Earlier today, ZaReason sent me a group email offering back-to-school specials on Ubuntu-based computers. I receive similar special offers from System 76 from time to time. Going forward, I hope Canonical finds a way to turn up the volume on these third-party Ubuntu system promotions. Here’s why. And here’s how.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As OSCON (Open Source Convention) gets set to start July 19 in Portland, Oregon, I’m reminded of an Ubuntu-centric conference that once showed great promise. The event, called Ubuntu Live, was co-located at OSCON in 2007. But it no longer exists. Here’s why it’s time for Canonical to revive Ubuntu Live for partners and customers.

Like it or not, dealing with Microsoft Active Directory is unavoidable these days for many Ubuntu users and administrators.  Luckily, there are a variety of solutions for integrating Linux systems within an AD environment.  I recently spoke with representatives from Centrify, one organization that develops tools for this purpose.  Here’s what they had to say about Ubuntu, Active Directory, enterprise computing and the future.

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.

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…