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Ask Mark Shuttleworth Anything
In addition to founding Canonical Ltd., the Ubuntu Foundation, and funding the Freedom Toaster, Mark Shuttleworth is a space enthusiast. In April 2002 Mark became the second self-funded space tourist and the first African in space. He spent eight days participating in experiments on the International Space Station as part of his $20 million trip. Now he's ready to answer your questions. Ask him anything you like, but please limit yourself to one question per post.
We've seen Linux go from servers to supercomputers to smartphones in a very explosive manner but not as pervasively on the personal computer. What, in your opinion, is the next frontier for Linux and is that frontier part of Canonical's future?
My work here is dung.
In the 1990s you aided in Debian development and now you've brought the world Ubuntu. Since you diverged from Debian and became the Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator for Life, do you have anything positive to say about Debian's progress?
My work here is dung.
Are you interested in colonizing Mars?
#
#\ @ ? Colonize Mars
#
Once Steam for Linux comes out on Ubuntu, what is the first game you will download and play?
sudo make me a sandwich
Two parter:
Has your visit to low orbit changed your perspective on any aspect of life?
And less importantly, will there be a variant of your Freedom Toaster that also has a slot to accept bread?
In your opinion, what technologies are yet to come before humans can live sustainably on Mars, but may not have been discussed in mainstream circles?
I heard a story of you sitting in on a LUG dressed in a Darth Vader mask so people wouldn't recognise you until the end of the talk. Do you find that people treat you very differently now that you are famous, and seeing that a lot of people take exception to the direction you have taken Ubuntu? How do you deal with this, and what steps do you take to make sure you stay grounded in reality?
Help I am stuck in a signature factory!
Dude. Really. WTF?
Windows 8 has been launched and did not receive a very warm welcome from the market so there's another chance for Ubuntu and although Apple's OS X is a nice alternative, Ubuntu would even be better, however when looking 'in the field' (European Enterprise, SME, ) there is so much Windows (custom applications, custom hardware, widely used applications etc etc etc) that the cost and process of replacing those is too complex and too expensive. And as always, end user like evolution, not revolution.
Wouldn't it be better to integratie a CrossOver alike solution (or Crossover) in Ubuntu that allows easier transition from win32//64 to Ubuntu?
If and when we colonize the moon, will you fight for Ubuntu to be the OS-of-choice?
Mr. America walk on by your schools that do not teach Mr. America walk on by the minds that won't be reached
"Can entropy be reversed?"
Why does Canonical implement and develop software that does not respect a user's four essential software freedoms?
- The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
- The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
- The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
- The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
Slot machine?
I'm a big fan of Glitter & Gold. Also, you should make it so linux users can install slot machine games (that use real money) on Ubuntu, and have them run by Ubuntu. Even with a 90% payout you would be rolling in money.
Dude. Really. WTF?
Although it doesn't fully address "WTF?", he has spoken about this in prior interviews:
DM: Ubuntu has adopted a new user interface called Unity. That seems well suited to tablet devices. Is this part of a plan to extend Ubuntu on tablets and other mobile computing and touch-based platforms?
MS: We haven’t said that, and it’s not the right time for me to say any such thing. [Laughs.] But if you look at it, Unity is born of an era where touch is important, and we’ve done quite a bit of work around touch generally and it brings a level of clarity and device-like simplicity to Linux desktops that just hadn’t been there before.
DM: Unity has attracted a fair share of criticism.
MS: Sure, it created something of a storm. The idea for us was we wanted to bring design-led engineering to the Linux desktop so we followed a fairly rigorous process of design. That meant testing assumptions and evaluating each little change on the basis of some realistic test of how people reacted to change. It is a fairly radical shift from where we were previously but we can see a fairly clear roadmap of where we want to get to over the next few months and years and not all of that is evident in the release so far.
[Unity] has raised the bar for usability on the Linux desktop. That’s not to say it’s without its issues. There are some quite definite issues in that first release, but when we did a detailed review of that versus the alternatives, it came out well ahead. It was the right one for us to ship at the time.
My work here is dung.
Why don't you start making and shipping ubuntu hardware for laptop and mobile phone.
So, if he moved to the US, and became a citizen, he would be "African American"? Not sure that would go over very well with the Politically Correct Class.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
Hi Mark! It seems based on your blog and other sources that an Ubuntu tablet is definitely planned and should be in the works at least sometime in the next year. When do you think consumers will be able to walk into any decently-sized electronic store and pick up an Ubuntu-based tablet?
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson
What's with the advertising in launchpad and the software center in 12.10 and can it be disabled (I'd be willing to pay to get rid of it)?
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
Did NASA bitch and whine about your trip on your ISS too, the way they did Dennis Tito (for daring to be a space tourist on a Russian rocket instead of a proper American-Non-Commie-John-Wayne one)?
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
Given the current global financial turmoil and the drawdown on space programs (e.g. space shuttle program retirement), do you see a need for the private sector to lead space efforts? Possibly in pursue of commercial opportunities? What are some commercial opportunities that would provide sufficient ROI to motivate the investment?
Since you like to comment on both government interaction with businesses and seem to be interested in space travel, what is the appropriate level of the government's role in space? Can you define what is too little and what is too far? What, if anything, should each nation regulate? Are nationalistic programs and races good for space travel or should it just all be privatized and given a sort of 'international waters' anything goes freedom?
My work here is dung.
When you made your trip to the ISS in 2002 there were reports that your body had some challenges transitioning into a micro-gravity environment. Many astronauts have similar challenges, can you tell us what physical challenges you encountered, the duration and what if anything did you do to overcome those challenges.
I just wanted to say that I was very excited when I first heard the phrase "Freedom Toaster", but felt sad and let down when I found out that it was actually a CD writer.
Is there any way that toasted bread can be used bring about individual liberty?
The business that made you money was pure genius in my view. Do you believe there are equal opportunities today, and is Bitcoin a technology worth exploring?
I was going to ask how do you respond to the criticism of Unity, but then I realized the whole point, even the NAME of "Unity." So that begged the real question, what's your outlook on the future of Linux and specifically Ubuntu in the tablet market?
