It’s been roughly two-and-a-half years since Nine Lives Media Inc. launched WorksWithU, the independent guide to Ubuntu. When we started this site we made a few assumptions about how the Ubuntu community and Ubuntu business markets would evolve. How have those assumptions evolved from 2008 to 2010t? Here’s an eight-point reality check.

Alongside the desktop and server editions of Ubuntu, Canonical has put considerable effort into Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud recently.  This investment is poised to pay off with Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat), which will introduce several enhancements to the cloud-init package when it debuts next October 2010. Here’s a preview of some of the changes that Ubuntu cloud users have to look forward to.

At first glance, Canonical will spend most of this week promoting Ubuntu at OSCON, the open source convention. But take a closer look and you’ll discover Canonical and Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud Edition surfacing at HostingCon in Austin, Texas. Here’s why.

One of the areas in which open-source software has truly come into its own during the last few years is virtualization.  The latest LTS release of Ubuntu, which offers a variety of Free virtualization solutions, makes this abundantly clear.  Below, we take a look at some of those options, with a focus on KVM, and consider their meaning for Ubuntu users.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Traditionally, configuring Ubuntu servers to integrate with Microsoft Active Directory was not a lot of fun.  It wasn’t exactly difficult, but it involved editing lots of PAM and Kerberos configuration files, and often some perilous trial-and-error.  But these days, there’s a better way–for many situations, at least–and it’s called Likewise.  Here’s how it works, and why I think it’s so great.

When we launched WorksWithU in 2008, I strongly believed Canonical needed to build strong server hardware partnerships with Dell, IBM and Hewlett-Packard. But as I heard more about Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) in 2009, I realized Ubuntu in 2010 may find a back door into the server market. Here’s why.