I'm not sure I like the advocating of non-os software.
I don't want them heading down fedora's road
IMO it's more about convenience for new users than advocacy of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] per se. Those who are ideologically committed to
FOSS will choose not to install any restricted software. Many first-time
Ubuntu users/Windows refugees will. And over time I expect that
Open Source file formats like
.ogg and
.flac will become more popular in tandem with the growing popularity of GNU/Linux on the PC desktop.
For now it is important for
GNU/Linux as a whole that Ubuntu's user base be expanded to a sufficient size in enough countries that more private and public institutions are willing to migrate to Ubuntu and buy
support services from
Canonical.
Mr. Shuttleworth can't be expected to bleed red ink on Ubuntu Foundation's account indefinitely.
If you don't make a commercial "Ubuntu Professional Edition", how can Ubuntu be sustainable?
"...We have some initial revenues from services related to Ubuntu. We have been contracted to produce customised distributions, and we participate in large-scale tenders for big Linux deployments, usually in partnership with local companies, where our job is to provide escalation support. In addition to widespread adoption in developing countries, Ubuntu may well be running all over NASA's Moffett Field soon... So we have the foundations of a sustainable project, and I'm confident that we have a reasonable chance of getting Ubuntu to the point where it funds itself for ongoing growth.
Exactly how it will all pan out from a business perspective is difficult to judge. I don't have all of those answers. That's OK, this is a risky (ad)venture, which is still at an early stage, so I don't expect to know. I can personally justify my investment in Ubuntu on philanthropic grounds (at least, the money we spend on open source development and on tools for open source developers, like Launchpad) because most of my good luck and wealth could only have been created using open source tools. I'm happy to give back to the community. In as much as we start to spend money on suits, they need to be sustainable quickly. We currently make some money offering certification related services (certifying developers, administrators, applications, and hardware) as well as customisation services (you want your own distro, based on Ubuntu, let's talk). Demand for those services is growing. I'm pretty confident that I can get Canonical to break even on that basis. And breaking even is fine by me, because it means that Ubuntu will continue to rock even if I decide it's time to go back to space and pick the wrong Soyuz.
It's also important to distinguish between Canonical, which is a for-profit services operation, and the Ubuntu Foundation, which has capital from me, on a non-profit basis, to continue Ubuntu's work. With the announcement of the Ubuntu Foundation, I was basically saying "OK, this project has legs, I'll commit enough capital to keep the core going for a long time no matter what happens to me or Canonical". So we have plenty of time to grow sustainability around the project. If you want to help on that front, send work to Canonical next time you need something done with Ubuntu. We won't let you down..."
Works GREAT!
^