Will Ubuntu ever be a certified platform for running Oracle databases?
You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
who do we blame for the Unity UI?
How do defend spending such an extortionate amount of money on yourself. "20 million could do a lot of good back down here on Earth.
When you have the choice.
I work here -- http://theparkrowdentalpractice.co.uk no, really, I do.
(Insert my standard question for all ask /. tech people)
Describe a hack that you personally participated in that you find cool. Not you paid someone to ... or I once saw someone else ... or you bought something cool that ... I mean traditional hack like "identify problem" "flash of insight in ur brain" "minutes to days of sweat using techie tools" "something cool now exists, lookit". I don't care about the subject as long as its vaguely slashdot style technical and you think its cool and the slashdot audience would think its cool. The coolest hack is not necessarily the biggest or most famous, either. Maybe you have a hobby where you personally programmed the worlds coolest christmas light display on your house, or you handmade a truly elaborate model railroad fully articulated draw bridge, I donno, whatever floats your boat. TLDR just tell your hack story, and make it cool.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
There's the fun part: writing code, showing off your mental agility, creating stuff, adding the features you would want (and that are easy to do)
Then there's the work part: everything else: the testing, integration, support and documentation.
People love doing the creative bit - they'd probably even pay their employers to let them make software. However they hate every other aspect of producing a professional product. So whenever possible, the maximum amount of time will be spent writing code, adding features and the absolute minimum that they can get away with will be spent producing the least amount of testing, support material, bug fixes and "productising" - after all we (sorry: they) are software developers, not any of those other, lesser, jobs - and work should be FUN, not hard.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
There's a lot of rhetoric bandied about by political figures here at the moment. What do you think would contribute best to the development of South Africa?
One thing I know, and that is that I am ignorant...
Do you feel that Ubuntu might be losing its way amongst the more technical users with some of the decisions that are being made? For example, forcing a beta-level UI onto users for 3 versions of Ubuntu from 11.04-12.04, integrating paid search results from Amazon etc. Linux Mint, which is rapidly growing in popularity, would seem to be a backlash against Unity and is a splintering of Ubuntu (in fact the vast majority of packages are identical to Ubuntu). Do you therefore feel that Ubuntu's popularity has reached its peak and is at risk of stagnating or declining?
SURELY NOT!!!!!
Do you think Canonical and Ubuntu will be able to deliver a good user experience without making (or assembling) their own hardware or laptops like Apple?
Linux is a huge success in mobile. Linux is a huge success in servers (and Ubuntu in particular seems to be doing very well in servers, congratulations).
But Linux on the desktop seems to be going nowhere fast as far as market share is concerned.
In your opinion, what would have to happen in order for Linux to start gaining ground in the desktop?
Can you tell me which computer to buy so that Ubuntu upgrades won't break? (arguably the question most people who have been raped by ubuntu upgrade breakages want to ask).
Lots of distributions are moving to systemd. Why not try to merge some of the upstart functionality into systemd, as it looks like a superior design, and use it rather than developing a parallel but incompatible alternative?
I understand than relying on someone else hard work saves your company a lot of resources. But it also brings bugs, disputable choices and uncomfortable legacy into Ubuntu. Why not cutting that umbilical cord once and forever and start walking on your own legs?
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Do you like puppies or do you love puppies?
Your viewpoint on how Ubuntu and Canonical contributes back to the community notwithstanding, there seems to be a stark difference between the management style of Red Hat and that of Canonical.
The perception raised with Unity is that Canonical has decided to diverge from upstream more and more: this is evident from the problems that the Debian project (which contributes the majority of code to Ubuntu) is facing, as well as GNOME and the dissent with the upcoming signed boot EFI implementations.
Red Hat (and the Fedora project) is trying to prevent the balkanization of Linux userspace with projects like systemd, which only Ubuntu rejects.
Red Hat's business model seems to be very successful, and Canonical, despite it's massive desktop market share, doesn't seem to be able to match it in reputation or revenue. Would you attribute this to Red Hat's deeper involvement in the kernel community and higher technical skills?
How much money you devolved to Debian organisation in the past three years?
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Orange is very pervasive throughout Ubuntu, but isn't often used elsewhere, at least not in the US. I'm wondering if this is your favorite color, or if it is more popular in South Africa, or if there is some other reason that orange was chosen as Ubuntu's signature color/
Dear Shuttleworth,
Don't think I don't know what you are doing. It was clever of you to have invested $1M in Inktank to support Ceph. That got you a lot of hits on ceph.com. It may take me all year, but through the power of science I will eventually beat your record of who can drive more traffic to our website. Like a master ninja I will blind you with my amazing insights. Just look at my analysis of Ceph's write performance on different disk controllers. Yeah it didn't get as many hits as your little investment announcement, but this is just the beginning. So my questions is, do you want to just give up now?
Mark
(Nelson, not Shuttleworth!)
We have seen efforts to run Ubuntu 13.04 on Nexus Tablet 7 Google. Now that Google hit the market with the "Nexus 10", shall we see the same efforts for this tablet? Are going to be an official or supported version of Ubuntu for these tablets?
Over the last several years, Microsoft has done much to close the gap in terms of performance, stability and security. What do you see as Ubuntu/Linux's primary selling points on the desktop now, as opposed to the early years of the Ubuntu project when Windows had significant problems in these areas?
Ubuntu has made decisions that have been less than popular with the Free-software only crowd. Personally, I benefit from these decisions, for example, via easy access to Nvidia and Broadcom drivers on my laptop, but I also see the importance of the other side of the argument. What is your short- and long-term perspective on including restricted drivers and non-free software in Ubuntu? Is your approach simply pragmatic, do you hope to bring long-term change in industry practises by making free software a viable and important desktop platform, or something else entirely? Thanks!
If you were a hot dog and you were hungry, would you eat yourself?
Was your trip with the *shuttle* *worth* it ? Did your parents plan for you to go to space when giving you a name ? Oh bugger, that's two questions. Nevermind.
When you make a well thought out UI design tradeoff decision that angers traditionalist unix geeks who don't get the fundamentals of interaction design, does their reaction make you feel immensely satisfied or does it make you feel disturbed? Or some of both?
