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.

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.

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 coolest features of Ubuntu on servers is vmbuilder, which makes it super-easy to roll out guest machines.  Here’s a look at this tool, and some thoughts on where it fits in to Ubuntu’s enterprise strategy.

Just about a year ago, Ubuntu developers undertook the first “100 Papercuts” campaign to fix trivial bugs on the desktop.  But servers get papercuts, too, and the server team has been working for the last several months on its own papercut-eradication effort.  Here’s a look at what’s been done so far, and what’s planned for the future.

Ubuntu 10.04’s release last month brought a number of much-discussed changes to desktops.  But the latest LTS (Long Term Support) release also marked an important milestone for Ubuntu Server Edition.  Here’s a look at Ubuntu 10.04 on servers, with some thoughts on what works well and where there’s room for improvement.

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.

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.

Ubuntu developers recently began discussing plans for deploying virtual appliances via Debian packages, a move which would open up exciting opportunities, especially in the server market.  Here’s the scope, with some thoughts.