Ubuntu Wiki

Ubuntu Open Week - Ask Mark - sabdfl - Fri, Nov 6, 2009

• 17:00 utc

(12:02:35 PM) jcastro: welcome mark!
(12:02:37 PM) sabdfl: hello all
(12:02:45 PM) jcastro: sabdfl, akgraner and I will paste questions
(12:02:52 PM) sabdfl: thanks jorge - happy to be here! hi amber
(12:02:58 PM) jcastro: so just say "next" when you are ready!
(12:03:02 PM) sabdfl: fire away
(12:03:02 PM) jcastro: feel free to kick it off!
(12:03:09 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: What's your opinion of ChromeOS?
(12:03:43 PM) sabdfl: there's a lot of concern in the desktop environment groups (Gnome, KDE) that Chrome will be bad for desktop linux, but i think it will be very good
(12:04:03 PM) sabdfl: one of the toughest challenges for us in desktop linux is hardware compatibility
(12:04:27 PM) sabdfl: and ChromeOS gives PC manufacturers *another* good reason to invest in Linux compatibility for their peripherals
(12:04:35 PM) sabdfl: same goes for Intel's Moblin
(12:05:23 PM) sabdfl: i'm sure there are PC manufacturers now trying to figure out how to deliver Chrome. Since they don't know which peripherals and devices they will use, they are telling their suppliers "make sure it does linux" for *all* devices
(12:05:29 PM) sabdfl: that's got to be good for us too
(12:05:33 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:05:35 PM) akgraner: <openweek7> QUESTION: We, at least in the US, have seen Apple's "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" ads. We've seen Microsoft's "Windows 7 was my idea" ads.  When will we see Canonical's Ubuntu ads?
(12:06:12 PM) sabdfl: we do advertise, but mostly to the corporate market
(12:06:20 PM) sabdfl: i can picture our equivalent, though
(12:06:26 PM) sabdfl: it would feature a poodle for the mac
(12:06:30 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:06:35 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Hi from Saint Petersburg, Mark. Ubuntu is one of the first distributions to adopt 2.6.31 kernel, but many users discovered a lot of troubles with it - sound issues, disk issues, filesystem issues, usb issues.  How could this happen?
(12:07:08 PM) sabdfl: i don't think there are substantially more issues with 2.6.31 than with .28
(12:07:15 PM) sabdfl: but there are likely *different* issues
(12:07:35 PM) sabdfl: you don't notice the new things that work (especially if you don't have those devices)
(12:07:41 PM) sabdfl: but you definitely do notice regressions
(12:07:55 PM) sabdfl: i hope people tested the milestones, and reported bugs
(12:08:07 PM) sabdfl: for Lucid, we'll freeze the kernel earlier and call for more testing
(12:08:11 PM) sabdfl: and have more time to address issues
(12:08:25 PM) sabdfl: i believe .32 has a bunch of new stuff but .33 is supposed to be quite stable
(12:08:32 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:08:37 PM) akgraner: <Jesi> Question: Ubuntu has come along way, it's great and I'm pretty sure it's only going to get better, but no matter how great it becomes, if people don't know about it, we have a great grassroots effort but what about marketing?
(12:08:57 PM) sabdfl: our marketing depends mostly on passionate technologists - you!
(12:09:12 PM) sabdfl: that's why the LoCo teams, and personal advocacy from our users, are so important
(12:09:25 PM) sabdfl: it's why we ask people to share the CD they receive so as many people as possible can get it
(12:09:39 PM) sabdfl: it doesn't make economic sense to do mass marketing for us now
(12:09:47 PM) sabdfl: if it does in future, we'll do it
(12:09:50 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:09:52 PM) jcastro: Question: What's going to happen with compiz and gnome shell?
(12:09:59 PM) sabdfl: good question
(12:10:06 PM) sabdfl: the gnome shell work is very interesting
(12:10:26 PM) sabdfl: i think mutter has a long way to go before it supports everything that compiz does
(12:10:37 PM) sabdfl: but i'm confident that mutter will become a great window manager in due course
(12:10:51 PM) sabdfl: i saw today that gnome shell has been pushed back six months, so there is more time to get it right
(12:10:57 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:11:01 PM) akgraner: <jsgotangco> QUESTION: Hi Mark, so when will Asia have a taste of UDS? I'm pretty sure the region is a huge market for you at the moment, but it seems the collaborative development of Ubuntu is focusing solely on EU and the continental US. Lots of developers here too. Thanks.
