CANONICAL JUMPS ON THE APP DEVELOPER PLATFORM

Creating apps for Ubuntu is about to get a lot easier, now that the folks over at Canonical have launched the Ubuntu App Developer platform. On the new site, developers will find guides, tutorials and other resources to help them create apps specifically for the Linux OS, or to port other apps to the platform. Once finalized, these apps can then be published on the Ubuntu Software Centre, where developers can choose to either offer them for free, or at a price. In announcing the new platform, community member David Planella predicted that it will offer a "unified and consistent journey for both open-source, non-commercial and commercial app authors." He went on to acknowledge, however, that there's still plenty of work to be done: "For all its current awesomeness, we are aware that the site needs to pass the test of a wider audience, adapt to their needs, and grow."

UBUNTU HITTING Eee PCS; TAKING ON MICROSOFT

Think ASUS netbooks threw Linux out the window? Think again: the Eee PC 1001PXD, 1011PX and 1015PX are about to get Ubuntu configurations. Harking back to when the famous netbook line launched running Xandros, these Ubuntu loaded machines could help Linux reach a larger audience.

Canonical representatives are pitting the new netbooks against Windows-powered machines, telling The Inquirer that Ubuntu is competing with Microsoft, not other Linux distributions.

That's quite a goliath you picked there, Ubuntu. Are a trio of Atom notebooks enough to win the war on Windows? Considering Dell abandoned their love of Linux over a year ago, we're guessing no.

ORACLE TURNS OVER OPENOFFICE TO COMMUNITY GROUP

Last year, the LibreOffice project split away from Oracle’s OpenOffice.org (OOo). More than 30 developers were part of the original exodus, and with backing from heavy hitters like Google, Canonical, Novell, and Red Hat The Document Foundation hit the ground running with its alternative to the already-alternative productive suite, LibreOffice. Those sponsors had previously lent their support to Oracle’s project, and eventually the defections would prove to be more than Oracle could cope with. It became virtually impossible for the company to continue maintaining OpenOffice. With LibreOffice now the default offering in Ubuntu 11.04 and a good number of smaller Linux distributions following suit, interest in OOo seems to be spiraling down the drain.

Fast forward to today, and Oracle has decided to wash its hands of OpenOffice (mostly). Control will be handed over to a community group, and Chief Corporate Architect Edward Screven says Oracle will work with supporters in order “to further the continued success of Open Office.”

As Ars Technica points out, it’s little more than a symbolic gesture at this point since the bulk of the OOo community has already moved on and pledged support to the LibreOffice fork. There’s no word yet on whether Oracle will give up the OpenOffice.org branding, though it seems unlikely given that it refused to let the LibreOffice crew have it once already.

Screven does go on to state that Oracle will continue lending a hand with the adoption of standards-based, open formats like .ODF. That’s not a surprise considering Oracle’s history of involvement with open initiatives like Linux and MySQL.

UBUNTU TO REPLACE X WINDOW SYSTEM WITH WAYLAND

Mark Shuttleworth keeps making surprising announcements regarding Ubuntu. Yesterday he announced Ubuntu would be ditching X Window System and going with Wayland for its GUI solution. Mark said "We don’t believe X is setup to deliver the user experience we want, with super-smooth graphics and effects. I understand that it’s *possible* to get amazing results with X, but it’s extremely hard, and isn’t going to get easier. Some of the core goals of X make it harder to achieve these user experiences on X than on native GL, we’re choosing to prioritize the quality of experience over those original values, like network transparency."

The aim of Wayland is to ensure “every frame is perfect, by which I mean that applications will be able to control the rendering enough that we’ll never see tearing, lag, redrawing or flicker.” It’s also important to note it uses OpenGL-ES.

Although still very young, Wayland has impressed Shuttleworth enough for him to commit early. Regarding timing of the switch Shuttleworth stated "Timeframes are difficult. I’m sure we could deliver *something* in six months, but I think a year is more realistic for the first images that will be widely useful in our community. I’d love to be proven conservative on that but I suspect it’s more likely to err the other way. It might take four or more years to really move the ecosystem." [Geek]

UBUNTU LINUX DROPS GNOME SHELL

Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu's founder, announced Ubuntu will drop the Gnome shell and replace it with Unity starting with the 11.04 release.  Unity can be found in the 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" netbook release currently available.

Shuttleworth described desktop adoption of Unity as the "most significant change ever" for Ubuntu. He also acknowledged that it is a "risky step" and that much work remains to be done to prepare for the transition. The move reflects Ubuntu's growing divergence from the standard upstream GNOME configuration and effort to differentiate itself with a distinctive user experience.

Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu, has accumulated a team of professional designers with considerable expertise over the past few years. They want to set their own direction and create a user experience that meets the needs of their audience. [Ars Technica]

UBUNTU MAVERICK MEERKAT LAUNCHING 10-10-10

Canonical has announced their latest version of Ubuntu, Maverick Meerkat, will launch on October 10, 2010 or 10-10-10, for netbooks and desktops.  The Linux variation has a number of upgrades and improvements including the user interface.  The new UI was designed for smaller screens and supports touch and gestures for tablet devices.

Digitimes is reporting that Dell will begin rolling out Ubuntu 10.10 netbooks within the next month or so.  Head on over to Ubuntu tomorrow and get your own copy which can be installed as a multi-boot, a standalone or on a USB key for a portable OS. [Geek]

PRESS RELEASE

Latest Ubuntu Version Puts Focus on Consumers and Mobile
Ubuntu 10.10 adds features for desktop and netbook users

London, October 7, 2010: Canonical today announced the upcoming availability of Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop and Netbook Editions for download on Sunday, October 10.

Focused on home and mobile computing users, Ubuntu 10.10 introduces an array of online and offline applications to Ubuntu Desktop Edition with a particular focus on the personal cloud. Ubuntu Netbook Edition users will experience an all-new desktop interface called ‘Unity’ — specifically tuned for smaller screens and computing on the move.

Ubuntu One, the personal cloud service for Ubuntu users, includes new services and expanded features, significant performance enhancements and interoperability with other operating systems including Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone and Microsoft Windows.

The Ubuntu Software Centre, which gives users instant access to thousands of applications, games and tools, now includes the ability to purchase commercial applications, providing a unified portal for both free and commercial software. The Ubuntu community is putting renewed focus on attracting application developers and software publishers to make their work available to Ubuntu users. The universe of applications, both free and commercial, certified on Ubuntu continues to grow.

“Ubuntu 10.10 for desktops and netbooks is our most consumer-friendly release yet,” said Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical. “Ubuntu One’s personal cloud services will put Ubuntu at the heart of many users’ computing worlds even when they need or prefer to use other platforms. Unity has the opportunity to change how we think about our use of computers and the Software Centre will bridge Ubuntu with the applications users need to switch to the world’s best OS.”

Ubuntu One Basic, available free of charge, provides a personal cloud for sharing and syncing files, contacts, bookmarks and notes, with 2GB of free storage, access to music from the integrated store and (new in 10.10) a beta client for Windows allowing users to integrate their Windows and Ubuntu worlds.

As part of the paid Ubuntu One Mobile service, applications are now available for Android and iPhone so users can stream their music collections from their personal cloud to their mobile devices and synchronize contacts. Users might find that they need extra capacity so 20GB blocks of additional storage can be purchased on demand.

Unity is a new interface for Ubuntu that is making its debut in Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition. It is designed for highly mobile computing, making the most of precious screen space on mobile devices. The Unity interface also supports touch and gestures for the increasing number of devices that will support it, with larger icons and a more touch-intuitive interface.

Pricing and availability
Ubuntu 10.10 Desktop Edition is available free of charge for download from Sunday, October 10 from http://www.ubuntu.com.
Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition (featuring the Unity interface) is available free of charge for download from Sunday, October 10 from http://www.ubuntu.com.
Existing Ubuntu users can upgrade directly from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.
Ubuntu One is available from http://one.ubuntu.com.
Ubuntu One Basic is free of charge.
Ubuntu One Mobile costs USD $3.99 per month or USD $39.99 annually.
Ubuntu One 20-pack storage costs USD $2.99 per month or USD $29.99 annually for each 20GB package.
Ubuntu Software Centre and its applications can be accessed from the Ubuntu Applications menu

UBUNTU MAVERICK MEERKAT BETA RELEASED

Canonical has released the a beta version of Maverick Meerkat (10.10), the newest version of their Linux OS.   The final version will be released in October of this year. There is a new photo manager, improved multimedia controls, better Ubuntu One syncing and more.

Ubuntu One, the Dropbox like syncing service has been improved.  It syncs personal files, settings, Music Store purchases and other users data.  It has a new easier to use single sign-in and the look and feel are much improved.

The Software Center has been improved as well.  The new center makes it easier to see the apps installed as well as see popular and recommended apps.

Shotwell has replaced the previous default photo manager and it's a step in teh right direction.  Other little tweaks include the volume control on the system panel.  The control now controls music player.  Rythmbox and other default apps have had their bug fixes, updates and upgrades.

Download Ubuntu 10.10