As this site has noted, Canonical and Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth at OSCON called for Linux distributions to leapfrog the quality of Apple’s Mac OS X user experience. Here’s how the Linux industry can fulfill that vision.

Just from looking at what’s in development, Ubuntu looks as if it will have a very good second half of 2008. The situation in the computer industry has been looking up for the Linux distribution, which has been getting good reports from all over.

Dell will soon be entering the miniature-laptop market with a new competitor to the Asus Eee. Known details is that it will come with Windows XP or Ubuntu, at the preference of the buyer, and it will also come with Intel’s new Atom processor, which is tailored for smaller devices.

The Ubuntu Developer channel has been launched on YouTube. The channel features videos about developing for Ubuntu. Currently, there are several videos featuring the current Ubuntu Developer Summit. The Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS) is where Ubuntu developers and contributors get together to discuss the next version of Ubuntu soon to be in development. This release, the UDS is being held in Prague, where the developers and community leaders will discuss Ubuntu 8.10, codename Intrepid Ibex.

Ubuntu 8.04, codename Hardy Heron, is an LTS, or Long Term Support release. It gets three years of support and updates on the desktop. This release provides the perfect solution for those looking for a stable system that will stand the test of time, as well as provide new features for their computer.

After recently installing Ubuntu 8.04 Beta, I have seen numerous improvements that will bring welcome change to users in the near future. Now in beta stage, Ubuntu is stable enough for me or anyone else who is interesting in testing the new version. While I have not seen any problems, it is not recommended for use on production machines. Here are some highlights.

Intel’s new Silverthorne and Diamondville processors are due to be released sometime during the second quarter of this year, according to this article on Computerworld. The chips are built and specialized to run Linux.

Amazon.com has quietly released its MP3 downloader program for Linux, with an available download for Ubuntu’s latest version, 7.10. So, what does this mean for Ubuntu users?

Since Ubuntu is such a large project, it can be hard to determine how you can help bring new users to the operating system. In my opinion, one of the best ways to help in the advocation effort is through Local Community Teams, simply called “LoCo” for short.