Items tagged with Canonical
Most of the world might be running Windows for the operating system on PCs, but there is a healthy contingent of folks who prefer Ubuntu Linux made by Canonical. Dell unveiled new workstations in May that run Ubuntu Linux specifically for that community. Canonical didn't make gamers happy when it announced that it would end support for 32-bit applications starting with the next release. Valve also announced that it was dropping support for Ubuntu in Steam. The gaming community rallied against Canonical's decision to end support for 32-bit applications with enough vigor that Canonical has reversed its decision. It has decided to support select 32-bit i386 packages for Ubuntu version 19.10 and...
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If you still can't wrap your head around the fact that Microsoft supports using Linux inside of Windows, then prepare to have your mind blown. Today, the company has debuted Ubuntu Linux in the Windows Store, available to anyone running a current Insider Preview build. Writing for the official Windows blog, Microsoft's Rich Turner says that anyone running at least the 16215 build of Windows 10 will be able to take advantage of the software, which is sure to be one of the most complex pieces of software on the store. To be clear, this solution isn't for those wanting to run an entire Linux desktop from within Windows; we're limited to the command line at the current time, which can still be hugely...
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We learned a couple of weeks ago that Microsoft and Canonical would be teaming up to bring some Linux goodness to Windows 10, and a mere week later, we saw the functionality hit the 14316 Insider Preview build. With that build now in the hands of tinkerers, some neat features are now being discovered. After Microsoft made the mind-blowing announcement that Linux's BASH terminal would be supported on Windows 10, many began to wonder if it'd be possible to initiate an X server (the accelerated window manager for Linux) to run GUI applications. In its shipping form, both Microsoft and Canonical expect people to use only command-line based applications in the BASH terminal, but as it happens,...
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Earlier this week, we reported on a sleek, low-end tablet running Ubuntu Linux — a world first according to Canonical. But while that was definitely exciting news in the Linux world, today’s announcement from Microsoft and Canonical is quite Earth-shattering. The two companies announced today that they have partnered to bring the Bash Unix shell directly to Windows 10. And before you even go there, no, this isn’t just Ubuntu running in a virtual machine. Instead, Ubuntu will be fully integrated into the Linux subsystems that course through Windows 10’s veinswhat the hell ? Windows 10 14251 has lxcore.sys and lxss.sys ? aren't they part of Project Astoria ? and for Mobile only ?— WalkingCat (@h0x0d)...
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Have you ever wished that you could have the full Ubuntu Linux experience in a more portable, personal form-factor? No, we’re not talking about Ubuntu on a laptop, but on a tablet. If that’s been a dream of yours, you’ll soon be able to sample Ubuntu goodness in a 10.1-inch form-factor at the retail level. Canonical, the makers of Ubuntu, have teamed up with Spanish device maker BQ to bring us the Aquarius M10 Ubuntu Edition tablet, which runs Ubuntu OS version 15.04 (Vivid Velvet). What’s great about Vivid Velvet is that users are presented with a touch-centric interface when using the tablet by itself, and it converts to a desktop mode when you attach a mouse and keyboard (that sounds a bit...
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Intel is getting ready to release a version of its Compute Stick that runs Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (64-bit). You may recall that we tested a version running Windows 8.1 32-bit, and at around $149 street, we felt it was a decent value overall. The Ubuntu version (Intel product number STCK1A8LFC) will be even more affordable at around $110 when it ships out this week. One thing that's important to point out is there are some hardware differences between the two. The Ubuntu version will come with 1GB of single-channel DDR3L-1333 memory and 8GB of eMMC storage, both of which are soldered inside the Compute Stick. That's half the amount of RAM and storage found on the Windows 8.1 version. Otherwise, everything...
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When it comes to fringe players in the smartphone OS sector, we’ve seen Firefox OS, FireOS, and Cyanogen (which will soon be accompanied by OxygenOS). Another player is entering the fray next week courtesy of Spanish hardware manufacturer BQ. BQ has repurposed one of its existing Android handsets to give us the Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition, which will launch across Europe next week for €169.90 (roughly $190). So what exactly would make an Ubuntu smartphone appealing to consumers in a world dominated by the like of Android and iOS? Canonical, the folks behind Ubuntu, point to its Scopes concept that changes the way that users interact with their stored content and streaming services. Scopes is...
