Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ubuntu Is Hyper-Active At OSCON

Posted by kdawson on from the as-one-might-expect dept.

ruphus13 writes "Ubuntu and Canonical have been very active at OSCON this year. They showcased a new distro, announced improvements to their code-hosting platform, and made Mark Shuttleworth available for a couple of talks and panel sessions. Quoting: 'Ubuntu Netbook Remix, a complete distribution designed to run on Atom-based Netbook PCs. The main difference that sets it apart from its big brother Hardy Heron is the Ubuntu Mobile Edition (UME) Launcher, a user interface created specifically for use on the teensy screens and keyboards of today's popular ultra-portable computers.' Canonical also announced Version 2.0 of Launchpad, their code-hosting platform. Enhancements include 'a planned API that'll allow third-party applications to authenticate, query and modify data in the massive Launchpad database, without a user needing to manually access the system via a browser.' Mark Shuttleworth went on to state that Linux's market share will grow when it has better eye-candy than Apple's."

7 of 379 comments (clear)

  1. If its shiny by Gat0r30y · · Score: 5, Insightful

    they will come...
    I think Shuttleworth might be on to something there.

    --
    Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
    1. Re:If its shiny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And yet I still haven't "upgraded" to Vista.

      Funny how that works.

  2. I don't think eye candy is apple's big draw by Tragek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At least, not in the markets where linux is competing against it. It's ease of use, and the "it-just-works" factor.

    1. Re:I don't think eye candy is apple's big draw by seanonymous · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Eye candy? Yeah, let me know when my mom can walk into the Ubuntu store and have someone walk her through sending photos.

  3. Marketing by Enderandrew · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I have people telling me they want Apple computers, and they have never seen the UI of OS X.

    They want Apple computers because of marketing and hype. They are becoming trendy status symbols. (Put the flame-throwers away, I'm not commenting on quality here). Linux doesn't have a marketing department. That is why Linux won't take a sizable chunk out of the desktop market.

    People draw comparisons to Firefox and its adoption, but Firefox grew when it adopted a marketing campaign. People seem to forget that.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  4. The difference between Mac and Linux "eye-candy" by harlows_monkeys · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When Apple introduces eye-candy, they use it sparingly themselves, and make a great API and developer tools so developers can also use it in their apps.

    Linux eye-candy seems to hit a dead end, where all it gets used for is for the original project that developed it to see how many different flashy effects they can make.

    The Linux projects need to realize that it is not about the flashy eye-candy itself--it's about providing more capabilities to application developers.

  5. Ubuntu != Linux Desktop by krkhan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When Shuttleworth is saying that Linux Desktop still needs eye-candy polish to compete with Apple, he's probably referring to Ubuntu per se. A properly configured Compiz Fusion and Emerald (with stuff like shadows and plugins like Group and Tab, Expo) coupled with Screenlets and Avant Window Navigator/Kiba-Dock and proper themes looks almost as good as a Mac if not better. Obviously though, all that stuff is not easy to configure for newcomers, so what *Ubuntu* needs to do in terms of eye-candy is to streamline the process of its configuration.

    Linux Desktop in general is *not* trailing behind any other OS, and in fact, it may be leading in terms of special effects. Distributions such as Ubuntu just haven't made it accessible to general public yet.