An exclusive interview with Mark Shuttleworth
founder/creator of Ubuntu Linux -The Modding Den.
Interview with Mark Shuttleworth
“I would like to thank Mark for his time and for the opportunity for this
interview.
An with that lets get on with the
show.” -
Amigaman2
What made you start the
Ubuntu project?
“I want there to be a free software distribution that is
self-sustaining, and I think I can create that with
Ubuntu.”
What features do you see coming to Ubuntu or
Linux as a whole that will change how we interact with Linux?
“Ah, you need to look at the blueprint we are laying for the
future.
Check out the current set of specifications mapped out for future
Ubuntu releases here: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+specs
Our
focus right now is Ubuntu 6.06, which is a long term supported release (an
"enterprise" release if you will). Once that is out on June 1st we will turn
our attention to Edgy, which is going to include a number of quite
experimental technologies, like GL-based windows, Xen virtualisation.
”
What are your goals with Ubuntu?
“Simply to produce a distribution that represents the very best work
of the free software world, on time, in a way that pays for itself so that we
know it will be around no matter what happens to me.
”
Have you been seeing more hardware vendors seeking
information on how to help you or Linux as a whole?
“Yes, we're starting to see the manufacturers of consumer hardware
take a stronger interest in Linux drivers, and Ubuntu is helping because it
has such widespread adoption.”
What do you think is
needed for the corporate world to switch to Linux?
“In some senses the corporate world is leading the switch, but only
in specialist areas like servers and fixed-function desktops.
”
How can we as end users and members of the press aid
Ubuntu and Linux as a whole in your point of view?
“Find success stories and make the most of
those!”
Why was the company that sent Cd's to end
users /the service terminated?
“It hasn't been. I'm offline now or I would check, but we have
probably stopped taking requests while we prepare for Dapper. We'll be
shipping Dapper around the world for certain.”
What
killer feature is missing that windows or another operating system may have
besides hardware support that hasn't been built yet in your eyes?
“There are a lot of pieces of functionality missing in the free
software world, but those are going to be delivered one by one. The best thing
you can do is to help identify one piece of the puzzle and work towards
getting that done - as champion, developer, end-user, funder, documenter....
there are lots of ways to help the free software process.
”
Will you move to Blue-ray or HD-DVD formatt?
“That's entirely dependent on the patent situation for HD as well as
hardware manufacturer driver support for Linux. In principle,
sure.”.
What sets your distro and your company apart
from not only Microsoft and windows XP but other Linux distros as well?
“We genuinely want people to use Ubuntu and not pay. Of course, we
offer world class support for people who want to deploy Ubuntu in places where
support is essential, but we're happy for people to use Ubuntu without paying
for support unless they need it.”
Your coded kernel
and repository is being used by Mepis now how did this come about and how does
Mepis and Warren add to Ubuntu as a whole?
“MEPIS includes commercial software which addresses the needs of
their users. Working together, we improve the core of Ubuntu which helps
Warren deliver a better MEPIS. I like this model, and so far it's working well
although it will be a measure of the success of it if Warren gets MEPIS 6.0
out the door and feels it worked better doing it this way than any
other.”
Have you been in talks with Warren(Mepis
creator) on how best to contribute to the Ubuntu project?
“If by "talks" you mean exchanging regular email, then yes :-). This
is not a complicated relationship - Warren has a defined market and user base
and we can collaborate on the bits that are important to both of us. I don't
see MEPIS as a threat to what we are creating in Ubuntu, and he has a clear
idea of what he adds over and above Ubuntu for his users. So we both benefit
from the collaboration.
In time, I think there will be
others”
With a open source project and one that has a
open source and a paid version what were the issues that popped up in the
agreement between the two companies?
“There's no formal agreement. Warren knows our goal is simply to
produce the best free platform possible, and he's building on that to produce
the best MEPIS he can. He helps us with KDE issues, which makes Kubuntu better
in the process.”
Xubuntu was told to stop at one point
due to a conflict and then re released why?
“I'm not aware of anybody telling Xubuntu to stop. I'm quite excited
that the XFCE bits will be part of our default enabled repository for the
Dapper release, so Xubuntu should be a rocking experience for people who want
the Ubuntu philosophy expressed with XFCE for thin clients or for older
hardware.”
This may have been a mistake on this interviewers
memory but
I'm sure this was on Distrowatch or the
like
What is the state of 64 bit support in Ubuntu
since 5.04?