Are you doing any programming stuff for fun, and what environements/languages do you prefer in that case?
Thanks for being an inspiration.
When is Ubuntu going to ship Wayland by default?
Why don't you go fuck yourself?
Stop associating yourself with the Linux community. Ubuntu is NOT Linux. Is it to Linux, what Windows 8 is to Linux. Software based on the philosophy of targeting the biggest retard out there, with the purpose of creating an even bigger retard, until the glorious goal of "MS Bob'tard" is reached, where all you have to do, is drool in the general direction of a tablet (= NOT computer) screen, where it is red and says "WAAAHHHH", and the thing instantly does what it tells you you want to do. (In the same way that Google search tells you you want to search for 'uncle donald' even though you specifically entered '+"uncle dolan"' [just an example, kids].)
While hiding away all the advantages and points that make Linux so awesome in the first place, like it's something to be ashamed of, because those lazy fucktards you call your target group are so lazy that they are literally dumber than a chimp (= level of a 4 year old human.), and you act like that is acceptable. When there's children in an Ethiopian mountain village who can't read or write, and manage, within a few days, to surf the Internet, install "apps" and even mod the OS of the Android tablets that were put there in boxes for them to discover, then unless somebody is mentally disabled, NOBODY got ANY excuse WHATSOEVER for not using shell scripting & co like normal people.
I used Linux for over a decade as my main OS, eventually ending up on Ubuntu. When I started using Linux, it had a reputation for being rock-solid and about as stable as you can possibly get, and I was happy with that. Newer hardware wasn't supported very well, but older hardware support was unparalleled. This was also reflected in the beginning of Ubuntu - I seem to recall you had a push to make sure the hardware on every laptop model was supported as best it could be.
However as the years progressed, I found Linux becoming more and more buggy and unstable. The final straw was when I tried to upgrade Ubuntu, and not only had I lost hardware support for several things, but there were even crashes upon loading the LiveCD installer (this was solid hardware that lasted for a couple more years). I bounced around trying to find the stability from years ago, but never found it. Today, I'm using OS X, which is far more stable than Linux in the last few years I was using it.
What happened?
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
Is it worth the backlash (user migration to mint,arch etc.) of removing power-user configurability for better code maintenance(or any other excuse)? I for one can not understand this trend, the removal of dodge active window on lancher, middle mouse for new tab in firefox bookmarks etcetc from even the advanced settings.
During your round trip from earth to ISS and back, what was the *least* interesting, or dare I say, boring part of the experience for you or the mission crew?
What do you think of Linux Mint becoming one of the most popular Linux distributions and is there anything that the Ubuntu Foundation can learn from its popularity?
Do you see ubuntu (desktop) evolving into a more "Droid" like interface or staying on the similar path it's on?
Have you talked with Adobe about bringing the Creative Suite (or parts of it) to Ubuntu? Please don't point to open source alternatives in your answer.
Why did you insist on integrating Amazon searches into the product despite users' concerns and complaints to the contrary? A large body of users including myself consider this to be abhorrent and a step back to the dark ages of sponsored software (remember Bonzi Buddy)?
two parter:
1. Do you think the touch screen interface already the standard on phones and tablets will replace the traditional standard of keyboard & mouse interface on desktops/laptops in the next 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
2. On a desktop/laptop, do you think a touch screen interface would be as functional/productive/efficient as keyboard & mouse?
thanks
Coke or Pepsi?
I love Unity, but notice all the work items this cycle are around things KDE already has (Widgets from multiple vendors, compositor performance, File manager isn't onboard, preparing for Wayland). Is the KDE compositor & utilities a better direction for Unity?
Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
At the time of writing, Ubuntu is third in the DistroWatch rankings (behind Mint and Mageia), and falling consistently. Do you pay attention to these (admittedly unreliable) rankings, and if so, how do you compare Ubuntu to the competition (especially Mint)?
Would you be interested in investing in an established business that could put robotics with your name on them on Mars, Europa, Venus and beyond? We are looking for an investor.
While I love desktop Linux as much as the next guy, it's the little bugs crawling here and there that often ruin the experience. What could be done to improve the general quality assurance of Ubuntu and other distributions?
In 2006 you gave a Google Tech Talk where you mentioned what really interested you was development of the computer interface, but first you had to get Ubuntu standing on it's own. It's 2012 and we're seeing that happen with Unity.
Setting aside the pitchfork-debate, I'd really enjoy hearing some background -- like you must have been thinking about this for a long time before 2006. How central is this motive for you? How has the adventure been working out? That sort of background.
[Disclaimer - yup, I'm a mouse-centric fallback-user. But I've been at this since '78 and have a real interest in all sorts of UI. The question is sincere curiosity that definitely wants to sidestep the hubbub.]
How much control do you want over Ubuntu?
Ubuntu's pull into the future has been muddled lately when better alternatives arriving later aren't embraced (even if just for the sake of work sharing). SystemD, no-scripts-in-boot, In-Kernel sound, file layout simplification/unification, Wayland, btrfs rollbacks, X32. Is being the most high-tech distro no-longer part of the Ubuntu plan?
Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
Microsoft just got into making its own hardware with the Surface. Does Canonical have plans too? Or is it too early to ask this? :)
Regarding the Ubuntu One cloud space; how many requests for user's data have you received from law enforcement?
I think Ubuntu's popularity came from the amount of polish that was put in every release. It was years ahead of any other distro. Everything in Ubuntu felt "right", solid, and polished (Mint seems to be the one going this direction now).
It's been over two years since last Ubuntu release that I consider solid, since than every release feels like a step backward.
My question is, when will Ubuntu focus on what made it great and popular? Isn't it time to stop the new projects, and start fixing what has left behind?
Compiz, Unity, Global menu, HUD, Ubuntu Software Center, web apps, dash(files, apps, amazon)... even if you ignore the unpopular UI decision, none of them has reached an accetable state. And there is always a new project, fixing and polishing are nowhere insight. I've reluctantly donated to project, wondering which new shine new project I would be helping fund.
