Ubuntu News: Community Management, Convergence, Criticism, and Imminent LTS Release
- Dr. Roy Schestowitz
- 2014-04-08 08:30:10 UTC
- Modified: 2014-04-08 08:30:10 UTC
Community
I just wanted to let you folks know that I am recruiting for a community manager to join my team at Canonical.
Mobile
Canonical has been working on its vision of complete OS convergence for quite a while now and the first results have already appeared, but it seems that Microsoft is also trying to do the same and it has called it Universal Apps.
The Ubuntu Phone is set to launch this year. With more and more major players getting on board as hardware suppliers, you can bet the darling of Linux mobility will slowly find its way into every market imaginable. The big question mark is the US market. With Android and IOS having a stranglehold on US customers, can this new mobile platform make it? I firmly believe that the Ubuntu Phone not only can be your next mobile device, it should be. I'll give you 10 reasons why.
Server
No, they're not kidding. As Sally Radwan, Canonical's cloud product marketing manager, recently explained, "A few years ago, the cloud team at Canonical decided that the future of cloud computing lies not only in what clouds are built on, but what runs on it, and how quickly, securely, and efficiently those services can be managed. This is when Juju was born; our service orchestration tool built for the cloud and inspired by the way IT architects visualize their infrastructure: boxes representing services, connected by lines representing interfaces or relationships. Juju’s GUI simplifies searching, dragging and dropping a ‘Charm’ into a canvas to deploy services instantly."
Integration
“An example of Ubuntu convergence in action. Here you see the Weather Channel powered Ubuntu weather app first the size of a phone, then a tablet, then desktop, and the content all re-aligns to make the very best use of the space. We then shrink the app back down and everything continues to adjust. All from a single code base,” wrote Jono Bacon on Google+.
I remember, when the good folks at Canonical introduced the Ubuntu tour feature on their website, I wished for there to be a way to access my Ubuntu desktop via a browser for real. Although it is possible to use VNC clients to remotely access your Ubuntu desktop from anywhere including your Android phone, it would be sure good to be able to access your desktop from any computing device without having to install a client side application.
Ubuntu One
Many of us had hoped it was an April Fool's prank. But Ubuntu One will, in fact, no longer be available as of June 1, 2014 and all data will be wiped July 31, 2014. This will leave a great number of Ubuntu users without a cloud service. Fear not, intrepid users, there are plenty of cloud services and tools available – each with native Linux clients – ready and willing to take your Ubuntu One data and keep it in the cloud.
Ubuntu One always struck me as Canonical's attempt to emulate Apple and other companies by offering a cloud-based file storage and music service. I've often wondered how well it was doing in terms of users and if it was making Canonical any money. Alas, Ubuntu One is no more according to the Canonical Blog. So I guess that answers those questions.
Criticism
Canonical got a lot of flak over the years for the decisions regarding its Ubuntu operating system, some of them justified, but most were just unfair. The truth is not in the middle as you might think because there are much bigger interests at play.
Canonical has had a rocky relationship at times with the rest of the open source community. The company has sometimes gone in its own direction and rather blithely disregarded criticism from others in free software. Datamation takes a look at the root of Canonical's problem and thinks that it's more about relationships than it is about specific software issues.
Ubuntu 14.04
Upgrading the Linux kernel and Mesa/X.Org graphics driver components past what Canonical shipped in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and other recent releases of Ubuntu Linux isn't actually that hard... Here's the Phoronix-recommended approach for Linux enthusiasts wishing to upgrade their key software components for yielding better open-source graphics driver performance and features.
For system administrators or those just wishing to dive into the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS kernel to see how it differs from a vanilla Linux 3.13 configuration, Leann Ogasawara of Canonical has posted a mailing list message with various resources that outline the patches they're carrying with their 3.13-based kernel, their kernel configuration, the configuration against Ubuntu 13.10, etc.
Stay tuned for the NVIDIA and Intel results that will accompany the AMD Radeon performance numbers in the days ahead. Overall, the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS open graphics experience is decent with Linux 3.13 and Mesa 10.2-devel although Linux gamers and enthusiasts are encouraged to either use the proprietary drivers or at least upgrade to the latest Linux kernel (3.14+) and Mesa 10.2-devel for the best OpenGL performance and best feature-set.
Ubuntu developers are making constant improvements to Unity8 and Mir, and they are also registering good progress towards implementing new features.
Due to Ubuntu 14.04 shipping with the Linux 3.13 kernel, a specially-crafted "i915_bdw" driver has been introduced for offering Intel Broadwell graphics support in this upcoming Ubuntu Linux release.
Download Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr here. For the first time, every flavour of Ubuntu 14.04 (Desktop, Server, Edubuntu, Lubuntu, etc) has been approved for LTS status, meaning they'll all be supported for a minimum of three years, and some of them will be supported for five.
Code-named Trusty Tahr, 14.04 will be a Long Term Support release, meaning Canonical will support what you get in April for five years.
The next version of the world’s preeminent Linux distro, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, is almost upon us. Late last night, the final beta of 14.04 Trusty Tahr (an African wild goat) was released, with the final build due on April 17. Trusty Tahr is the first long-term support (LTS) build of Ubuntu in two years, and is thus contains a lot of exciting features that thousands (millions?) of Ubuntu 12.04 users can’t wait to get their hands on.
There were hopes that the Linux 3.14 kernel would make it into Ubuntu 14.04 LTS given that it has much better Intel Broadwell graphics support, other new hardware enablement, and a ton of new features. Sadly, it looks like only the Linux 3.13 kernel will be shipped by default in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. Fortunately, with the new hardware enablement strategy of Ubuntu Long Term Support releases, in 14.04.1 or 14.04.2 we will see a new kernel (along with Mesa/X components) back-ported from later release series.