(12:11:17 PM) sabdfl: i would love to do a UDS in asia
(12:11:49 PM) sabdfl: perhaps you could organise an online commitment roll, where developers can commit to coming if we have, say the 10.10 UDS there, or the 11.04 UDS there
(12:12:02 PM) sabdfl: i like how debconf is put to community competition between cities
(12:12:21 PM) sabdfl: if you want to make the case for UDS in asia, let us know which city and which developers would actually come
(12:12:25 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:12:27 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: What do you think can or should be done to encourage the spread of LoCo's throughout the world? Does the list of LoCo's look to you like it's representative of the size of the Ubuntu market, or user base?
(12:12:59 PM) sabdfl: (btw, the maestro 4k in Toulouse has proposed that city for the next UDS and it's being seriously considered because he has such a great track record in bringing the community together)
(12:13:08 PM) sabdfl: wow, good question
(12:13:17 PM) sabdfl: i haven't seen the LoCo list for a while so can't comment
(12:13:27 PM) sabdfl: Jono would be the best person to ask
(12:13:55 PM) sabdfl: i saw a comment on a bug today, suggesting ReCo's for Regional Community, and CiCo's for City Community
(12:14:04 PM) sabdfl: so, I think that network will grow in scale and complexity
(12:14:12 PM) mode (+o dholbach ) by ChanServ
(12:14:13 PM) mode (+o jono ) by dholbach
(12:14:17 PM) mode (-o dholbach ) by dholbach
(12:14:21 PM) sabdfl: if you care about this, please do dive in and help with the LoCo Council and general organisation
(12:14:29 PM) jono: indeed, feel free to email me
(12:14:32 PM) sabdfl: the most important thing is figuring out how to keep LoCo's healthy
(12:14:33 PM) jono: jono AT ubuntu dot com
(12:14:35 PM) sabdfl: they have no trouble starting
(12:14:46 PM) sabdfl: but we have trouble knowing if they are active, healthy, fun and positive
(12:14:48 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:14:49 PM) akgraner: <rrnwexec> QUESTION: Mark, do you have any specific advice on how to grow the market for Ubuntu? What's holding us back from grabbing 10% of the market in one year's time?
(12:15:30 PM) sabdfl: rrnwexec: hardware compatibility, software solutions, economics
(12:15:36 PM) sabdfl: but all three are changing for the better
(12:15:54 PM) sabdfl: hardware compat is improving because lots of PC manufacturers are starting to realise how much people love ubuntu
(12:15:59 PM) sabdfl: and it's low cost for them too
(12:16:25 PM) sabdfl: software solutions - more and more ISV's are starting to certify Ubuntu, but we are still a long way behind red hat and suse in that regard
(12:16:42 PM) sabdfl: we have to stay friendly to both free and proprietary software solutions providers, that's important
(12:16:51 PM) sabdfl: flash imrpved a lot recently, there's more to be done
(12:17:02 PM) sabdfl: and economics... win xp was a diving catch for microsoft
(12:17:09 PM) sabdfl: they had to keep it alive much longer than planned
(12:17:12 PM) sabdfl: cost them a fortune
(12:17:22 PM) sabdfl: but they left it out there as a cheap, familiar solution
(12:17:31 PM) sabdfl: now, with win7, i think the economics are back in our favour
(12:17:35 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:17:37 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Will Canonical ever start branding hardware as "Ubuntu Compatible"?
(12:17:51 PM) sabdfl: definitely, if we ever start making hardware, which is not in the plan :-)
(12:18:04 PM) sabdfl: but we do see more and more manufacturers putting the ubuntu logo on their boxes
(12:18:10 PM) sabdfl: which is *great*
(12:18:11 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:18:15 PM) akgraner: <sebsebseb> QUESTION:  Have you already got any ideas for what Ubuntu 10.10  might be called, if so what?
(12:18:15 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: a lot of people still buy their computer software from a "brick and mortar" store, does Canonical have any plans to work with these stores to distribute Ubuntu, maybe for $5 ?
(12:18:19 PM) jcastro: Sorry!