The communnity has invested so much in Ubuntu, and now it feels like floor crumbling under our feet.
Now that Ubuntu's kernel & GNU tools run Dalvik, PulseAudio has an AudioFlinger API, and Ubuntu creates its own notification system... if a few other libraries gain some APIs then an Ubuntu tablet would natively run Android applications. This could easily push a native Linux userspace into the mainstream. Do you think it should be done?
Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
What is the policy of Canonical regarding work with upstream projects, like GNOME? While some other parties are working quite closely with upstream (for example, RedHat is working very closely with GNOME, and GNOME is working closely with gstreamer), Canonical is inclined to make stuff in-house (SSO, online accounts, Unity etc.).
Punch a baby in the face, or kick a baby in the face?
I'm one of the people who like Unity and appreciate what it does. I'd like to make it my full time desktop environment. However, with Unity 2-D support being dropped, Unity no longer works on 3 out of 4 computers I try it on. I either have to switch desktops for those computers or stick with older Ubuntu releases. My question is: With the Linux graphic stack being the unpredictable mess that it is, what does Canonical plan to do with Unity? Will the 2-D environment return, will users be forced to choose between not running Unity or purchasing specific supported hardware?
...answer the question that's been burning in our minds. Just what is a Shuttle worth?
Is there point to it?
If you asked the guy standing next to Mark Shuttleworth on slashdot what a shuttle was worth, "would Mark Shuttleworth know what a shuttle was worth?", would the guy standing next to Mark Shuttleworth know what a shuttle was worth?
Is he black then?
When are Africans going to build a space rocket? What about a car? A bicycle? A computer? Anything?
Still, it won't matter when you whites are a minority in your OWN country, and you're surrounded by hate-filled third worlders, who quite obviously moved to YOUR country to STEAL it from you, because they couldn't stand living around their own people...
Hey Marc, I push for GNU/Linux platform for small business, people who actually benefit from not having to pay for Windows licenses and such (also of-course it is a positive that they don't have to buy antivirus and office software and such). That's really why those people can be pushed onto a GNU/Linux distro. I used to set them up with Ubuntu but I can't do that anymore with Unity and even Gnome 3 actually, for now sticking to an older version of Ubuntu (11.04) and planning to switch to some other distro in the near future that still comes with Gnome 2 by default.
My question is: how are you planning to increase your market share without understanding the market of small business?
I sell software services, I don't really care what platform it is, as long as it has a browser and I can install simple things, like the JRE and PostgreSQL and have some shell environment (bash preferably), so you see that to my applications the specific distro does not matter. The only thing that matters during selection of distro in this case is stability of support, ease of use, consistency of use.
So I guess there is a question there.
Of-course it also is a question to ask yourself: do I provide an Operating System or do I provide a Business Platform, because guess what, it's hard to sell just the Operating System itself, it's commodity software and there are too many free versions.
roman_mir
Tim Berners-Lee promotes the idea of linked data everywhere. Wikipedia is on board with wikidata. The Nokia N9 features a triple store, the same one that is used in Gnome. KDE implements Nepomuk. The UK is linking all legislature with RDF.
Ubuntu could make a large contribution by making the data graph of the user and of the distribution visible and searchable. Do you see a future for the semantic web and will you participate in it?
DNA is the ultimate spaghetti code.
Can I have your autograph? You are seriously one of my heroes. I have been following your career all the way from your certificate days
With the introduction of Microsoft's surface, have you ever considered Ubuntu branded hardware, such as laptops, desktops, or tablets that are open source and are preinstalled with Ubuntu?
Linux is a huge success in mobile. Linux is a huge success in servers (and Ubuntu in particular seems to be doing very well in servers, congratulations).
But Linux on the desktop seems to be going nowhere fast as far as market share is concerned.
In your opinion, what would have to happen in order for Linux to start gaining ground in the desktop?
And, is there any point in dedicating resources to breaking into the traditional desktop market in light of the growth of non-traditional computing devices, especially considering Linux/Android's success on those devices?
Depends. How long will you be able to buy a 2004-era ThinkPad?
Sir, please examine this image and tell us what you see. Which "penguin" do you identify yourself with?
Forward! -- Emperor Norton, 2012
It seems you have a habit to make underlying security changes to apt-key net-update that make it easy for adversaries to own Ubuntu machines through redirection attacks and forged keys:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/1013681
This talk goes back to last year.
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2011/Sep/221
I cannot remember the corresponding bug report, but it disappeared (as well as an article on Slashdot last year about it, if anyone remembers).
Yet, when Microsoft has forged certificates or gaping holes, it's a huge deal. I got out of Ubuntu on my systems and servers after this stuff started appearing, and apparently, the core security of Ubuntu is flawed.
Why should I trust your distro my systems when Debian doesn't suffer from these vulnerabilities, from which Ubuntu is based?
Mark: When will you start better listening to the Ubuntu Community you helped create? It seems like Canonical is purposefully trying to ignore user concerns calling those who raise issues "haters" or "noise".
Example: A former employee of yours Kees Cook who is a well recognized security analyst blasted the shopping lens (oh in case you missed it so did the EFF and many other Ubuntu Users) https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shopping/+bug/1073114
Dude, what's up with the scrollbars?!?
Curiously yours, crip.
How to fix the patent system?
I noticed the Nexus 7 initiative is for fine tuning the "Ubuntu-Core" but in reality this is another word for "Packages that are upstream" well how do you expect to get any of these performance fixes accepted upstream before Ubuntu mobile lands? Getting fixes accepted upstream is not quick nor guaranteed and can take months or in some cases years depending on the project.
I have not seen any results aside from bug reports so far not a single upstream patch accepted for battery life or performance (cpu/memory)
Really? Nobody from the entire continent of Africa has ever been to outer space? What about Australia and South America? Nasa employs scientists from all over the world, I figured there'd be a few astronauts with roots from outside the U.S. and Europe.
There has been a huge discussion on what init system Debian would switch from sysv-rc. Roughly, we have the choice between systemd, upstart, openrc and stay with this old sysv-rc. The problem with upstart, is that Canonical is forcing every contributor to sign an agreement. This is a blocker for Debian. Is there any way that this may change, that this mandatory contributor agreement goes away, so that Debian can finally adopt upstart as well?
