Even as Dell prepares to ship computers with Ubuntu 10.04 pre-loaded, the PC giant is battling rumors that it no longer remains committed to Canonical’s Linux distribution. For Dell, it’s time for a clear, concise statement that specifically describes the company’s history with Ubuntu and next moves with the operating system. Here’s why.

UPDATE, July 27, 2010: Dell’s Web site now lists a Studio XPS desktop system running Ubuntu 10.04.

Still, rumors have clouded Dell’s Ubuntu strategy. The PC giant introduced Ubuntu on several desktops and notebooks in 2007, and Dell Ubuntu netbooks soon followed. But more recently, Dell’s U.S. website (www.dell.com/ubuntu) has offered a very limited Ubuntu lineup. And some media blogs have spread rumors that Dell will stop selling Ubuntu online.

The result: Dell’s reputation within the Ubuntu community is hit and miss. That’s too bad, especially since Dell had the guts to preload and promote Ubuntu systems the very year Windows Vista launched. Dell says it has shipped more Ubuntu systems than any other PC company in the world. Plus, Dell’s cloud strategy includes Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud. And more recently, Dell in April 2010 reaffirmed its commitment to Ubuntu even as Windows 7 won upbeat feedback from many customers and media sites.

So why are some users and some media members so skeptical about Dell’s Ubuntu commitment? Part of the problem involves PR and fragmented communications. Generally speaking, I find Dell very responsive to my PR inquiries. But Dell’s Ubuntu strategy varies from one country to the next. As a result, negative media coverage in one country can spill over into another country.

Despite all the controversy, Dell’s web site indicates that the company plans to ship Ubuntu 10.04 on selected systems sometime during the summer of 2010 (see tip 5 on this web page for the Dell 10.04 pre-load statement). August is nearly here. The new Ubuntu 10.04 systems, plus a clear Ubuntu strategy statement from Dell, would go a long way toward silencing the PC giant’s critics.

UPDATE, July 27, 2010: Dell’s Web site now lists a Studio XPS system running Ubuntu 10.04.

When Canonical officially launched Ubuntu 10.04 on April 29, I reached out to System76 President Carl Richell (pictured) to see when the Ubuntu-centric PC maker would begin offering the new distribution on netbooks, notebooks, PCs and servers. Here are some updates and insights from Richell and System76.

Our interview, conducted over email, covered the following questions…

WorksWithU: How soon will you start shipping 10.04 on systems?

Richell: System76 starts shipping Ubuntu 10.04 LTS systems on Monday, May 3rd. This is our 10th Ubuntu release so we’re pretty well seasoned. Our techs are building OS images with the final 10.04 code, completing quality tests, and then uploading the images to PC assembly centers over the weekend.

WorksWithU: Any thoughts on 10.04? Will it live up to hype? Is it a game changer?

Richell: Ubuntu 10.04 is a dramatic departure in appearance and polish and a fundamental departure in desktop and cloud integration. Ubuntu’s brown theme treated it well over many releases, but it was time for a change. The new controls, icons, fonts, purple tones, and Ubuntu logo feel fresh and modern. I am biased though – I love the purple – System76’s office accent walls are purple .

More fundamental — and game changing — is Ubuntu 10.04’s desktop and cloud integration. Facebook, twitter, Flickr, instant messaging, online music, and online file syncing are integrated into the desktop. These online services are extremely easy to use from within Ubuntu. So easy to use, in fact, that the line between Internet and desktop starts to disappear. It’s very exciting when the vast repository of knowledge and content on the Internet meets the power of your desktop.

WorksWithU: How’s your Ubuntu Server business going? Any application or customer trends? Are you targeting any particular vertical markets?

Richell: Server sales have increased substantially for the first quarter of 2010 — before the 10.04 LTS release. I expect the trend to accelerate with a new LTS release. Unit sales are up 83% and gross revenue from servers are up 91%.

WorksWithU: How about notebooks and netbooks; any key Ubuntu trends there?