(12:18:30 PM) sabdfl: sebsebseb: patience ;-)
(12:18:53 PM) sabdfl: on the distribution front, we see people doing that today
(12:18:58 PM) sabdfl: we don't have an active program
(12:19:14 PM) sabdfl: though we do sell CD's in bulk for like $1 per CD so people could do that
(12:19:36 PM) sabdfl: if you think it would work, see if you can get some brick and mortar stores to buy sets of 100 CD's and offer them
(12:19:55 PM) sabdfl: i would suggest you offer the CD together with an install service (for more than $5) to make it worth the store's time
(12:19:57 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:20:00 PM) akgraner: <rrnwexec> QUESTION: Do you have any specific plans to encourage non-technical and non developer types to contribute to the project? (Translations and documentation exempt from this question.)
(12:20:13 PM) sabdfl: we do have the marketing team
(12:20:31 PM) sabdfl: and locos and advocacy require organisational skill, more than technical skill
(12:20:41 PM) sabdfl: there's room for people of all talents, that's something we care a lot about in Ubuntu
(12:20:55 PM) sabdfl: this is NOT just for developers, and NOT for fundamentalists
(12:21:08 PM) sabdfl: this is for people who care about moving to a better technology world
(12:21:20 PM) sabdfl: whatever background, gender, or colour they have
(12:21:21 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:21:24 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: a lot of hardware-support issues (with regards to the linux kernel and as such with Ubuntu) is depending on the openess and cooperation from/with hardware vendors. How do you see hardware support in the future and what can we (in the broadest sense of the word) do to get more vendors to open up their specs and/or develop their own kernel drivers?
(12:21:51 PM) sabdfl: we have to demonstrate *business success* for them
(12:22:02 PM) sabdfl: initially, nost of them don't understand the open model
(12:22:07 PM) sabdfl: that doesn't mean they are stupid
(12:22:10 PM) sabdfl: it's just unfamiliar
(12:22:23 PM) sabdfl: it's better to engage with them on whatever terms they initially understand best
(12:22:31 PM) sabdfl: and then show how they win deals and ship *volume*
(12:22:42 PM) sabdfl: that industry only makes money in volume, their margins are too tight
(12:23:02 PM) sabdfl: the enthusiast market loves to tell hardware companies to do linux, but then it doesn't buy their stuff
(12:23:13 PM) sabdfl: "because they picked the wrong distro" or "that's an old version"
(12:23:24 PM) sabdfl: well, there's no incentive there for the hardware companies to stick around and figure it out
(12:23:39 PM) sabdfl: so, we have to engage with them, even if it starts with proprietary drivers, and show them money
(12:23:48 PM) sabdfl: then we can move them to free software
(12:23:49 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:23:51 PM) akgraner: rrnwexec> QUESTION: How is Ayatana coming along? Are you still energized by it? Is it still on the high priority list? (lots of Ayatana questions)
(12:24:09 PM) sabdfl: i love that part of the project and spend a few hours on it every day (a lot of time for me)
(12:24:15 PM) sabdfl: there's a great and growing team
(12:24:33 PM) sabdfl: they really care about the desktop experience, and they are not fundamentalist about GNOME or KDE, they want *both* to get better
(12:24:53 PM) sabdfl: i like how it's going, though it's taking longer than i would like to get a really effective machine running
(12:25:06 PM) sabdfl: if you liked the notifications bits, and the messaging menu, you will love lucid
(12:25:21 PM) sabdfl: we are going to make sure that all works perfectly across all of main and universe
(12:25:29 PM) sabdfl: we'll neaten the panel up a lot
(12:25:42 PM) sabdfl: and if you like the UNR, that's their design work too
(12:25:43 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:25:44 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Why you don't use identi.ca and very-very seldom twittering? The same thing with blogging - some posts really very instresting. You, probably, have not enough time for such things, but please - it would be great to read your tweets/dents/posts as often as possible.
(12:26:00 PM) sabdfl: thanks for the kudos!
(12:26:04 PM) sabdfl: i should blog more often
(12:26:30 PM) sabdfl: my twitter account is only used by my evil identical twin for callous and coarse thoughts ;-)
(12:26:32 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:26:34 PM) akgraner: <mhall119|work> QUESTION: you can already buy desktops and laptops with Ubuntu installed from several vendor's online stores.  When do you think we will see them in brick and mortar stores, especially running as a demo?