Will we ever see Ubuntu "nexus" hardware. That is Ubuntu branded hardware that is distinct and shows the Ubuntu vision.
Are there any plans for FIPS certification in ubuntu?
I understand about Unity being targeted to mobile systems, TVs and tablet computers. Since there already is multiple flavors of Ubuntu, like Kubuntu, Xubuntu, alternate server install etc, any chance of getting Ubuntu with Gnome desktop but without Unity, so it would not spoil the usability for us with desktop and laptop computers? I bet with such a "special" version for desktop/laptop users, the user base would skyrocket again.
Given you are interested in space why not set up a project to transmit ? To say hello ?
OK there are arguments against it - ie possible alien enslavement.
But, any civilisation with the capability of coming here is likely not to need or want anything we have. And at any stage of our development there is always going to be a substantial probability that we encounter an older, more powerful civilisation who could wipe us out - so might as well do it now.
Would it be of any benefit to anyone to hear that answer? I'd rather he spend his time answering better questions...
The biggest obstacle to mass adoption of linux on the desktop are OEM preinstall arrangements. Windows has a hard lock on preinstalls.
What will Canonical do to get Ubuntu pre-installed on more notebooks, netbooks and desktop PC's? In which markets? When will we see Ubuntu preinstalled on ARM netbooks/tablets/smartbooks?
The data appears to indicate Linux desktop usage is higher than indicated by stats like netmarketshare.com http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=9&qpcustomb=0 as the Humble Bundle data appears to show that Linux users are closer to Mac users in numbers http://support.humblebundle.com/customer/portal/articles/281031-prior-bundle-statistics How can Canonical and Linux desktop users in general do better with demonstrating their OS preference and real world usage to vendors?
The single biggest impediment to Linux adoption in the mass market is the lack of choices of netbooks, notebooks and desktop PC's with Ubuntu or any Linux distro preinstalled, at least in the United States. What will Canonical do to increase and develop OEM relationships to drive the option of Ubuntu peinstalls in the US market? Other markets?
Many people seem to be under the impression that Canonical is making a lot of money out of Ubuntu and that they are entitled to a share of those profits.
Is Canonical profitable yet? Did it break even or got close to?
In my view, Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular is greatly harmed by the concept of monolitic "distributions". Besides hardware drivers, this has been in my experience the biggest obstacle to Linux/Ubuntu adoption.
From the point of view of a Windows user, having to upgrade the whole system and _all other apps_ just to get the new version of one single app, is asinine. As a Linux advocate, I had many people I tried to make use Linux return back to windows just for this single reason alone. An Ubuntu app should install on any reasonably recent Ubuntu and not be tightly coupled to a particular release. When people get windows apps, they are usually not called "XP apps", or "Vista apps" or "Win7 apps", they are just Windows apps, and in most cases install without problems even on 10 years old XP machines. This is what made Windows win the giant market share it has, and this is an issue that has greatly bothered me on Linux the last 15 years, and Ubuntu might finally be the one Linux that fixes it.
Do you have this problem on your radar and are you going to do something about it?
The second issue is the too frequent releases of these distributions. You've just released 12.04 LTS a few months ago. Judging by published upgrade stats, a big number of users has already upgraded to a non-LTS 12.10, and in my view, devalued the LTS. I see here an example of the Osbourne effect at work. Too frequent new releases devalue the old releases (especially the LTS), so targeting the LTS becomes less attractive for games and other commercial vendors. I think that being a too fast moving and backward incompatible target is bad for Linux in general and for Ubuntu in particular. I think that forcibly slowing down the chaotic development Linux ecosystem would greatly benefit it as a target for commercial development.
Do you have this problem on your radar and are you going to do something about it?
Thanks.
Is there anything Canonical can do to increase the ease and likelihood of a normal consumer getting a refund on unwanted Windows licenses tied to notebooks, netbooks and desktop PC's when the buyer just wants to install Ubuntu/Linux? Could Canonical's relationship with Google be leveraged to approach the problem legislatively, i.e. anti-competitive or anti-consumer related laws that could improve the consumer's position in the general purpose PC OS choice?
Given Google's internal use of Ubuntu, and the Linux underpinnings of Android and ChromeOS, what will Canonical do to leverage that relationship re: improving ChromeOS/Android/Ubuntu integration? Any plans to merge ChromeOS and an Ubuntu variant to make "ChromeBuntu" suitable for pre-installs on consumer PC's at retail?
Why did Ubuntu destroy itself every single upgrade for the last 4 years?
When will Ubuntu for ARM be preinstalled on consumer ARM netbooks/smartbooks/ultrabooks like the Chromebook: https://plus.google.com/109993695638569781190/posts/b2fazijJppZ What market(s)? We don't want to rely on hacks and technical installs like https://plus.google.com/109993695638569781190/posts/b2fazijJppZ forever ;)
Parent is a Lennart Poettering / Red Hat / systemd fanboi.
I mean, come on, who the fuck says stuff like: "which only Ubuntu rejects" about systemd, when there are many distros trying to get away from that monolithic Dr Frankenpoettering creation, and the ones who adopt it do so only reluctantly because they feel they don't have a choice (rather like GNOME 3 and PulseAudio). And "Red Hat is trying to prevent the balkanization of Linux userspace", the only reason Red Hat gets to say it's playing well with upstream is because they *are* the upstream, they control GNOME and they have continuously been hostile toward Ubuntu.
Why did Canonical not take that chance to buy the Qt copyright when Nokia sold it?
Have you considered making the one change to Ubuntu which would give it explosive desktop growth overnight - making it Android compatible, and making Android apps run in desktop mode?
...try to emulate him in that too?
Canonical has received some flack in the past for not contributing enough upstream. Greg Kroah-Hartman was especially vocal. Are you co-operating more with upstream sources and the kernel.org guys?
-- Linux user #369862
Mark, What physical ailments / deformities / disabilities do you think can benefit from living in a weightless environment and which ones would be worse off there?