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Linux, and Ubuntu in particular, missed a golden opportunity to truly break into the mainstream market during the early days of Vista. The buggy operating system (prior to SP1) left consumers angry and willing to consider alternatives, but at the time, even Ubuntu was still a little rough around the edges to draw widespread interest among lifelong Windows users. With Canonical's release of Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty Tahr) coming hot off the heels of Microsoft discontinuing support for Windows XP, could a mass migration take place? Hey, anything is possible. And unlike the early Vista era, Canonical is actively chasing Windows users with its latest release. "The 14.04 LTS release offers a solid, intuitive...
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As recently as last month, it appeared that the Ubuntu smartphone would be delayed until 2015, but suddenly Canonical announced that it has secured manufacturing deals that will being the handset to market yet this year. Canonical has agreed with Spain’s bq and China’s Meizu to market the Ubuntu smartphone globally. Everything is already under development, and at some point this year customers will be able to purchase the handset online from bq, Meizu, and Canonical itself. In terms of carrier support, there are 16 members in the Canonical Carrier Advisory Group, including Deutsche Telekom, KT, SK Telecom, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone. “Ubuntu introduces a new UI paradigm...
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If Canonical is ever going to establish Ubuntu Touch as legitimate contender among mobile operating systems, it's a journey that won't truly begin until sometime next year. That's because the first Ubuntu Touch smartphone isn't likely to launch before 2015 even though Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth said last month that we should expect Ubuntu Touch devices in 2014. Canonical community manager Jono Bacon offered up the revised ship date in a Reddit Q&A, adding that Ubuntu Touch is embarking on a long road with many components. "I would be surprised if we see anything like this before 2015. When the major OEMs/carriers ship, this is when many of the ISVs will be on-board too," Bacon said....
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We haven’t heard much from Canonical about its Ubuntu for mobile since its ill-fated $32 million crowdfunding attempt, but it appears that the company has finally found a hardware partner for its mobile operating system. Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth dropped the news to CNET: "We have concluded our first set of agreements to ship Ubuntu on mobile phones. We've shifted gears from 'making a concept' to 'it's going to ship.' That has a big impact on the team," he said. Shuttleworth declined to name the manufacturer, but he did say that Canonical is actively in talks with four major brands that sell phones all over the world. If that’s indeed the case, the mobile market will get...
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A couple of weeks ago, we talked about Dell's latest Ubuntu notebook, the XPS 13 "Developer Edition", also dubbed "Sputnik 3". This is the kind of notebook that most Linux fans would love to have; it packs in a fast Intel Core i7 dual-core, a 256GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and a crisp 1080p 13.3-inch display. As fantastic as the XPS 13 is, though, its $1,549 price tag puts it out of range for a lot of people. The upside to that is that Dell offers a decent range of other Ubuntu notebooks, but as mentioned in the earlier post, things could be improved. With Dell tackling the high-end, what about the low-end? Or perhaps, ultra low-end? ASUS is on it. In an announcement this week from Canonical, we learn...
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When Windows Vista first came out, it was plagued by problems, including performance issues and compatibility woes (most of which were resolved with the first Service Pack). At the time, there were some who predicted that Linux would supplant Windows as the mainstream OS. That didn't happen, of course, partly because SP1 solved most of Vista's issues, and also because user friendly versions of Linux weren't quite ready to hold Aunt Mabel by the hand. Plus, it wasn't the platform of choice for gamers. Are we on the verge of a revolution now? Probably not, but Linux has definitely improved in every area since those days. What's more, gaming support and performance is fast becoming center stage,...
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Looking for a change of scenery on your desktop? Want to see what all the fuss is over Linux? New and seasoned vets alike are invited to download and install Ubuntu 13.10 for desktop (and smartphone), Canonical's latest version of its open source operating system. According to Canonical, Ubuntu 13.10, or Saucy Salamander, is Ubuntu's first true mobile release with a streamlined core OS and mobile user interface designed for device convergence. In other words, it's the Windows 8/8.1 of Linux. "This is a milestone in computing history," said Rick Spencer, who leads Ubuntu’s consumer-facing engineering. "The exact same Ubuntu OS runs on ARM phones and modern HP Moonshot ARM servers, and provides...
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First, let’s get this out of the way: Canonical’s tantalizing Ubuntu Edge superphone is not going to happen. The company’s Indiegogo campaign to raise $32 million, which we’ve written about a time or two, didn’t hit its intended goal. In fact, despite smashing a crowdfunding record with $12,812,776, Canonical was still roughly $20 million shy of raising enough cash to fund the ambitious project. The company said from the get-go that if it didn’t secure all $32 million in funding, it wouldn’t attempt the project at all. That’s fair enough--if you’re going to do something, you should really do it right, especially using millions in other people’s...
