Ubuntu Linux Claims 12,000 Cloud Deployments 165
darthcamaro writes "The cloud is more than just hype for Ubuntu. Canonical COO Matt Asay is now saying that they can count 12,000 deployments of the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud. He also thinks the cloud is where Ubuntu can make money — because in his view, the company for the last five years wasn't set up to generate revenue. From the article: 'The conversion of non-paying to paying users is often a difficult ratio to report for any open source effort, and Ubuntu is no exception. Asay noted that Canonical plans to get more aggressive at tracking its free-to-paid ratio on Ubuntu Linux and its related services and technologies. "For the first five years of the company's life, it wasn't set up to make money," Asay said. "The company was set up to make a fantastic Linux distribution and other tools around it and get it out there and get people using it. That was the focus." That's now changing at Canonical as the emphasis is now shifting to generating revenues.'"
Ubuntu One (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Good for them. (Score:5, Informative)
If they start charging to get Ubuntu, then the balance tips back in favor of the defacto "standard" OS that everyone else uses.
They aren't charging people to install Ubuntu on their laptops. They're starting to charge people for support on Ubuntu server and for in the cloud services. The only way you'll be paying for Ubuntu on your desktop is if you need support or if you want to backup your machine online with Ubuntu.
This is a GPL product. If they were to start charging for a copy, one guy would buy it then give it away for free to everyone else. That's not much of a business model for anyone.
Re:Why choose Ubuntu? Why not something else? (Score:4, Informative)
The community counts a lot. Also, popularity helps a lot, especially for a FLOSS project. When I go looking for walk-throughs or tutorials for some FLOSS application, Ubuntu is nearly always used as an example. Every distribution has its idiosyncrasies, which of course is why there are different distributions, so it makes life easier if the idiosyncrasies of the distribution you're using are specifically addressed.
There are some things I like about Fedora -- in general, that it's more conventional in several respects. Canonical is developing a habit of innovating first, documenting later, for important features -- take Upstart, for instance, which handles startup and shutdown processes.
I notice that I'll read sysadmins saying they like to use Ubuntu on their personal computers, but some other distribution on their servers, usually Debian or CentOS. One expects different things from different computers.
Re:Ubuntu One (Score:3, Informative)
That works for routers and phones, but I was thinking of PC software.
Don't forget servers and appliances. Oracle, IBM, Sun, and dozens more sell servers with Linux and other OSS pre-installed.
Most major PC OEMs and even local PC builders in my area don't advertise Linux PCs.
That's true, but with the advent of Netbooks and other cheap hardware a number of companies are selling Linux based computers. Walmart sells them on their Web site. I haven't seen many (any?) with Ubuntu though. Some major OEMs offer it as an option on some of their computers, but those same companies are hopelessly tied to MS for the vast majority of their offerings so they never go anywhere and are not advertised.
Re:'set up to make a fantastic Linux distribution. (Score:2, Informative)
Ubuntu 10.04 <a href="http://it.slashdot.org/story/10/04/21/2021247/Ubuntu-LTS-Experiences-Xorg-Memory-Leak">presumably</a> is not it just yet.</p></quote>
It's already been fixed.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg-server/+bug/565981
Re:Related Timing? (Score:5, Informative)
Plymouth originated as a RedHat technology [fedoraproject.org], so expect to see it there too. Wouldn't be surprised to find it in the next Debian too--it's where everybody else is going. The ability to "degrade" back to simple text mode is supposed to be there. I expect that months from now, part of the standard set of tricks every Linux server admin knows will be how to force Plymouth into text mode. I believe this works:
plymouth-set-default-plugin text
Re:Ubuntu One (Score:3, Informative)
That's true, but with the advent of Netbooks and other cheap hardware a number of companies are selling Linux based computers. Walmart sells them on their Web site. I haven't seen many (any?) with Ubuntu though.
Dell [dell.com] has a few options at least. There's some more listed here [ubuntu.com] but no other big names. Trouble is that knowledgeable Linux users will usually check out if a laptop works with Linux and go with some better deal on the hardware rather than the preinstalls. It's a tough crowd to sell to...
Re:Why choose Ubuntu? Why not something else? (Score:3, Informative)
At work they run redhat, and it takes the sysadmins a lot of panicking to get packages installed I need to do my job (research programming). One line apt-get install for my Debian laptop or Ubuntu server (yes, I know I'm doing it wrong).
So I'm off programming instead of rolling rpms by hand.
well, yes (Score:2, Informative)
I am well aware of Dell selling a few examples of Ubuntu based computers. And if you go to Dell's mainpage, not knowing they sold Ubuntu, you wouldn't know it, it is hidden. It's there on the site, but joe sixpack wouldn't see it. OK, so say I am joe sixpack, go to their main page, click over to desktops http://www.dell.com/home/desktops [dell.com]. On the side there they list "operating systems". I see windows, vista and 7. So this theoretical purchaser would have to know in advance they even sold Ubuntu to start searching around for it. That isn't support, it's a hidden in the back of the warehouse few examples of some old cruft they got kicking around, it isn't being pushed, not even close to equal billing. And that's the *best* they have in five years effort so far.
So, this is still *not the same* as a Canonical labeled and supported integrated hardware and software product, that's the point. With Dell labeling, they only have two of those things, and Dell obviously doesn't push it or you would see the choice/option right off the bat when you start shopping on their site. And the whole thread is about Ubuntu becoming something worth buying, for anyone, making them mo' money. They want to sell "the cloud", how about just selling a computer that works and is price competitive as well as "the cloud"? I bet if they tried, it just might work. Heck, start with the cheapest netbooks, maybe ARM based, work up from there. Dip a toe in that water.