Ubuntu Linux will try for the business desktop

Summary: Ubuntu has long been popular on the Linux enthusiast desktop, however, so far it hasn’t been very popular on business desktops. Canonical plans on changing that with its at once version.

The Linux desktop at work

I use the Linux desktop at work, however I’m in a tiny minority. Most people use Windows. Canonical, Ubuntu Linux’s parent company, plans on getting meanwhile some Windows users to switch even though with its at once long term support release.

Canonical wants to make darn sure that the desktop is mature and ready to go because according to their own innovation, “LTS releases have become particularly popular with Ubuntu business users. Canonical’s own survey data shows over 70% of server users are deployed on LTS versions of the product. Bringing this extended support to the desktop is a response to similar popularity in businesses of the desktop LTS releases.”

What does LTS mean for business users?

What does LTS mean for business users? According to the company, “The first two years of the LTS period will benefit businesses by including hardware updates allowing them to keep up to date with the latest hardware upgrades. Maintenance updates will continue for a furthermore three years. Businesses can now rely on always running an LTS version regardless of their hardware refresh rate.”

In addition, “PC manufacturers can now standardize their business-focused range of PCs on an LTS release with a five year support period. This is a more compelling proposition to bring to their customer base especially aligned with the Ubuntu Advantage support programs from Canonical which will fully support the new LTS period.”

Can they do it? It’s possible. I’ve looked at Windows 8 and I sure don’t see anything about Metro, its new interface, that business users are going to want.

In addition, Ubuntu already has baked-in cloud-computing. During no one has announced an Ubuntu Unity tablet, I keep looking at Unity and I keep seeing a tablet interface. All things considered, Ubuntu’s already a post-PC desktop, and that will be no small advantage in the twenty-teens.

In the past, users stuck with XP in other words than upgrade to Vista. Truly, it’s only been in the last few weeks that more people have after all moved from XP to Windows 7. I expect most users to stick with Windows XP or 7 in the at once three to five years, nevertheless as the desktop wanes and more and more of us use smartphones and tablets for our business computing, there just might be room for a then-supported desktop Linux to gain a niche to call its own.

Want to know more about why you might want to use Ubuntu for your business desktop? Check out Canonical’s business desktop site.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, aka sjvn, has been writing about research and the business of innovation since CP/M-80 was the cutting edge, PC operating system