(12:26:55 PM) sabdfl: getting Linux right at retail is a very serious challenge for us
(12:27:03 PM) sabdfl: we are working on it with a big manufacturer
(12:27:11 PM) sabdfl: but it's not easy and i can't promise it will happen soon
(12:27:23 PM) sabdfl: it failed at walmart and a few other large scale attempts
(12:27:28 PM) sabdfl: we don't want to screw it up
(12:27:31 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:27:34 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: You stated at the last UbuntuOpenWeek that the economic problems might create good opportunities for GNU/Linux and Ubuntu. Since then, have you already found concrete evidence to support this prediction?
(12:28:02 PM) sabdfl: yes - i was at an event for open source company CEO's last month
(12:28:09 PM) sabdfl: everyone agreed this had been their best year ever
(12:28:20 PM) sabdfl: people got a fright and had to look hard at how they do IT
(12:28:25 PM) sabdfl: and open source was a common answer
(12:28:29 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:28:31 PM) akgraner: <rrnwexec> QUESTION: Would you consider a short tour of the most active LoCo's to get some buzz and energy in the far outposts, or at least the ones that offer to take you out for beers ;)
(12:28:52 PM) sabdfl: i generally do hang out with LoCo's in the places i go
(12:29:03 PM) sabdfl: but it hasn't been such a creative list of late
(12:29:16 PM) sabdfl: next year i expect to move on from London
(12:29:25 PM) sabdfl: so perhaps i'll travel to more interesting places then
(12:29:33 PM) sabdfl: and would love to hang out with LoCo's
(12:29:34 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:29:36 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: when and how do you see Canonical making a profit?
(12:29:58 PM) sabdfl: from services, and in due course.
(12:30:16 PM) sabdfl: to a certain extent, we choose to expand faster than our revenue base
(12:30:28 PM) sabdfl: because we want to deliver a great solution across desktop, netbook *and* server
(12:30:34 PM) sabdfl: so we are starting three businesses in one
(12:30:41 PM) sabdfl: which is harder than three times one :-)
(12:30:54 PM) sabdfl: if we wanted to, we could scale back our goals and break even sooner
(12:31:09 PM) sabdfl: but i worry that we are the main hope of genuinely free free software
(12:31:15 PM) sabdfl: and i want to deliver that everywhere
(12:31:17 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:31:18 PM) akgraner: <MarkDude> QUESTION how important is having a diverse group of contributors (women & minority folks) to solving Bug #1?
(12:31:38 PM) sabdfl: not especially, but it makes the project more interesting
(12:31:40 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:31:56 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Is there anything that the community isn't doing well enough that you like it to see people do better?
(12:32:18 PM) sabdfl: wow
(12:32:29 PM) sabdfl: the community is so amazing it's hard to know what else one could ask for
(12:32:45 PM) sabdfl: i'd like to see more engagement in bug triage and qa
(12:32:55 PM) sabdfl: on the bug front, passing bugs upstream is really important
(12:33:05 PM) sabdfl: a lot of upstreams don't see bug reports unless we pass them upstream
(12:33:14 PM) sabdfl: because most people file bugs against the distro, not the upstream
(12:33:19 PM) sabdfl: that would help
(12:33:22 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:33:23 PM) jcastro: (talk to me later about upstreaming bugs folks  -ed.)
(12:33:27 PM) akgraner: <jbicha> QUESTION: do you foresee Canonical becoming a publicly traded company?
(12:33:35 PM) sabdfl: if that's the right thing for us, sure
(12:33:38 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:33:49 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Have you ever considered a large Ubuntu conference for the public? Would you consider doing it in the interest of getting the word out to a broader audience? (I'm thinking about something that has the reach and buzz of MacWorld San Francisco).
(12:34:08 PM) sabdfl: we did Ubuntu Live a few years back with O'Reilly
(12:34:15 PM) sabdfl: it was too soon, we didn't have enough people coming
(12:34:34 PM) sabdfl: sooner or later, someone will do an event, and we'll support it
(12:34:35 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:34:37 PM) akgraner: <willwill> QUESTION: I see that Ubuntu is being loaded with to-be moneymaker such as One, SwCenter. Why not "Ubuntu Enterprise" like Redhat & SUSE did?