Richell: First, we’ve noticed a similar trend to the rest of the industry. NetBooks are a complementary PC for traveling and quick at-home or office Internet access. That’s remains the same when it comes to Ubuntu. What is different; however, is how many first time Ubuntu users are more comfortable starting out with a NetBook or NetTop. The cost of entry is lower.

First time Ubuntu users, in particular, want Ubuntu on professionally pre-loaded NetBooks and NetTops. I think they feel that they’re getting the real Ubuntu experience — more so than loading Ubuntu on hardware that originally shipped with Windows. We’re then seeing those customers come back to System76 for laptops.

Revenue Trends and Next Moves

Richell also shared some grander revenue trends and business moves at System76. I’m still sorting through the information and plan to post a follow-up blog.

No doubt, some of Richell’s perspectives mirror those of ZaReason, another Ubuntu-centric PC provider that has launched Ubuntu 10.04 systems in recent days.

Separately, I need to check in with Dell to see if/when the PC giant plans to preload Ubuntu on netbooks. The fastest way to track Dell’s Ubuntu PC efforts in the U.S. is to visit http://www.dell.com/ubuntu — though in recent months Dell seems to have dramatically cut back on the number of Ubuntu-centric systems it offers.

Each time Canonical ships a new Ubuntu release, I’m inclined to reach out to two specific PC companies: ZaReason and System76. Both companies focus intensely on Ubuntu netbooks, notebooks, PCs and servers. Here’s a look at ZaReason’s Ubuntu 10.04 strategy — according to CEO Cathy Malmrose and CTO Earl Malmrose (pictured).

The quick Q&A below is based on an email exchange I had with Cathy and Earl.I’ll be sure to follow-up with System76’s perspectives soon.

WorksWitnU: Any initial thoughts on how Ubuntu 10.04 will perform in the market?

ZaReason: We are over-the-top psyched about the 10.04 release. We have a good portion of customers who stick with LTS (Long Term Support) releases. 10.04 is light-years beyond 8.04 (the previous LTS) in every way. We are looking forward to the next two years being full of happy LTS customers.

WorksWithU: Will you start shipping on launch day?

ZaReason: Definitely. We track the pre-releases very carefully. There is really no reason to delay beyond launch day.

WorksWithU: How’s your server business going? Any trends worth noting?

ZaReason: Our servers are great, but we focus more the consumer market. We want to see one of our laptops in Costco someday. Ubuntu is solid enough that there really isn’t anything holding us back other than market share. There aren’t any technical limitations anymore.

WorksWithU: Do you think Ubuntu can still define a mobile internet device (MID) market, or is that the domain of iPad, Android, Chrome, etc.?

ZaReason: I’d keep an eye on MeeGo. They have some pretty serious backing in the form of Intel, Nokia, and Linux Foundation. We hope to see the fruits of that collaboration in the near future.

The Bigger Picture

Frequent WorksWithU readers know that I’m biased toward ZaReason and System76 in the Ubuntu market. Generally speaking, I find both companies responsive, professional and committed to customer quality. If you spot additional Ubuntu-centric PC makers and system builders in the market please alert me (joe [at] NineLivesMediaInc.com).

As regular readers of WorksWithU are aware, I recently purchased a Latitude 2100 netbook from Dell and am pretty happy about it.  Now that I’ve used it for a couple weeks, it’s time for a review of its performance under Ubuntu.

Before getting into the Ubuntu-specific aspects of the netbook, let’s start with the basics.

Hardware overview

My netbook came with a 6-cell battery, an Intel 945 graphics chipset, Intel 5100 wireless and a 1.3 megapixel webcam.  It weighs in at just under 3 pounds, placing it a bit on the heavy side for netbooks (Dell’s Mini 10, by comparison, is closer to 2.5 pounds).

Overall, the hardware seems very sturdy, and the 16-gigabyte SSD drive makes me extra confident when hauling the machine around.  The 2100 is a bit unorthodox in that there’s no latch for closing the lid, but it seems to stay shut on its own without a problem.

