Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution, will on Thursday begin making commercial applications available to Ubuntu users directly through the desktop, in a step designed to simplify software installation.

Is Ubuntu ready for prime time in the enterprise? Ubuntu users think so, according to a recent survey from Ubuntu's commercial sponsor, Canonical, and IT consultancy Red Monk.

e Ubuntu Linux distribution now includes virtualisation software Parallels in its partner repository. The move by Canonical, commercial sponsors of Ubuntu Linux, is a first for Ubuntu as Parallels is a commercial package and not free to use. However, by including Parallels in the partner repository Ubuntu users are able to easily install it should they want to use it. Installing Parallels using the Ubuntu package management tools will make it much simpler for users to install the software rather than installing from the command line.

I just read a post by Bruce Byfield, where he raises an interesting question: after the fact that Canonical will try and offer commercial software from a specific repository, would anyone use it? And if not, could it alienate other users of Ubuntu from using the distribution at all?

There is a business behind the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system and according to its lead commercial sponsor Canonical, that business is good.

Canonical, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, announced today that Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix is free to download from Thursday 23 April. Also announced were the simultaneous releases of Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition and Ubuntu 9.04 Server Edition.

In preparation for the rollout of Ubuntu Server 10.04 Long Term Support next month, Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Linux variant, and the Ubuntu community polled Ubuntu users to see how they use the operating system.

Last summer, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of the Ubuntu distribution and of Canonical, Ubuntu's commercial sponsor, challenged the free and open source software (FOSS) to deliver a desktop experience superior to Apple's.

Last summer, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of the Ubuntu distribution and of Canonical, Ubuntu's commercial sponsor, challenged the free and open source software (FOSS) to deliver a desktop experience superior to Apple's.