Is Ubuntu Selling Out or Growing Up?

AlexGr notes an article by Jeff Gould where he says " Sometimes I wonder whether Ubuntu is really an open source software company any more. Yes, yes, I realize Ubuntu is not a company at all but a free Linux distribution, GPL'd and open source by definition. But still, the Ubuntu distro is sponsored by a traditional for-profit company. The answer that has recently emerged to this question is, "yes and no." Yes, of course, because Ubuntu's web site promises that the distro "will always be free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates." But Ubuntu the enterprise ecosystem — understood as the collection of desktops and servers running Ubuntu in a given organization — is not."

Comments

A little more growing up to do, thanks.

[Delusion_]

I'm a little confused - how can Ubuntu be "growing up" and still suffer the most juvenile string of unprofessional release names?

I'm personally waiting for "Homoerotic Horse" to come out before I start pitching Ubuntu to professional clients. Because that's classy.

It is 100% traditional

[WindBourne]

Think about the razor handle vs. blade issue. The companies have been giving away cheap handles for free knowing that you have to buy their razors. If companies were really smart, they would give away much nicer handles (nice traditional metal), even selling them at a low cost. Ubuntu is giving away the handle (the OS), and selling the blade (the support). Smart move on their part, just like redhat and many other companies.