The keyboard, at 10×4 inches, is about 8% smaller than a standard laptop’s, but is easy enough to use.  My only complaints are that the arrow keys are a bit small, and the trackpad would be a little larger in an ideal world, but the input devices are comfortable enough as they are.

The 10.1 inch screen is obviously small–this is a netbook–but the image is clear and the backlight can be adjusted in ten increments, which is useful for saving power.  In addition, Dell offers a touchscreen option on this netbook–which I now regret not opting for–which I’m promised works well in Ubuntu and offers an exciting new range of possibilities.

The only majorly annoying hardware feature on this netbook is a large white light on the back of the screen that flashes to indicate wifi activity.  Dell reportedly designed it this way to alert teachers when their students were online (the 2100 is targeted at the education market).

The light can be disabled, but doing so involves tearing open the case and voiding the warranty.  I’d be really happy to see Dell issue a BIOS update that would allow users to turn off the light without getting physical.

Ubuntu on the 2100

After some initial debate regarding whether I’d be better off with the lpia version, I installed the i386 build of Ubuntu 9.10 on the netbook and have stuck with it.  Installation went seamlessly and took less than a half-hour.

Over the approximately two weeks that I’ve been using it, Ubuntu 9.10 has performed very well on this hardware.  The wireless is flawless and gets great range, and desktop effects are extremely smooth and snappy.

Sounds works well.  The speaker quality is not awesome, but I assume that’s the fault of the hardware, not Ubuntu, and I wasn’t expecting professional quality in an inexpensive netbook.

The one software issue I’ve come up against is the webcam.  It was detected by Ubuntu out-of-the-box, but when I installed Cheese for taking pictures and video, I found I could only record the latter if I reduced the camera resolution to around 320×240 pixels, instead of the maximum 1280×1024.

This is the first webcam I’ve ever owned, so I don’t know whether having to record video at a low resolution is normal, or whether it’s the fault of Ubuntu or Cheese.  But 320×240 resolution is not the end of the world, and I’m happy with it until I get some time to look into this further.

Some conclusions

In terms of overall performance, I am intensely happy with Ubuntu on this machine.  I was worried about the Atom CPUs being sluggish, but I’ve had no problems whatsoever.  Having 2 gigabytes of memory probably helps, but this netbook can even run Windows XP in VirtualBox without flinching.  That’s a lot more than I can say for the circa-2004 Pentium IV Inspiron laptop that my Latitude is replacing.

If it weren’t for the small disk capacity (Dell offers much larger ones if you don’t opt for the SSD variety) on the netbook, I’d consider ditching my two-year-old Core 2 Duo/2 gigabyte RAM desktop and turn this machine into my main computer.  Based on my experience so far, I don’t think the performance would be that much different at all, and it would save a lot of space on my desk.

To sum up, the Latitude 2100 is a great piece of hardware with near-flawless Ubuntu support.  If only I could disable the wifi light so I don’t look extra foolish during my next research trip to the French military archives, I’d be well pleased indeed.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my search for an Ubuntu netbook.  I finally made a decision and received the new machine this week.  Read on for the details.

As I discussed in the earlier post, my search centered around three vendors–System76, Zareason and Dell–each of which offers Ubuntu as a pre-installed option on netbooks.

As commentators on the post pointed out, there are plenty of netbooks from other manufacturers that will run Ubuntu just fine, but few of those vendors offer Ubuntu preinstalled (a few do provide other versions of Linux as an OS option).  I’m certainly capable of installing Ubuntu myself, but I prefer not to pay the Windows tax.

And the winner is…

System76, Zareason and Dell all provide solid options.  In the end, however, I ended up choosing a Latitude 2100 netbook from Dell’s education and business line–which was not among my initial considerations but was brought to my attention by readers.

The decision was mostly an economic one.  Dell simply proved to be the least expensive option for my configuration, particularly because I bought from its refurbished outlet, which offers discounts on lightly used pre-owned systems, but with the same warranty as on new machines.