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When the Pebble smartwatch hit Kickstarter looking to raise $100,000, nobody could have guessed that it would annihilate crowdfunding records and end up generating $10,266,845 in pledges. It’s far less surprising to see Canonical’s Ubuntu Edge superphone--a smartphone with tantalizing features--rack up the dollars in crowdfunding support on Indiegogo, and in fact the Edge has beaten Pebble’s record, according to Canonical. At the time of this writing, the Ubuntu Edge smartphone campaign has generated $10,485,825--with 6 days to go. That’s a staggering amount of money, to be sure, and the fact that it’s all crowdsourced is all the more impressive. Still, there’s...
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Canonical announced that its Ubuntu Edge superphone has a permanent (until the end of its fundraising campaign) price tag of $695. “No limited quantities, no more price changes,” reads a post. “You wanted a more affordable Edge, and now you’ve got it.” It’s a pricey device, no doubt about it, but the Ubuntu Edge promises incredible specs, including the fastest possible mobile processor (which is TBD), 4GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, unscratchable glass, a 4.5-inch display resolution of 1280x720, stereo speakers, dual-LTE and GSM, and more. It will also be unlocked, and it will dual boot to Android and Ubuntu mobile with an Ubuntu Desktop OS on board,...
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Canonical is taking a progressive, innovative approach to its invasion of the mobile industry. We’ve seen its Ubuntu for mobile in action, and the OS is slick and smooth, but the company is working on hardware, too, which is taking the form of the Ubuntu Edge smartphone. It’s still a prototype, but the thing looks impressive; the look is classy, with understated, sharp slanted angles, and future models will be built of a single piece of textured metal. Canonical says that it will have a 4.5-inch display made from sapphire crystal instead of glass (which allegedly only diamonds can scratch), the fastest quad-core mobile processor available, at least 4GB of RAM, and at least 128GB of...
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Whether it’s for the lulz (as they say) or for more nefarious reasons, the Ubuntu forums have been hacked. Canonical posted the message via a splash page where the forum site is usually located. “There has been a security breach on the Ubuntu Forums,” reads the page. “The Canonical IS team is working hard as we speak to restore normal operations.” Canonical didn’t mince words about the extent of the damage, either, stating that the hackers made off with everybody’s username, password, and email address in the database. This is when using different passwords for all of your many services pays off, because Canonical advises users who have used their same...
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The "Unity Dash" in Ubuntu has always been designed around the goal of delivering relevant information to the user, but come version 13.10, due out in October, things are about to become vastly improved. With that release will come 50 brand-new "Scopes", along with a "SmartScope" filtering service. With these, users will be able to fine-tune their results like never before, and also access a bunch of information that wasn't previously possible. Peering into a screenshot provided by the folks at OMG! Ubuntu, we can see many Scopes that should prove useful to a great number of users. While we won't list them all, the most notable ones include Wikipedia, Firefox Bookmarks, Flickr, Dictionary, SoundCloud,...
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It’s not the first Dell notebook running Ubuntu, but the latest model that Canonical is talking up differs from past Ubuntu laptops in that this is a Dell XPS 13 packed with killer components. All too often, Ubuntu gets plopped onto lower-end notebooks (see: the entire failed netbook craze), but this one rocks an Intel Core i7-3537U chip, 8GB of DDR3-1600MHz RAM, 256GB SSD, and a 13.3-inch full HD (1080p) Gorilla Glass display; Intel HD 4000 graphics is on board, too. The 3-pound ultrabook comes with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS installed instead of Windows, making this machine a dream for anyone who desires a high end notebook but doesn’t want to deal with paying for a Windows license only to...
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It’s a big day for Canonical, maker of Ubuntu; in addition to today being the official launch of the Ubuntu-optimized Steam for Linux client, the company announced that the Touch Developer Preview of Ubuntu for smartphones will be coming on February 21st (along with tools for flashing devices). It looks like you’ll need a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 smartphone to take advantage. On its own, Ubuntu for smartphones looks terrific--the hands-on video we shot at CES can attest to that--but what’s even more compelling is that the same Ubuntu source code will underpin smartphones, tablets, and computers, as well as perhaps even TVs, thus offering a totally unified experience across multiple...
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