown.
Long-term support means the company releases bug fixes, security patches, and other updates for five years on the server version and three years on the desktop version, time frames more palatable to businesses than the 18-month life spans of other Ubuntu versions.
On the server, the new version has support for KVM virtualization built in and comes in a stripped-down version called JEOS (Just Enough Operating System) for software "appliances" that run on KVM or VMware. The company has been working on better hardware support--though it no longer supports Sun Microsystems' Sparc processors, Shuttleworth said. Also included are better integration with Windows' Active Directory for corporate users and a certified, downloadable version of Java software.
On the desktop, Hardy Heron now can be installed directly into the Windows file system so people can try it without having to reformat their hard drives. The software also deals better with online music and photo sites such as Flickr, he added. However, because of an upgrade timing disconnect, fans of the KDE user interface software will have to make do with only 18-month support for the older KDE 3.5 or an unsupported developer version based on the new KDE 4.0.
Still not profitable
Shuttleworth, who funded Ubuntu with wealth from his sale of an earlier start-up to VeriSign, cares about business success, but he's also willing to continue spending to help Canonical grow into new areas--such as the mobile version that's beginning in earnest with Hardy Heron.
"Ubuntu will require continuing investment from me and from others. We are on a trajectory that will make the company sustainable," Shuttleworth said. But he wouldn't say when he envisions profitability: "I'd rather not be on the hook...I keep finding additional areas to invest in."
What's a surprise to Shuttleworth, though, is that the desktop Linux is financially more significant than the version for servers.
"The desktop contributes more to Canonical's bottom line than the server," he said. The server business is still Canonical's primary focus for support revenue. But the company has been getting paid for desktop and consumer-electronics work, he said.
"On the desktop, we see strong demand for custom engineering and assurance programs as people look to Canonical to indemnify them against potential copyright or patent issues," Shuttleworth said.
Canonical also works on unbranded Linux for consumer-electronics companies, though Shuttleworth expects they'll eventually opt for something like Ubuntu. "The hardware vendors are leaping at the ability to do their own operating system. I believe over time they'll tire of the costs and risks of doing that," he said.
Regarding engineering work, he added that Canonical has a tight partnership with Intel, an "extensive on-site engineering relationship where we integrate support for latest platforms."
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Now Microsoft... it might need to support XP for 18 years... I dunno... 8)
Regards Steve
SBClist.com
openSuSE 10.3 had built in support for KDE4 before it was released.
The 6 months release schedule is the reason for all these problems. They release every 6 months, come hell or high water, and that is exactly what happens.
Ubuntu..100% hype, 0% substance.
It is hurting Linux far more than it is helping.
for those curious about Ubuntu, try openSUSE 10.3, it is several years ahead of Ubuntu. Yes, Ubuntu is better than XP or Vista, but what isn't?
1 GB of RAM, 1.6 GHz C2D, built in webcam, dual mic, 120 GB SATA HDD.....
$800
I think I'm going to order some of those stickers you know, to put the logo on the back of the screen and such..
Heh, almost makes me feel like a mac user...
....but not quite
As for Ubuntu ambitions I think Linux has problems narrowed down to two or three major things. Those are power management (hibernate, shutdown, and sleep) and wireless cards.
Power management works like a charm on my system, but that's a system specifically chosen to be a Linux system.
It is also a desktop that looks like it weighs more than I do. I didn't feel the need for a wireless card. However, those seem to be the two major complaints on the message boards. Both caused by hardware makers not supporting Linux, and Windows isn't perfect either in these regards.
Here's an idea. Correct me if I'm wrong. There may already be a site like this. Linux has hardware compatibility lists, but when I'm searching out a computer I might know it has a wireless card, but I don't know which wireless card. I won't be able to check the HCL until I've already bought it.
Is there a wiki somewhere that could track the whole model number of a PC? I could just go to a site and see if the new Dell Inspiron was fully, partially, or not compatible with Linux instead of the individual parts. It could also list which customs configurations work. Like if I had an HP I could test Linux on it, and report my results.
The last problem is, installing apps on a system that isn't Internet connected. I can't apt-get anything that way. You can make your own offline software repo, but it wasn't very intuitive last time I looked.
Apt could package an app with all its dependencies (both from the repo, and what was already installed) into a single compressed file with a single command. Apt-get ?package appname packagename or whatever.
Then I can copy that file over to the machine without Internet, and just apt-get -fromfile appname.pkg or whatever. If there was a conflict I would just get an error on install letting me know what is wrong. Like in Windows when the setup file doesn't ship with the needed version of Java or whatever.
Some packages apt would assume are already on the target machine so the file isn't as big. However, you could choose to package them anyway if needed. Almost the same thing as a local repo, but way easier. Might work, might not. Don?t know. Just a thought.
Installation in progress!
-TW
http://techwatch.reviewk.com/2008/04/ubuntu-hardy-heron-8-04-2/