For a refurbished Latitude 2100 with 2 gigabytes of memory, webcam, Intel a/g/n wireless, 6-cell battery and 16-gigabyte SSD device, I paid $308 before taxes and after applying a 15% discount coupon I had received from a friend for Dell refurbished systems.  As an added bonus, Dell was offering free shipping the week of my purchase.

Based on my research, that price seemed like quite a deal for those specs.  A new system with similar hardware from any of the three vendors I was considering would have cost at least a hundred dollars more.

I took a risk, of course, playing the refurbished game with Dell.  But in my case, there’s no indication that anyone used the netbook before me–it looked brand new in its packaging–and all the hardware works great so far.

In defense of Zareason and System76

In fairness to Zareason and System76, the pricing on their netbooks is by no means outrageous, and there are good reasons to buy from those companies despite their slightly higher prices (which seem less high if you’re not willing to consider Dell’s refurbished systems).  Besides supporting Linux-only vendors, their customers are likely to receive a less bureaucratic and more Ubuntu-oriented support experience, should they require it.

In addition, as far as I could tell, all of Zareason’s and System76’s netbooks use completely free drivers that will “just work” in any modern version of Ubuntu.  In contrast, Dell inexplicably incorporates some devices–like the Intel UMA 500 graphics chipset and some Broadcom-based wireless cards–that lack truly open-source support and are thus not Ubuntu-friendly.  Although Dell provides drivers for these devices, getting them working in generic Ubuntu (as opposed to Dell’s customized build) involves a lot of shenanigans.

For me, since I’ve been using Ubuntu for a while and don’t expect to require commercial technical support, and because I was able to avoid non-Linux friendly hardware, cost mattered most and Dell proved to make the most sense.  Depending on their needs, however, other users may make different choices.

In any case, I am well pleased with my new netbook and hope to write a post soon detailing its performance under Ubuntu.

For roughly two years, readers have told WorksWithU they have a difficult time finding Ubuntu desktop and laptop options on Dell’s U.S. Website. Apparently, Dell heard the constructive criticism. Only a few weeks after Windows 7’s launch, Dell is giving Ubuntu more real estate on the Dell U.S. website. Here’s the scoop.

To Dell U.S.’s credit, the company has long offered visitors a specific URL (www.dell.com/ubuntu) for Ubuntu shoppers. Now, in a subtle but important step, Dell also is finally exposing Ubuntu to consumers who may not be familiar with Linux.

Check Dell’s page for home laptop buyers and there’s a menu (see image, left) offering Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and … drum roll, please … Ubuntu options. Thank you to a number of readers who pointed out Dell’s decision to highlight the Ubuntu option.

Still, there’s more room for Ubuntu progress at Dell. The PC giant’s business laptop page doesn’t mention Ubuntu-specific options — though there are FreeDos and Linux check boxes. Also, Dell’s consumer desktop and business desktop pages don’t mention Ubuntu — though Dell U.S. does sell one Ubuntu desktop as of Dec. 10, 2009. And I admit: Dell’s track record selling Ubuntu systems varies greatly from one country to the next.

In mid-2009, I concede, I was worried about Dell U.S.’s commitment to Ubuntu because the PC giant briefly stopped offering Ubuntu desktop preloads. But by October 2010 2009 Dell U.S. had made good on a promise to re-introduce Ubuntu desktops.

Fast forward to the present and Dell — only a few weeks after Windows 7’s launch — has added Ubuntu to its home laptop menu page. That’s a small but very significant move.

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I recently came into the market for a new Ubuntu netbook, and have been scouring the Internet looking for the best deal.  It’s been a fun experience, but also one replete with frustration at certain large computer vendors with byzantine websites that treat Linux as a dirty word.  Read on for details.