(12:35:05 PM) sabdfl: well, there are two elements to the Enterprise Edition strategy as pursued by Red Hat and SUSE that I don't like
(12:35:18 PM) sabdfl: first, you have to tell people they can't use the Enterprise Edition unless they pay for it
(12:35:34 PM) sabdfl: efectively, you *have* to pay to use RHEL and SLES
(12:35:53 PM) sabdfl: i want to make sure that Ubuntu can be used in rich and poor environments
(12:36:10 PM) sabdfl: it costs me nothing if a guy in Bangladesh gives his copy of Ubuntu to someone else to install
(12:36:16 PM) sabdfl: so i don't expect to be paid for it
(12:36:33 PM) sabdfl: but we offer services to companies that want them, and can afford them, to fund the platform
(12:36:49 PM) sabdfl: so, Ubuntu *is* enterprise quality
(12:36:57 PM) sabdfl: but we don't make people "pay for the Enterprise version"
(12:37:11 PM) sabdfl: the second thing is about quality
(12:37:37 PM) sabdfl: the "Enterprise Version" strategy usually involves having a Community Version which is described as low quality, and and Enterprise Version (paid) that is not
(12:37:54 PM) sabdfl: if you meet Red Hat folks at an exhibition and ask about using Fedora, you'll know what I mean
(12:38:02 PM) sabdfl: i want to do high quality releases
(12:38:14 PM) sabdfl: so our non-LTS releases get high quality maintenance and updates
(12:38:20 PM) sabdfl: and LTS get those, but for longer
(12:38:23 PM) sabdfl: there are some other differences
(12:38:36 PM) sabdfl: but you can, and people do, deploy non-LTS releases in serious production environments
(12:38:39 PM) sabdfl: and that's wonderful
(12:38:46 PM) sabdfl: so, we won't go down that route
(12:38:49 PM) sabdfl: next question
(12:38:51 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: What are your thoughts on "Linux" as a brand? Is the term still meaningful, compelling? Do you think it's necessary to co-brand Ubuntu to always include the term "Linux"?
(12:39:00 PM) sabdfl: no, i don't think so
(12:39:14 PM) sabdfl: of course, the Linux kernel is an essential ingredient
(12:39:22 PM) sabdfl: but it;'s just one part of a huge and complex system
(12:39:41 PM) sabdfl: and you may be right if you think that emphasising Linux gives too much credit and causes confusion
(12:39:48 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:39:50 PM) akgraner: <SoftwareExplorer> Question: What's your average day like?
(12:39:55 PM) sabdfl: long
(12:40:22 PM) sabdfl: i try to be up and exercising by 7, email at 8, office at 9 till 7, then home
(12:40:37 PM) sabdfl: calls in the evening, lots of email
(12:40:43 PM) sabdfl: not exactly james bond
(12:40:54 PM) sabdfl: that whole billionaire cosmonaut bachelor thing is overrated
(12:40:55 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:40:57 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Do you have a linux phone (such as android or openmoko)? :)
(12:41:09 PM) sabdfl: nope. symbian
(12:41:12 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:41:23 PM) akgraner: <matt_2048> QUESTION: to what extent do you see Lucid as a critical release, especially for the home user who may be used to a longer upgrade cycle?
(12:41:34 PM) sabdfl: lucid is critical for us, yes
(12:41:43 PM) sabdfl: we're working harder than ever on the details of the plan
(12:41:56 PM) sabdfl: we will need a lot of support from the community and from upstreams to make it *amazing*
(12:42:06 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:42:09 PM) akgraner: <rrnwexec> QUESTION: Did you attend (or hear about) any great release parties this time around? And, do you feel that Release Parties are a good marketing tool?
(12:42:30 PM) sabdfl: release parties are for us to celebrate our work together, i don't think of them as marketing
(12:42:43 PM) sabdfl: i go to the London one, usually that's where I am at release time
(12:42:51 PM) sabdfl: this one was great, in the west end
(12:42:54 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:42:55 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: What is your next world-changing idea, now that the Ubuntu project is well on its way to fixing Bug #1?
(12:43:24 PM) sabdfl: if we get Ubuntu to the point of self-funding growth, i will stay involved and use it to explore lots of interesting ideas
(12:43:37 PM) sabdfl: an OS is an amazing basis for interests in just about any part of technology
(12:43:55 PM) sabdfl: robotics? we got it. servers and cloud? we got it. consumer electronics? we got it
(12:44:09 PM) sabdfl: i picked this project because *if* it works, it should keep me out of trouble for a long time
(12:44:16 PM) sabdfl: by trouble, i mean space ;-)
(12:44:17 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:44:19 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Don't you think that Ubuntu releases too often? Linus Torvalds talked about a yearly release as a good compromise.
