Ubuntu Takes On the World (At Least Google and Apple)

I finally decided to catch up on some Linux related updates, and a few interesting things came up. One really interesting thing, in my mind at least, was the updates that Canonical, the company that makes the Linux operating system Ubuntu, made. I used Ubuntu for a while, stopped, then came back to it being a little different from what I remember, but I've gotten used to it now. There are three updates that I like to talk about today.



The first announcement I'll talk about is that Ubuntu will still keep the Unity interface it has today. For the longest time, it has used an interface called GNOME. My thought is that Canonical may be trying to be more independent developing their own interface. A lot of people don't like the Unity interface, a survey by OMG Ubuntu said that almost 30% of Ubuntu users still use GNOME, while less than half use Unity. I personally don't have any major problems with it. It's pretty, organized, and keeps my desktop clean. As long as it keeps this seven year old computer running, I'm fine with it.

The next two announcements are what the article is really about. This next announcement is that a Ubuntu phone is in development. It will also use the Unity interface. This I think will be a really good move since Unity was specially designed for small screens or touch interfaces. Most smart phones apply in both of those areas. The concepts look good, and many phone operating systems, including Google's Android operating system, are built off of Linux, so it should work well. With Blackberry taking a backseat, Apple's Iphone and Google's Android phones will be the largest competition against Canonical in the smart phone battle. How will it do against those two phones? I'm not sure.

The final announcement is Ubuntu TV, a Google TV or Apple TV like platform for watching movies or surfing the internet. The major difference, the feature I'm also most impressed with too, is the integration of broadcast TV channels or cable and satellite services. I think if Canonical could get some momentum in the project, they could give Google and Apple a run for their money. This article and the video below will explain it a little better. If you want to try it for yourself, and you use Ubuntu, there's instructions on how to install it here.

The next couple of years look interesting for Canonical with their Ubuntu operating system. Linux and Ubuntu aren't really common household names, but with all of this and more happening soon, that might just change. Tell me what you think. Answer the couple of questions below in the comments:

Would you buy a Ubuntu phone?
What about Ubuntu TV?
If you have used the Unity interface, what do you think of it?
What do you think would be next for Ubuntu?