Netbooks don’t offer quite as many options as a full-blown computer, so there’s not as much to think about when purchasing one.  Moreover, I like to think of myself as a flexible guy, so I’m not looking for anything too specific.  My only requirements are:

• at least 2 gigabytes of memory
• a built-in webcam
• a solid-state drive
• something that’s not Windows–ideally Ubuntu–needs to be preinstalled, because I don’t want to pay for a license I won’t use

Not surprisingly, my research has led me to conclude that the only realistic offerings in my prince range (around $350, before shipping) involve the three major vendors that include Ubuntu among their official operating system choices.

Here’s a rundown of these manufacturers’ respective offers as of December 7.

Dell

Dell, which famously became the first large PC vendor to start offering Ubuntu as a pre-installed option in 2007, was the first place I turned in my search for a netbook.  Unfortunately, although the page I found by googling “Dell netbook” suggests that Ubuntu is an option, it was nowhere to be found when I clicked the link to buy (nor was it a customizable option):

It turns out the only way to purchase an Ubuntu netbook from Dell is to start from Dell’s Ubuntu page.  Presumably this decision is intended to prevent non-geeks from accidentally purchasing computers with Ubuntu, then returning them.  If so, fair enough.  But the main netbook page shouldn’t mention Ubuntu if it’s not accessible there, and it shouldn’t take careful sleuthing around Dell’s site to find the Ubuntu options.

When I did finally find the part of Dell’s website that I was looking for, I priced a netbook with a 16-gigabyte solid-state drive and webcam at $309.  Unfortunately, Dell limits the memory option to 1 gigabyte, presumably because Microsoft has decided no one can ship Windows XP on a netbook with more than that much memory, which is really dumb.

ZaReason

After my frustrating experience with Dell, I visited ZaReason, which ships its computers exclusively with Ubuntu pre-installed.

Zareason’s netbook, the Terra A20, is available with 2 gigabytes of memory and a 16-gigabyte SSD for $437.  It also comes with a 6-cell battery (Dell’s was 3-cell) and b/g/n wireless card (Dell’s was only b/g), which partially explains the higher price.  But that still seemed like a bit much, so I kept looking.

System76

My third major consideration was System76, which also deals solely in Linux machines.  Its netbook option, the Starling, can be configured with 2 gigabytes of memory, a 6-cell battery and a webcam for $359.  Unfortunately, an SSD drive is not an option, which is a major disappointment.  Nonetheless, the price is not bad for a Linux-oriented vendor that will likely offer better support to Ubuntu users than Dell.

Concluding the quest

None of these vendors offers exactly what I was looking for.  Dell is cheapest, but its convoluted website and reluctance to help customers purchase computers without Windows are obnoxious, and I’d have to add the extra memory myself if I want to get above 1 gigabyte.  System76 offers a decent price, but its lack of an SSD option is a deal breaker.  And the pricing for ZaReason, the only manufacturer offering all the features I want, seems a bit steep.

I haven’t made a purchase yet.  I’m still exploring a few alternative options, and am hoping–perhaps vainly–that someone will offer a deal on netbooks before the holiday.  Stay tuned for my final decision.

During a phone briefing today, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth described the Ubuntu 9.10 desktop, server and cloud strategy to members of the IT media. WorksWithU tuned in and posed some key questions to Shuttleworth. Here are 10 highlights from the call.

As you’ll recall, Ubuntu 9.10 is scheduled to debut Oct. 29. Shuttleworth’s thoughts from today’s call included:

1. The User Experience: “We wanted to bring design and user experience to [the Linux] desktop.” Shuttleworth believes Ubuntu 9.10 achieves those goals.

2. Competition with Microsoft, Windows 7: Shuttleworth concedes that Windows 7 is impressive but “it’s still proprietary and expensive.” Also, he says, OEMs have “no desire” to go back to a single-vendor operating system market.

3. On the Netbook Market: Shuttleworth concedes that Microsoft “clawed its way” back dramatically in the U.S. netbook market with Windows XP. But he hopes once the Windows 7 dust settles, vendors and users alike will realize Ubuntu netbooks are a natural choice.