(12:44:36 PM) sabdfl: i didn't think linus did compromise ;-)
(12:44:40 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:44:42 PM) akgraner: <Jesi> Question: You say you have marketing in the corporate sector,  and Ubuntu is starting to do great things with cloud computing and servers, but what about "Linux or Human Beings"? I thought the focus of Ubuntu was the average, person, the desktop user, I think it's great you provide a server set up as well, but will Ubuntu live up to it's promise of empowering people,  using technology to create a brighter future?
(12:45:39 PM) sabdfl: that was about marketing, which is expensive
(12:45:58 PM) sabdfl: we do focus on the desktop case, for the home user, but we don't run big marketing campaigns
(12:46:10 PM) sabdfl: as i said there, our marketing for consumers is entirely advocacy and word of mouth
(12:46:16 PM) sabdfl: it depends on YOU to get the word out
(12:46:27 PM) sabdfl: if you think it needs marketing, start talking and helping people learn about it
(12:46:28 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:46:29 PM) jcastro: <sebsebseb> QUESTION:  If you don't mind answering,  what kind of  things do you spend your money on,  other than funding Canonical and the space visits (which people like mentioning in Ubuntu articles)
(12:46:30 PM) akgraner: <speel> QUESTION: Since Ubuntu is becoming popular do you find more and more people thinking that Ubuntu IS linux?
(12:46:35 PM) akgraner: sorry
(12:46:39 PM) sabdfl: np
(12:46:54 PM) sabdfl: i don't spend a lot on myself, relatively speaking
(12:47:04 PM) sabdfl: i have a plane, which is a big luxury
(12:47:21 PM) sabdfl: but i don't live a particularly lavish lifestyle
(12:47:22 PM) sabdfl: yet
(12:47:43 PM) sabdfl: a lot of people think Google IS the Internet :-)
(12:47:59 PM) sabdfl: i don't worry about that. people figure stuff out over time, as needed
(12:48:15 PM) sabdfl: if people think their first distro *is* linux, that's OK till they need to know more
(12:48:24 PM) sabdfl: at which point someone will certainly, helpfully, point it out to them
(12:48:26 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:48:27 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Have you considered tracking Bug #1 with more numeric precision, and publishing the results? I would personally like to see the uptick of Ubuntu user stats displayed very prominently. I was close enough to Redmond WA a few years back to see/feel the fear that erupted when Firefox began doing that.
(12:48:46 PM) sabdfl: it's so hard to quantify
(12:48:55 PM) sabdfl: i don't want to get worked up about bad statistics, either way
(12:49:04 PM) sabdfl: we just focus on making ubuntu wonderful, and let nature do the rest
(12:49:05 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:49:07 PM) akgraner: <openweek2> QUESTION: How do you envision Ubuntu on the netbook market for the coming years? Do you have a strategy?
(12:49:17 PM) sabdfl: nope. nossir. no strategy at all.
(12:49:37 PM) sabdfl: we are working on both Moblin and UNR versions
(12:49:52 PM) sabdfl: Dell just launched the Moblin Developer netbook, which is cool
(12:49:59 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:50:00 PM) jcastro: QUESTION:  Where is Ubuntu actually heading?  It seems at the moment that it is on the verge of becoming a lot more Windows user friendly. For example plans for the Ubuntu Software Centre: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SoftwareCenter
(12:50:19 PM) sabdfl: we have to be friendly to established platforms
(12:50:43 PM) sabdfl: the software centre is going to rock! making it easier for people to find the goodness that's already there
(12:50:55 PM) sabdfl: as for the long term... it's a work in progress
(12:51:12 PM) sabdfl: i have good plans for lucid, and rough plans for lucid+1, but it's tough to be detailed beyond that
(12:51:14 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:51:15 PM) akgraner: <artir> QUESTION: New artwork for Lucid?
