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Comments on: Mark Shuttleworth's evolving Ubuntu desktop war

Mark Shuttleworth may be sitting on a massive market opportunity, all of which is predicated on free desktop bits.

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by Kings X Rocks! August 15, 2008 7:04 AM PDT: They got a long way to go to get the elegance of the OSX desktop. Granted they didn't invent it, but Apple has always shown the right-way to build a user interface. IMHO.

Vista ain't bad...

Distros have a way to go...; Like this Reply to this comment

by The_Decider August 15, 2008 12:19 PM PDT

If Mark was intelligent he would see that the insane 6 month release come hell or high water creates too many problems and bugs. It also keeps Ubuntu years behind the top distros.

Like this Reply to this comment


by dapper7 September 12, 2008 12:20 PM PDT: Tell me the top distros that Ubuntu is years behind? I use Ubuntu and Windows and so far no bugs in Ubuntu that would make me drop it for windows or any other Linux distros, on the contrary the Linux distros that have very long release cycles are the ones I find are far behind.; Like this


by G_Slade February 9, 2009 11:42 AM PST: If anything the 6 month release helps ubuntu stay both up to date and bug free, because they dont feel pressured into rushing things for the release. If its not working properly, they can wait 6 months and put it in the next release. whereas another OS that releases every 3 years say, will feel pressured into releasing every part because its the last release for 3 years.; Like this


by enderandrew August 15, 2008 4:19 PM PDT: If he wants to focus on desktop+cloud bits, he should look at KDE 4. Plasmoids can take various data sources, including the cloud, and place them meaningfully on your desktop. Even better, KDE is becoming multi-platform, which means that not only can you access web-based components in any compatible browser, but your desktop bits might just travel with you to any PC you use, regardless of OS.

It's a shame that Canonical all but ignores KDE.; Like this Reply to this comment


by vladinati August 15, 2008 9:08 PM PDT: Well i will like to see where this goes. You gotta start somewhere.; Like this Reply to this comment


by daengbo August 16, 2008 9:51 AM PDT: Google should sell an appliance. The user logs in with the Google credentials (gmail.com or other) and is presented with everything set up for them ... email, chat, voice, and docs. A completely online experience.; Like this Reply to this comment


by jacobk397 August 17, 2008 11:15 AM PDT: Ignore KDE? Kubuntu anyone?
As for plasmoids, GNOME can counter this through screenlets. Personally, I much prefer the clean minimalist look of my GNOME desktop to the flashy one of KDE 4. Granted, it's pretty, but usability has a steep learning curve and overall requires steps that just shouldn't have to be taken.; Like this Reply to this comment


by dapper7 September 12, 2008 12:26 PM PDT: "They got a long way to go to get the elegance of the OSX desktop."

Not true at all, even now Linux is so flexible that you can have a beautiful desktop comparable with the Mac OSX,; Like this Reply to this comment


by tipoo_ December 11, 2008 7:03 AM PST: So how does this Mark Shuttleworth even make money off of Ubuntu? just curious.; Like this Reply to this comment

(10 Comments)

About The Open Road

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to the Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is general manager of the Americas division and vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.