4. On Oracle’s Buyout of Sun (and MySQL): Shuttleworth sees no reason for regulators to block Oracle’s buyout of Sun Microsystems nor, by association, the MySQL open source database. Shuttleworth doesn’t see an opportunity for Oracle to abuse its database power. Plus, he notes that open source code can quickly fragment if there’s community concern about the governance and leadership of a project.

5. On Canonical’s March Toward Profits: Shuttleworth says he has “no concerns” at this stage about Canonical’s ability to achieve profitability. If necessary, Canonical could quickly focus on specific business areas that are self-sustainable in the near-term, he asserted. But at this point in Canonical’s five-year business journey, Shuttleworth remains convinced that the best strategy is to make Ubuntu an end-to-end solution.

Translation: Shuttleworth isn’t ready to say how soon Canonical could achieve profitability. But he’s basically saying the company is willing to lose money in certain areas as new businesses ramp up and strengthen the overall Ubuntu ecosystem.

It’s a daring bet considering how many different areas of focus Canonical has taken on. But then again, I doubt we would have launched WorksWithU if Canonical only wanted Ubuntu to be a desktop operating system.

6. Simple Commercial Software Installs: The Ubuntu Software Center will gradually gain more and more commercial software options — though the exact details of those efforts are still being worked out.

7. Closed Source ISVs — Still A Challenge: Shuttleworth conceded that Canonical’s biggest weakness in the enterprise remains a lack of traditional closed source ISVs. The elephant in the room was Oracle…

8. But There Is ISV Progress: Still, Shuttleworth was quick to note continued ISV progress with such companies as IBM’s information management group, Alfresco (open source content management) and JasperSoft (open source business intelligence).

9. Amazon As A Cloud Standard: Shuttleworth said Amazon’s cloud APIs are emerging as a de facto cloud standard, though he expects open, vendor-neutral cloud standards to gradually materialize.

10. Sever Hardware Relationships: Shuttleworth conceded that he had no new server relationship or certification deals to disclose.  From where I sit, it seems as if Amazon Web Services (particularly, the Elastic Compute Cloud/EC2) and Eucalyptus cloud technology are emerging as Canonical’s most reliable doorway into the server market.

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Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth on Oct. 26 is set to speak with the press about Ubuntu 9.10 Desktop Edition and Server Edition. WorksWithU will be extra careful not to “hype” Ubuntu 9.10 over the next few days. Instead, we hope to ask Shuttleworth some timely questions about the new Ubuntu and Canonical’s long-term business strategy. Here’s a sampling of issues on our mind.

Admittedly, we’re long-term believers in Ubuntu. Otherwise why would we have launched WorksWithU? But that doesn’t mean Canonical and Ubuntu 9.10 are guaranteed to succeed. Eight key questions include:

1. Any new Netbook wins? This is actually a multi-part question.

First up, Canonical and Dell in September 2009 announced a preview of Ubuntu Moblin Developer Remix Edition, available on a Dell Mini 10v netbook. What’s the early reaction?

Second, can we expect more PC makers to ship Ubuntu netbooks, particularly in North America. I’m familiar with ZaReason and System76 Ubuntu netbooks. But my recent conversations with Lenovo Director of SMB Jay McBain leads me to believe that the vast majority of North American netbook buyers want Windows. Does Shuttleworth see the netbook market differently?

2. Any new Ubuntu desktop preloads?: Dell has finally re-introduced an Ubuntu desktop PC — a rather impressive move, considering Dell also has its hands full prepping for Windows 7’s Oct. 22 debut.

Does Shuttleworth think Canonical can win more Ubuntu Desktop Edition deals with PC vendors — especially as Windows 7 generates buzz on main street?

3. Any new server relationships? This is a particularly difficult market for Canonical to crack, since Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Server and Novell SUSE Linux have such strong server followings.

Back in April 2009, Shuttleworth said Ubuntu Server Edition 9.04 had been tested to run on 45 different server configurations from IBM, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and smaller providers. Impressive. But most hardware providers don’t yet preinstall Ubuntu Server Edition on their systems.