“Pretty damn good! There are some issues, like OpenOffice which still
doesn't compile cleanly on 64-bit, so we have to build a custom set of 32-bit
libraries for it. But for servers, 64-bit support is fantastic, it's fast and
clean. We use PostGRES on Ubuntu64 and it's
superb.”
What is the companies stance on making Easy
Ubuntu an official part of the project?
“As I understand it, Easy Ubuntu is designed to add a bunch of
components to Ubuntu that are legitimate if you live in certain countries or
have specific patent or copyright licences. That's fine if it works for you,
but I'm told that it does this in a way which is a little difficult for us to
support. We can look into how to turn on that functionality for people in a
way that is supportable and sustainable - if you really want this, come along
to our next developer summit in June.”
What vendors
have you sought out to add support for their hardware to Linux?
“We've basic relationship with most of the majors. In some cases we
have very good relationships and very good hardware
coverage.”
Will we see you in Canada at a Linux trade
show?
“In time, yes. We were in Montreal for UbtunBelowZero, our developer
summit in late 2005, it was great. I managed to get asked to leave a club,
which suggests we were having a way good time up there.”
This
may have been a mistake on this interviewers memory but
I'm sure this was
on Distrowatch or the like
Would you let end users
become shippers of your distro to their town?
“Sure - especially if they print the
CD's!”
With the choices that are in Linux do you see
that to many choices hurt as much as free the end users in their task to get
away from windows etc?
“Choice is one of the best reasons to move to free software. There
are a bunch of good options to solve almost any problem. That can be a little
confusing for new users, so we try to make sure in Ubuntu that there is one
damn good application there to address any common desktop
requirement.”
You just released the Linux Standards
Based beta what went into this and how can this help end users as well as those
wanting to make,add or support Linux.
“LSB provides ISV's and hardware vendors with a certain assurance of
compatibility. I'm pleased that the Free Standards Group wanted Ubuntu to be
part of that, and we worked together to make it
happen.”
Do you see in the future all distro makers
going beyound the LSB and sharing code etc?
“We already share code. In the case of Ubuntu we publish all of our
working changes, day by day, so they can be adopted upstream or in Debian and
other similar distributions. We also make sure we review what's going on in
Fedora and SUSE, so we get the best of all worlds in Ubuntu.
”
Mepis dropped out of the DCC for their own reasons
and the new GPL revision caused some issues as well what is your point of view
on these matters?
“Two very different propositions! You'll have to talk to Warren about
his reasons for leaving the DCC, I haven't discussed it with him and won't
comment on his behalf. I can tell you why we never joined it: we don't believe
it was dong what it said it was. ”
Do you ever see the
Xserver being in the kernel an a windows like driver interface for hardware etc
coming to Linux?
“The X server itself will not run in an Ubuntu kernel, that's for
sure. However, drivers might well run in the kernel - perhaps even
sophisticated drivers like OpenGL accelerators. That makes sense to provide
the highest levels of performance. ”
What does Linux
need to get and keep end users like gamers /Ubuntu?
“Gamers will go where they can get the latest games and the best
performance. ”
Do you see a need for certain projects
to work together for a common goal?
“Collaboration is the essential ingredient of the free software
world. The better the relationship we can establish between Ubuntu and
Firefox, for example, the better the chance that Firefox works very well for
users of Ubuntu.”
will Ubuntu build a cheaper, better,
faster Linux?
“Again?”
What games do you play under
Linux?
“Nethack. It's the worlds most frustrating game. I've
never ascended.”
What type of system do you have?
“ Lenovo X60, Dell XPS desktop.”
What other
programs do you run beside Ubuntu?
“I have an Apple desktop computer running MacOS X for photo
management. ”
How do you keep interest of Canoical an
a Open source company separate?
“We have the Ubuntu Community Council and Technical Board, and they
can overrule me on anything related to the
distribution.”
What services could we expect to see
from Canonical in the future?
“Now, that would be telling :-)”
Will you see
right to bundle to OEM's,System builders etc ?
“Yes, there are already system builders that preinstall Ubuntu, it's
the most efficient way for them to ship full-function desktop PC's to
customers who do not want a copy of Windows.”
What
type of support do you provide to a retail chain or mom and pop shop?
“We have a special program for system builders and resellers.
We
provide them with support, certification and
training.”
Will we see system's with Ubuntu as the
base OS in the future?
“Oh yes!”
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