Another South African entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is like yourself, a space enthusiast. Unlike yourself, Elon didn't buy a ticket to experience spaceflight himself. Instead he built a business model which will help lower the cost of spaceflight for everyone who wants to put a payload into orbit or, eventually, to explore other heavenly bodies like the Moon and Mars. Ubuntu has been a tremendous contribution to democratizing computing by putting a free OS in the hands of people everywhere on Earth. Do you see yourself participating in any effort to make humanity establish footholds on other planets, and if so, how?
LibreOffice has proven strengthening success in the last year, will Canonical get more commited to the project in the future than it has up to now?
is it the development of Ubuntu for Android stagnated? What component is missing to bring it to the general public?
When it gonna happen?
It's evident Canonical and you personally as dude-in-charge have received a lot of flak over the past years, especially as you have started producing more software in-house rather than relying on upstream.
Linux seems to attract a horde of vocal fans that aren't afraid to complain when things aren't going their direction. Does that get on your nerves or have you learned to live with it? Are you happy as dude-in-charge-of-product?
It seems the missing link in the year of desktop Linux is preinstalls. Soooo.... when are we going to see mass roll-outs of Ubuntu through deals with OEMs?
What is your favorite achievement with Ubuntu and what is your worst letdown?
Btw, I think Ubuntu is great!, I've used every version since 4.10. Though I've switched to KDE4 for my desktop environment as it fits my use best.
Do you see distributions like Mint as serious marketshare competitors? Is there a possibility of merging some of their code up-stream or would you hold out & if needed possibly re-implement the features?
but here goes...is Canonical financially solvent? If it is why did you burn so much good will that you had with the users by allowing the Amazon search which doesn't even have an adult filter that works so that kids can be exposed to inappropriate, in violation of Amazon's own rules which state you have to be 18+ to use their market?
And if Canonical currently isn't in the black, how much will it take to make it a cash positive company? did the Amazon deal bring in enough, or is there gonna have to be MORE ads and MORE revenue making apps baked into Ubuntu to make the company solid financially?
Watch me get modded down for daring not to ask the cutesy ass kissing questions like what are being modded up here, but when one has the head of a company on the horn, and I don't give a damned WHICH company it is, one ought to ask the hard questions and use the opportunity to get some real answers.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Since the Ubuntu project is committed to free software and the freedom entailed by it, I believe that underlying must also be commitment to the freedom of the donation flows which make this development possible. With PayPal and other companies arbitrarily withholding payments, based on competitve interest or government pressure, WordPress and others have taken a big leap forward in accepting Bitcoin for donations, because they have opened themselves up to donations from vast sections of the world left unserved by the traditional payment processors.
With that progress ongoing, what steps is Canonical taking, if any, to engage in the nascent Bitcoin economy?
I always end up in a broken installation *every* time I 'upgrade' - partial upgrade, full upgrade, and whatever else upgrade. Many times even simple kernel updates. Multiple devices that were working before stop functioning (particularly wifi, graphics and at times sound). Note: I always use the linux hardware compatibility list when I buy my hardware. Even then the story is pretty bad. Long story short, I am looking for a paid and supported linux. That's right, for an individual consumer. There are a lot of us, not just enterprises who can pay annual support. I am sick and tired of mucking with my system every time I upgrade at the end of a supported version. I want to pay, and get something that works on my system, and continues to work, even after upgrading (willing to pay for the damn upgrades too). Do you plan to offer such a thing? Or am I simply unaware of a product that already exists?
Since CDE and Motif were recently open sourced, will we see a Cubuntu or CDUbuntu distribution in the near future?
Make no mistake, I am a huge fan of Linux. But I have to wonder, after all these years and little adoption, what still drives you in developing the Linux desktop?
10 years ago there were Linux solutions, partly unfinished, you could recommend for a public office to adopt. Today it is more difficult as Free software runs into a complexy trap. What do you think about projects like Razor-QT who just focus on the basic stuff users wanted?
What books would you suggest on self development, business, and other subjects that have aided you?
Who can we hold responsible for the piece of crap known as Unity?
Follow up: Why don't you have a Nexus-style hardware program (promoted on the front page of Ubuntu.com) where hardware partners produce Ubuntu desktops / laptops that are certified to receive working updates for 3 years?
Put identity in the browser.
Unity looks okay on video displays that have a 16:10 or 16:9 aspect ratio or have greater horizontal than vertical real estate. The problem with such a widescreen "optimized" interface is that it looks cramped on a tablet or even smartphone in portrait mode, which is typically the orientation you'd use for reading full screen ebooks. The video demos I've seen of Unity on a tablet invariably show it in landscape mode. So how does Ubuntu plan to tweak Unity for gadgets that could be used in either landscape or portrait orientation?
Why is there no fool proof way to disable power management in Ubuntu? To be specific, i want the screen to stay on 24/7, why is there no built in way to do this?
Good-bye
Based on your own view: Which company is the biggest Ubuntu competitor?? Redhat, Microsoft, Apple, ... ?
apt-get purge foo
does the same as
apt-get remove --purge foo
The purge command wasn't always there (it was just the argument), but has been (a command) for the past four/five years or so.
In deciding to cut a new path with Unity, Ubuntu had some good reasons to break with Gnome as its primary UI layer. Gnome caused about as much stir with its initial 3.0 release as Ubuntu did with Unity. If Gnome, KDE, or other UI technologies are able to fix the issues that drove Canonical to create Unity, would they get more official, supported status than they now have? In other words, would Canonical ever consider moving away from Unity?
Funtime Candy Wow! - my plan for eventually conquering Japan.
Most of my toshiba laptops, several compaqs, Dells and generic machines have had no problems. In my case, I would ask what computers should I look out for that may cause problems...
It's truely a great day for Linux when you walk into a discount store (Big Lots) and see Android tablets. Do you think we'll see Ubuntu preloaded on some of these devices in the near future?