(12:51:25 PM) sabdfl: new window decorations
(12:51:34 PM) sabdfl: some new icons for the panel indicators
(12:51:44 PM) sabdfl: some new styling on boot and login
(12:51:50 PM) sabdfl: no new gtk theme
(12:51:57 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:51:58 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: I worked quite hard to write a patch fixing a11y issues in NotifyOsd - that were mentioned in ayatana's ML and, i must say, ignored, and a few months later, still no news. Whats the point of open source if there is no way to contribute outside of canonical?
(12:52:27 PM) sabdfl: post again to the ayatana list and i'll ask the team to follow up
(12:52:46 PM) sabdfl: if you changed the experience, then it might not have been considered because those changes were too extreme
(12:53:01 PM) mr is now known as Guest44206
(12:53:02 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:53:03 PM) akgraner: <nameiner> QUESTION: What is your favorite app?
(12:53:10 PM) sabdfl: firefox
(12:53:12 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:53:14 PM) jcastro: Question: How do you see touchscreen and multitouch being integrated into the Ubuntu OS, and what tricks might be part of it that will do something that the competition won't do?
(12:53:35 PM) sabdfl: we don't have good enough plans on that front, i haven't thought about it, and i should have. sorry!
(12:53:36 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:53:57 PM) jcastro: QUESTION: Is Canonical going to try and get Ubuntu (and Edubuntu) into schools, the way Microsoft and Apple did to gain their mindshare?
(12:54:11 PM) jcastro: (need more questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat please)
(12:54:14 PM) sabdfl: Ubuntu is already hugely popular in schools
(12:54:36 PM) sabdfl: Spain, Macedonia, Greece and others all have active deployments
(12:54:40 PM) sabdfl: i don't know more
(12:54:54 PM) sabdfl: we don't have a business model for Ubuntu in schools, which limits what we can invest there
(12:55:04 PM) sabdfl: but i'm delighted that it's a great base for the work of others in that sector
(12:55:05 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:55:06 PM) akgraner: <finux> Question Mark > With the trend of cross-platform hacking attacks against systems connected to the Internet, what do you think the biggest challenge your security team will see in the next three years, and do you think that maybe a united front from all software vendors is needed.  Like recently with the null prefix attack against SSL/TLS which was cross platform, and how the different vendors took varying times to fix it
(12:55:45 PM) sabdfl: boy, i wish I could see the future. ubuntu would have *amazing* security if i could :-)
(12:56:02 PM) sabdfl: i hope we'll never see another flaw like the OpenSSH one that hit Debian and Ubuntu.
(12:56:04 PM) sabdfl: ever
(12:56:05 PM) sabdfl: EVAR
(12:56:22 PM) sabdfl: but for the rest we have to be responsive, clear, effective and deliver the updates cleanly
(12:56:28 PM) sabdfl: i think we have a great track record
(12:56:44 PM) sabdfl: better than any other free distro, and better than at least one of the commercial ones
(12:56:47 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:56:49 PM) jcastro: <playya> QUESTION: Do you plan to support more mobile devices like tablets and smartphones
(12:56:49 PM) akgraner: <openweek8_> QUESTION: when you have a problem with your laptop, do you fix it or just someone in Canonical? :-)
(12:56:55 PM) sabdfl: yes
(12:57:06 PM) sabdfl: i try, then i ask around :-)
(12:57:07 PM) sabdfl: next
(12:57:17 PM) jcastro: <MarkDude> FOLLOW-UP QUESTION - did you just say that primarily white dudes are able to address the solving of Bug #1? Women & minorities just make it more interesting? Please clarify.
(12:58:11 PM) sabdfl: MarkDude, if you think i can't see a baited trap from this close, you're mistaken
(12:59:26 PM) sabdfl: i said that having diversity in the project is a wonderful goal. but it's no more a requirement to fix bug #1 than it is a requirement to do most other things. fundamentalism is something i despise, and that goes for overdone activism too.
(12:59:26 PM) ubottu: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1 (Timeout)
(12:59:26 PM) jcastro: (that was the last question)
(12:59:41 PM) sabdfl: thanks all!
(12:59:53 PM) jcastro: Thanks everyone for participating!
(01:00:05 PM) jcastro: we'll take a minute break and then Leann will begin with Kernel QA!
(01:00:09 PM) jcastro: thanks sabdfl!
(01:00:16 PM) sabdfl: you all rock. thanks for a great 9.10 and here's to a fantastic 10.04 LTS
(01:00:18 PM) akgraner: thanks sabdfl !!!