1) Turning Moore's Law on its head. (This comment was prompted by a question with regard to the $100 laptop from MIT.)
For the longest time, IT vendors have used Moore's Law to focus on the increased capabilities of their computers. They establish standard price points for computers, say: a model for $1,200, another model for $1,000, and another model for $800. Then you get capabilities for each model.
What the $100 laptop does is very radical. The project itself might not be successful but its the start of a change in perception. Rather than establish standard price points, we establish a standard capability and use Moore's Law to reduce the price of computers so that it becomes more affordable to more people.
Canonical has had discussions with the project and is quite willing to help. However, since the main sponsor is Red Hat, Canonical and Ubuntu will most likely stay in the background. Besides, Red Hat has the expert on compressed file systems which is essential to the project.
2) On the Ubuntu Project
Linux, as free software, has fundamentally changed the economics of computing. It's also well-positioned to create fundamental changes in society.
Ubuntu is focused on delivering a good desktop experience for people. It should be crisp and clean. It should be easy to use, so that people like my grandmother [his words] can use it.
For Linux on the server, the economics are not fundamentally different from proprietart software. The licensing fees are similar.
As for Ubuntu on the desktop, there will be change in our current model until there is something more compelling. It will continue to be freely available.
[He hints briefly at the controversy surrounding the apparent Debian fork, but does not go into great detail. He doesn't seem too concerned with it, though.]
Ubuntu stays close to the upstream providers so that all the applications that are released with each version are current. Ubuntu recognizes that a large part of the packages that come with Linux distributions are not from the distribution company itself.
The 6-month release cycle ensures people that they are always working with the latest, that it is always fresh and never stale.
According to an IBM survey, 70% of new Linux users prefer Ubuntu.
3) About the Ubuntu distribution
a) Support structure
-Support structure in place, 6-month release cycle, 18-month support for desktop
-Over 200 companies offering support services
-Announcing support structure for enterprise (with release of Dapper Drake)
-3 years support for desktop
-5 year support for servers
-Escalation support soon to be available 24x7 telephone support based out of Canada
b) Freedom and flexibility
c) Zero Licensing Fee
d) Certification
-Professional certification through LPI, additional modules for Ubuntu coming soon
e) Standards compliance
-Standards compliance with LSB coming soon
f) Internationalization and Customization
-very important
-case studies: Spain and Brazil
g) Collaboration
Ubuntu is now certified for DB2. Next release will also see certification with Oracle Express Edition [Need to check actual info on this --Dom]. Could not be certified for Oracle Enterprise before because there needed to be a 5-year support cycle.
Ubuntu also certified on VMWare.
4) About Canonical Business
Canonical is looking for system builder partnerships, in particular, with major local PC manufacturers. A service partnership will include support services and consulting, customization opportunities, and system integration. Canonical can provide OEM installation support. Canonical can fund up to $50,000 for training.
5) Thin Client support for Ubuntu
Ubuntu works with the current flavor of LTSP. However, one problem is with LTSP is that you are actually working with two Linux distributions: the base LTSP that you load into your computer's memory, and the Linux system that you log on to.
Subsequent versions of Ubuntu will see an integration of LTSP into the distribution itself so that you are working with only one system. This seems to be the general direction that LTSP is heading, LTSPng, so to speak. Of course, traditional LTSP will still be there.
6) On Ubuntu as a business model
At the moment, the distribution is not profitable. So why give it away for free? Every user is a potential customer. The development costs for the software are relatively constant so it's better to look at the services.
Software licensing as a business model is a dying industry. Say you release a software and you charge $1000 for it; the following year, you charge $800; and the following year, even less. It's like cutting off a piece of yourself. I don't want the company to be part of a dying industry. Better to just price the software at zero and make money on the services.
With free software, skills and software can move together.
7) Ubuntu in the Philippines
The Philippines seems to have a very vibrant Linux community. In the past 12 weeks, we've shipped 57,000 CDs to the Philippines. However, I would like to see more participation from the Philippines in the project development itself.
For my feature article on Mark Shuttleworth in the Dumaguete paper, see http://villageidiotsavant.blogspot.com/2006/02/encore.html
--
Dominique Gerald M. Cimafranca
http://villageidiotsavant.blogspot.com
Dumaguete City
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