Canonical remains committed to Landscape — the remote systems management platform for Ubuntu. But one of the Landscape team members has joined Dell, according to sources close to the hardware giant. Here’s the update.

When Canonical launched Landscape 1.5 this week, it was a timely reminder that the software company is trying to develop multiple revenue streams beyond Ubuntu services. Moreover, Landscape 1.5 represents Canonical’s latest attempt to make Ubuntu easier for businesses and solutions providers to remotely manage. Here’s a closer look at the Landscape strategy.

No doubt, you know Ubuntu 10.04 debuts today. Most Ubuntu trackers are focused on the desktop and server editions — where Canonical seems to be making progress with ISVs and partners. But during a recent discussion with Canonical Chief Operating Officer Matt Asay (pictured), it became clear to me that Canonical thinks Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud may unlock key revenue opportunities for the company. Here’s why.

It’s official: Ubuntu 10.04 Long Term Support arrives April 29, and this particular blogger was privy to the press conference about it. Canonical Chairman Mark Shuttleworth and CEO Jane Silber discussed the plans and progress of new operating system, and then fielded some Q and A. The key news:  More than 80 ISVs are supporting Ubuntu. But here’s what it means for the desktop users and Canonical as a whole…

No doubt, it’s sometimes difficult to measure Ubuntu’s business success. Canonical says Ubuntu now has about 12 million Linux users — up from an estimated 8 million users in 2007. That sounds impressive, but what does that really mean in terms of Ubuntu’s market penetration, Canonical’s march to profitability and Ubuntu’s progress as a Linux distribution? In my mind, there are additional data points Canonical could share to further show Ubuntu’s momentum. Here they are.

From time to time, Dell does a poor job articulating its Ubuntu Linux strategy. But sources close to Dell and Canonical continue to insist the relationship remains healthy and “stronger than ever.” Here’s an update on Dell’s Ubuntu strategy — which includes a dramatic Dell-Ubuntu PC push in China.

Call it a small but strategic step in the right direction. Following in the footsteps of Red Hat and Novell, the folks at Canonical are positioning Ubuntu for use by Wall Street firms. Some details about the effort could surface on April 19, during the HPC (High Performance Computing) Linux Financial Markets conference in New York. Here are some details.

I’m not suggesting that a blockbuster Canonical-Oracle relationship is set to emerge. But there are indications that Canonical continues to make some Ubuntu progress with MySQL — the open source database now owned by Oracle. Here’s some of the anecdotal information I’ve heard.

As Ubuntu 10.04’s debut approaches in April 2010, the hype has started: Plenty of folks are writing the usual Ubuntu vs. Windows or Ubuntu vs. Mac OS X stories. But another theme is emerging, and it involves Canonical’s Ubuntu Server Edition and Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) strategies — both of which are showing some momentum. Here’s why.

If the American government invested as many resources rounding up violators of software licenses as it does fighting “terror” (and no, I don’t mean the Jacobin variety), I’d have been put away long ago, because all of my Ubuntu systems use patented multimedia software that I didn’t pay for.  But I’ve recently realized that it doesn’t have to be this way, and that legal codec support is easily available.  Here’s a look at some of those options.