Recent Techrights' Posts
- The State of EPO Staff's Health in Rijswijk or The Hague
- We're going to cover the EPO some more later in the month
- NVIDIA Corp Lost 36% of Its "Value" Since Cheeto Inauguration, But "Gen Hey Hi" (GenAI) is Totally Not a Bubble
- Selling loads of unneeded hardware based on hysterical hype; like selling shovels during a Gold Rush
-
- Techrights Will Spend the Next Few Years Writing a Lot About Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)
- It's a growing problem
- GNU/Linux Growing in East Asia, Windows by Default No More?
- GNU/Linux is now on the shelf
- Slopwatch: Anti-Linux 'Articles' From Linux-Hostile LLMs
- It is almost always negative things and nobody can be held responsible for it except the charlatans prompting the LLMs
- Links 05/04/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) "Sale Looks Highly Imminent" (US), Stock Market Drowning in Panic
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Moving Plants, No to Smartwatches, RAID Hygiene
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 04, 2025
- IRC logs for Friday, April 04, 2025
- Techrights Has Dealt With More Potent SLAPPs Than Violent Microsofters Begging to Hide What They Did to Women
- I became accustomed to SLAPPs
- Links 04/04/2025: Fury in South Korea, Flight MH370 Remains Mystery
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 04/04/2025: Anger and Raspberry Pi CM4
- Links for the day
- Links 04/04/2025: LLM Slop Bubble Bursting and Korea Music Copyright Association Bans Slop 'Music'
- Links for the day
- Traf-O-Data, the Company That Jeffrey Epstein's BFF (Bill Gates) (Co)Founded 53 Years and Went Out of Business Due to Heavy Losses
- Who will die first, Bill or Microsoft?
- Why Microsoft's Shares Sank Almost 20% in Recent Months (the Bubble is Imploding)
- verified press reports from the past 24 hours
- A Note on SimilarWeb
- Or why SimilarWeb is meaningless for more than 99% of the sites on the Web
- GNU/Linux Rises to Almost 5% in Algeria While Windows Sinks to All-Time Low
- GNU/Linux grew tenfold
- Where to Get More Gags
- A valued reader recommended that to us
- Links 04/04/2025: Tech Stock (Inc. GAFAM) Fall, Google Pretends to Do End-to-End Encrypted Emails (With Google in Control)
- Links for the day
- IBM Said to be Shutting Down Offices or Sites in the United States
- the press can no longer avoid admitting that IBM moves many jobs to India
- To Participate in Fedora Diversity You Must Use Proprietary Software
- Not for the first time either
- LLM Slop as Attack Vector on the Reputation of Linux
- The attacks on Linux have escalated to information warfare
- Yandex About to Be Three Times Bigger Than Microsoft (Bing) in Asia
- That's about 60% of the world's population
- Gemini Links 04/04/2025: Decoupling Updates, Elaho as Gemini Client
- Links for the day
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 03, 2025
- IRC logs for Thursday, April 03, 2025
- Microsoft's Trouble in Africa and Asia
- A new all-time high for GNU/Linux
- Brett Wilson LLP Reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)
- The saddest thing in all this is that law firms can maintain high standards shall they wish to
- Links 03/04/2025: Tariff Pains and C.D.C. Cuts
- Links for the day
- StatCounter: Microsoft is Masking a Disaster, It's Way Behind DeepSeek Already and Interest in LLMs Has Waned
- it turns out the money "raised" for "Open" "AI" may not even exist at all
- Links 03/04/2025: SoftBank Money for Microsoft "Open" "AI" Probably Doesn't Even Exist, Wikimedia Foundation Blasts LLM Nuisance While Microsoft Admits Demand Has Shrunk
- Links for the day
- Gemini Links 03/04/2025: Patch Panel and Pictures
- Links for the day
- Islamic Republic of Iran: GNU/Linux at All-time High This Month, Windows Falls to 12%
- Vista 10 is up this month despite being "end of life" (EoL) soon
- Indonesia: All-Time Highs for GNU/Linux
- What's noteworthy right now is the growth of GNU/Linux
- statCounter Says GNU/Linux Usage is Up Again (Internationally)
- some preliminary April data
- Only on April 1st Can the Free Software Foundation Associate With Microsoft's Open Source Initiative (OSI)
- We saw some pranks that day linking the FSF to Microsoft (e.g. "endorsing" Windows)
- Confirmed in the Mainstream Media: A Lot of Microsoft "Workloads" Were Just LLM Slop (Helping to Fake Growth for Years, as Microsoft Had Paid "Open" "AI" to Become a "Client") and Demand is Rapidly Waning, Datacentres Canceled and/or Shut Down
- Anything to facilitate further accounting fraud
- Taiwan's Media Covers Closure of Microsoft's "AI" Lab, It's Time to Talk About the Gradual Death of Windows and Implosion of the "AI" Bubble
- Earlier this week we showed that mostly Asian media had the 'nerve' to mention Microsoft silently shutting down its 'AI' lab
- IBM Gets Rid of Kelly Chambliss as Mass Layoffs Reported in IBM Consulting, IBM Loses Key Contracts/Graft
- IBM Consulting has been in disarray lately
- More Gains for GNU/Linux, Based on Web Surveys
- the Steam site shows rapid growth for "Linux" this month
- Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Articles, Not Even Written by Humans
- Why aren't Web sites more vocal about this problem?
- Over at Tux Machines...
- GNU/Linux news for the past day
- IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, April 02, 2025
- IRC logs for Wednesday, April 02, 2025
- Links 03/04/2025: Apple Fined Over Secret Surveillance, "Elegant Writer For A More Civilized Age"
- Links for the day