Key question marks include:

• Sun Microsystems — one of Ubuntu’s more vocal server advocates — is slashing staff as the pending Oracle-Sun business combo awaits regulatory reviews. If Oracle does digest Sun, will Sun maintain server relations with Canonical?
• Hewlett-Packard showed Canonical a little bit of server love back in April 2009, but is that relationship growing or stagnant?
• Dell told me in August 2009 that they don’t have any Ubuntu server plans…
• IBM does offer virtualized Ubuntu desktops on centralized Linux servers. Can we expect specific Ubuntu server moves from Big Blue?

4. Is Ubuntu in the cloud for real?: If Canonical can’t convince hardware makers to preload Ubuntu on servers, cloud computing represents a back door into the server market.

Nicolas (“Nick”) Barcet, server product manager at Canonical, recently described the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) strategy on WorksWithU. And Canonical’s key cloud partners now include Eucalyptus Systems Inc., Cohesive Flexible Technologies, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and RightScale.

But Canonical has made it clear Ubuntu 9.10 is a stepping stone to more comprehensive cloud offerings in Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx, scheduled for April 2010 debut).

In the meantime, a key question: Can Canonical point to specific customers, universities and organizations that are running Ubuntu applications in the cloud?

5. Are ISVs embracing Ubuntu Server Edition?: During the April 2009 kick-off for Ubuntu 9.04, Shuttleworth conceded that Canonical needed to bring more ISVs (such as Oracle) onto Ubuntu Server Edition. Since that time, some key ISVs — such as Alfresco and OpenBravo — have expanded their Ubuntu Server Edition support. Are more ISVs on the way?

6. Ubuntu One and Landscape – Money Makers?: Canonical has been working hard to launch cloud and SaaS services around Ubuntu. Two examples include Ubuntu One (for shared storage) and Landscape (for remote Ubuntu management). Both are fairly new but how soon will they potentially generate profits for Canonical? Also, who are the early adopters of Landscape? And what’s the early reaction to Canonical’s on-premise version of Landscape?

7. How is the Ubuntu partner ecosystem growing?: When IBM and Canonical launched a joint Ubuntu desktop initiative in North America on Oct. 20, 2009, IBM claimed that “hundreds” of partners would back the effort in 2010. Sounds promising.

I also know training partners like Fast Lane and Bridge Education are helping to educate Ubuntu VARs and IT managers. But what other steps is Canonical taking to grow the Ubuntu channel partner ecosystem?

8. When will Canonical be profitable?: I realize Canonical is privately held. And Shuttleworth isn’t obligated to answer this question. But WorksWithU readers keep pushing us to cover Canonical’s business responsibly. No hype. Instead, real discussion — including an ongoing look at Canonical’s potential march to profitability. We’ll keep financial topics in mind as we cover Canonical’s business strategy.

Got additional questions for Shuttleworth? I’m all ears.

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Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical and Ubuntu, sat for a video interview with Dell Cloud Computing Evangelist Barton George. In it, Shuttleworth takes a “service pack” shot at Windows 7 and covers numerous questions about Canonical’s business and cloud strategy. Here’s the video — plus some perspectives from WorksWithU.

The video, posted on George’s personal blog, covers such topics as: Dell and Ubuntu Moblin Remix; Shuttleworth’s Linuxcon keynote; release schedules; cloud-related goals for Ubuntu 9.10; perspectives on Windows 7 and Canonical’s march toward profitability. Here’s a look:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Perspectives From WorksWithU

It’s always good to see bloggers aking questions about Canonical’s potential march to profitability and business model. Shuttleworth dodges the question but at least George asked it. Frankly, WorksWithU itself has to do a better job asking financial questions about the companies we cover.

Also of note: Shuttleworth’s decision to visit Dell and be recorded on video should not be taken lightly. Dell’s U.S. team took some lumps in mid-2009 for failing to offer a PC desktop with Ubuntu pre-loaded. But the Dell Ubuntu Moblin Netbook Remix announcement coupled with Shuttleworth’s campus visit should put any concerns about the Canonical-Dell relationship to rest.

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