Six years ago I posted some related ideas on your blog about a workshop the Shuttleworth Foundation held: http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/26#comment-397 ... So why build software tools oriented towards schools and a compulsory "curriculum" if the real goal is helping kids educate themselves and become productive citizens of the 21st century? Yes, schools could be made a bit less terrible, but why spend rare philanthropic dollars for such a meager outcome? Someone like Mark Shuttleworth has so much potential as an agent of positive change, but it seems like, despite the fact that his effort will do some small good for some school kids, it is mostly a non-starter as far as significant change."
"[Responding to: "Amazing two day workshop on programming and education" where you wrote: "I'm all fired up after two days of the most amazing work bringing together some very remarkable people to talk about a TSF strategy to ensure that we can give the next generation excellent analytical skills despite the global collapse in the supply of maths teaching capacity."]
Have your thoughts changed any since then after trying educational reform the old-fashioned school-based way? See also for more background my 2007 essay which grew out of discussion on the Python edusig list related to your workshop and my trying to create some new free software in a constructivist and unschooling direction: ... So, there is more to the story of technology than it failing in schools. Modern information and manufacturing technology itself is giving compulsory schools a failing grade. Compulsory schools do not pass in the information age. They are no longer needed. What remains is just to watch this all play out, and hopefully guide the collapse of compulsory schooling so that the fewest people get hurt in the process."
http://patapata.sourceforge.net/WhyEducationalTechnologyHasFailedSchools.html
"Ultimately, educational technology's greatest value is in supporting "learning on demand" based on interest or need which is at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to "learning just in case" based on someone else's demand. Compulsory schools don't usually traffic in "learning on demand", for the most part leaving that kind of activity to libraries or museums or the home or business or the "real world". In order for compulsory schools to make use of the best of educational technology and what is has to offer, schools themselves must change.
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
... free and open-source self-replicating space habitats rather than mainly just better rockets and/or space tourism? http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=62113&cid=5821178
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com/oscomak/
http://www.openvirgle.net/
A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
What do you think about ReactOS? Do you think it might someday be a good stepping stone for people to transition to Linux?
Dude. Really. WTF?
Unity, like most other operating system visual shells, is moving in a decidedly touch-oriented direction. Has this actually proved beneficial in pushing forward an OS that's primarily in use on servers and workstations? Have users (as a percentage of total OS users, or as a percentage of total Linux users) risen or declined since Unity was introduced?
Will Cannonical make a development effort to get Ubuntu running with full bells and whistles on those low cost ARM boards and Mini-PC? ( Allwinner A10, RK3066, etc)... So far development has been done by the amateur community... Maybe with some enterpreise effort we could have true low cost and capable PCs with those computers.
I understant why Ubuntu hasn't been ported to the RaspberryPi ( it's really underpowered)... But I don't really see a reason for it not running on the RK3066 Mini-PCs ( Dualcore Cortex A9 + Quadcore Mali400 + 1gb RAM)...
Hello Mr. Shuttleworth,
I think the drop shadow underneath the top panel looks odd on top of the left sidebar. It makes it seem like the sidebar is further away from the user, but only in in that very top area, but if you put your hand over that corner, the rest of the bar looks flush against the screen.
How about a minor redesign so that the side bar doesn't extend the entire vertical length of the screen? It can have mostly rectangular rounded edges on the top and bottom. Maybe it can be a variable size bar kind of like the one in OSX, but so long as it stays several pixels away from the end of the top panel's shadow, I'll be happy.
Thanks for reading this.
Are you interested in space missions because of your family name?
I read on their website that the Freedom Toaster is now run as an independent project and that it is run as for profit. Now many, many years ago when the thing had no name, yes it didn't have a name once and the called it the Linux vending machine or some such, I was a member of the CLUG(Cape Town Linux User Group) and in one of my posts to the group I called it the Freedom Toaster. The name caught on and I was contacted to ask if they could use the name for the machines and also asked me to participate in choosing the design for the logo. The flying toaster was my choice and it's still their logo today. For a few years it was mentioned on the main website in the credits that I coined the name, but that has been removed. Anyway, my only condition was that the name stay in the public domain, nobody has any rights to it and that anyone who builds such a vending machine be allowed to post call it a Freedom Toaster. Now, it's a for profit project. What I would like to know is if Canonical or the Shuttleworth Foundation now claims some kind of copyright to the name? If the name is being commercialized or they claim some kind of copyright to it, I'm sure the CLUG logs would show otherwise and some kind of compensation would be in order if the name was to be moved out of the public domain.
Given the plethora of Ubuntu based distros out there, do you ever think that you should have built Ubuntu on something like FreeBSD (which has produced PC-BSD) instead of Linux? That way, Canonical could have kept sealed the most valuable improvements, and charged a good market price for it, say $10-20.
That way, Ubuntu would not even be under GPL, speaking of which, the FSF refuses to endorse Canonical due to a few of their policies, despite them being under GPL.
Hello Mr. Shuttleworth,
This is not a question:
I just wanted to thank you (if you read this) for investing so much of your own time, money, and energy into open source software. People tend to be nastier online, so I'm sure you've seen a lot of that. Most people that I see in person, when exposed to Ubuntu (and Debian) have a pretty positive response.
This is a question (with several parts):
1. Will Ubuntu ever have (backwards) binary compatibility between releases?
1.a. If so, to what degree? (Even windows finally dropped support for 16 bit apps.)
1.b. How much is the lack of binary compatibility due to the difficulty in achieving it?
1.c.I. Binary incompatibility in Linux gives open source software a huge advantage. Does that play into the decision at all?
1.c.II. Binary compatibility in Mac/Android makes the app stores possible. Does that play into the decision at all?
1.d. Hypothetically, if Debian were to take the first step and work towards making Debian binary compatible from version X onwards, how much of a difference would that make?
- Robert
Will Unity-2D returns in future releases of Ubuntu ? it was a good project for low specs PCs .
Who the fuck are you and why should I even care?
Do you have leverage over hardware makers as a consequence of Ubuntu's commercial success?
Are you able to get a better deal for the Linux/OSS community in general from hardware makers as a result?
