If you’d asked us in 2007 or 2008 to summarize Canonical’s grand strategy, our answer would have centered around beating Red Hat and Novell on the Linux server front.  But fast forward to the present and a lot has changed.  That’s why it’s time for a reevaluation of Canonical’s goals and future, and its relationship with other major players in the Linux ecosystem.

The dreams of Ubuntu users looking for commercial-quality games that run natively on Linux came a little closer to fulfillment this week, as the open-source project 0 A.D. pushed out its first alpha release.  Even better, the game can now be installed in a few clicks thanks to a new PPA.

Whether you believe the iPad hype or not, it’s clear that touchscreen devices represent an important emerging hardware niche. Canonical responded to that reality recently with the release of uTouch 1.0, a software stack designed to ensure solid multi-touch and gesture support on Ubuntu.  Here are the details, along with some thoughts.

The upcoming release of Ubuntu 10.10 promises a variety of new features for Ubuntu’s desktop and server editions. But it will also bring significant changes for Ubuntu’s lightweight cousin, Xubuntu.  Here’s a look at some of the most important updates for the Xfce-based Ubuntu variant, including several that will increase its independence from standard Ubuntu.

Mid-August is upon us, and that can only mean one thing (corn on the cob and the Saint-Napoleon notwithstanding): the next release of Ubuntu is inching ever closer to maturity. With the debut late last week of the third alpha of Ubuntu 10.10, it’s time to take a look at how Maverick Meerkat is shaping up.

Between ext3, ext4, reiserfs and others, Ubuntu has no shortage of file systems to choose from when installing a new system. And those options are set to become yet more numerous in Ubuntu 10.10, which will introduce support for btrfs.  Wondering what this new file system is all about and why it might matter to you?  Read on for an introduction.

The market for integrating Linux machines into Active Directory environments has been heating up in recent months, with both Likewise and Centrify releasing new software that does almost exactly the same thing: make joining a domain as simple as a few clicks or keystrokes.  Of course, the two companies’ offerings work in different ways.  We wanted to know which is best, so we’ve spent the last several weeks testing the competing products.  Here’s what we found.

0 A.D., the open-source RTS game that could radically alter the gaming scene on Ubuntu when it’s completed, recently reached another milestone with its third pre-alpha release.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s playable yet in any meaningful sense. But it has come a long way since we last checked in with the project in March 2010, so here are some updates.

“Does Ubuntu have a firewall, and how do I turn it on?” is a popular question among new Ubuntu users.  The answer is a bit complicated, but it’s an understandable inquiry for those migrating from the Windows world. WorksWithU addresses that question below by taking a look at Ubuntu’s firewall and some of the tools available for managing it.

Do you like developing virtual servers and helping the open-source community?  Do you also enjoy winning money and/or the esteem of your peers?  If so, TurnKey Linux’s appliance development contest might be just the way for you to put your leisure time to good use this summer.  Read on for details.