Steve Jobs always took care that Apple released great products. In contrast, Ubuntu seems to be a periodic release of latest package versions without any aim for perfection. You know, releasing polished product instead of one with rough edges. I just mean tiny things like when I turn on my computer I have to switch on num lock all the times to enter my password or set brightness. And to mention The Big One, Unity simply does not fit into the visual style of Gnome. Gnome3 Shell with properly configured Dash to Dock extension fits Gnome smoothly, while functionally being th equivalent of Unity or OS X Dock. Fedora is a lost soul, but at least Ubuntu should go for perfection. Will that ever happen?
Why Canonical not take the European courts imposing buying Microsoft Windows along with nearly all laptop brands and models?
See:
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/other/l26061_en.htm
inside:
DEFINITION OF VERTICAL RESTRAINTS
effects
* limitations on the freedom of consumers to purchase goods or services in a Member State.
Specifically in Spain and other countries where it is virtually impossible to buy a laptop without MS Windows or require no cost charged in any store.
Google got MS Windows ask the browser to use, could be the same with the operating system the first time you open the computer and pay for what the consumers use.
Mark, I've been a fan of Ubuntu since version 11.04 and the introduction of Unity short after. However, it's been a desktop OS for quite a while now and it's...boring. Is there ever going to be a standalone "Ubuntu Mobile OS" which will compete with Android and iOS anytime soon? It's about time Canonical took the next step.
Can you say something about the usage of Ubuntu (or non-usage) throughout Africa since you created Canonical?
In 2008 I read a quote of something you said: "The great task in front of us over the next two years is to lift the experience of the Linux desktop from something that is stable and robust and not so pretty, into something that is art,". You were referring to making Ubuntu look better than OSX (MacOS as it was known at that time) and putting appearance at a higher priority than other things. (Source http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Linux-and-Open-Source/Shuttleworth-Make-Desktop-Linux-Better-than-Apple/).
In the early days I really liked Ubuntu - it was a great Linux distro, one that I could recommend to almost anyone regardless of their technical knowledge or Linux experience. Easy to install, configure, setup applications, and ROBUST. Unfortunately I feel that it has been downhill since about 2008, and in 2009 I switched to MacOS for my primary Desktop (i.e. notebook) OS. The reason for my switch? Stability, reliability and "it just works" - things Ubuntu had previously done for me.
I still use Ubuntu on a regular basis for some things - typically VM/VPS desktop installs, and it seems that the development priorities of appearance over robustness have continued. Why? Everyone I know in the IT world (most of whom come from non-windows centric experience - usually *NIX) would prefer stability and robustness over prettiness - and this is in fact why I ended up switching to OSX. OSX is extremely robust - and Ubuntu is not. The last time I installed Ubuntu, on what was pretty standard hardware, it didn't boot properly at first - and I think the new Unity interface is extremely confusing, and badly done.
Do you really think most users prefer appearance over functionality & robustness? (Not that I believe Canonical succeeded in making Ubuntu look any better, anyway. Sorry.)
(FWIW I have worked as a UNIX admin for many years in the past, and have used Linux extensively since around the kernel 1.2.13 days, so I think I have some experience on the subject. Also, Apple-hater trolls, no need to express your ignorance and say that people use Apple for it's appearance here. In my experience very few people have chosen Apple products for that reason - and this is not the place to discuss it.)
Considering Unity is designed as a common family of interfaces for different form factors still to make it to the public. Does that mean non touch-friendly aspects of the unity interface (for example, the close/minimize/maximize buttons could be considered too small for touch oriented devices) will be changed in order to better fit all form factors or will some differences be maintained if they are considered important or useful for a given form factor. If the latter is true, will developers have to support the different form factors ubuntu is to be released on differently (making changes to their software) or will there be some direct translation of the events asociated with interface elements suitable to one form factor to other events for other possible form factors?
Probably you agree with me that maybe the only way to solve most of the problems of the world, is with internet and letting the people discover each other.
Me, as a citizen, how can I help to get to that point faster?
There has been talk big game companies develop games for ubuntu?
Think Ubuntu is delayed in included in tablets?
Is there any chance that Ubuntu will again support the ARMv6 architecture so it may be run on the Raspberri Pi board?
Is Android the real "Linux for humans" or has Ubuntu changed that motto for commercial goals? In other words, is Ubuntu trying to be like Android or will it go back to its roots?
When my girl friend recently asked me “what are you goals in life?” I said, I would like to have a career like Mark Shuttleworth! It is not only the career but I think you as a role model, because of your personality, what opinions you have expressed in various interviews. For example: that you think twice before investing in Canonical, since the money can be used for non-profit organisations helping poor people. What are you personal qualities that have got you where you are today?
I'll ask: when gonna Ubuntu adopt Wayland and discard the obsolete and bloated X.org?
Dear Mark,
I would like to know why the Ubuntu's Software Center does not integrate a copy-protection like the Apple's App Store. How comercial apps are supposed to avoid a person to copy and pirate our software downloaded from the Software Center? I tryed to port some software to Ubuntu and that avoids me to release my program.
thx
To mark:
What do you think about the ARM architecture in the future and what are your plans to support new devices like the Exynos 5.
thx
Hey Mark,
Ek verstaan jy's nie afrikaans nie, maar ek dog die vraag trek dalk bietjie jou aandag en maak jou bietjie na die huis verlang.
Gaan julle ouens bietjie bitcoin begin aanvaag vir donasies binnekort?
Nog beter gaan julle nie sommer die Bitcoin sagteware opsigtelik in Ubuntu in bou om aandag te trek vir die great projek nie?
-Schalk Dormehl,
Pretoria,
Suid Afrika
I would like to know if future versions of Ubuntu would include a desktop like mate-desktop and cinnamon. So many people don't like desktop as Gnome 3 or Unity, they aren't easy to use and not friendly. Would Ubuntu Developers teams to incluse mate-desktop near the future ?.
Why on Ubuntu 12.10 stopped providing unity2d. There are some graphics chipsets that 3d acceleration is not supported, like my netbook's graphics chipset gma500 with psb-gfx module. So unity will slow down or cannot run at all under these graphics shipsets. Also many bugs to unity are because af supports 3d accelleration but the drivers for graphics card are nto too stable so it becomes buggy. Why did you decide not to provide an alternative?