|
In order to unify the interface of Ubuntu On all devices where it can be installed, Canonical has made it known publicly that they are developing their own graphics server: Mir, which is not related in any way to the now legendary X.Org or to Wayland.
Far from simply telling the news and committed to truth and justice (plop!), Let's Use Linux sets out to debate that cambios proposed by Canonical and put on the table some obvious questions ... or not so much. |
What is Mir?
In 2013, Ubuntu Touch (also known as Ubuntu Phone OS and Ubuntu Tablet OS) was announced, which united all Ubuntu interfaces in a single and uniform design, something that could not yet be successfully done by any of its competitors (Google , Apple, etc.).
The common user interface to all these devices will be Unity. Never better chosen the name, right? Anyway, the point is that the graphical server on which to base Unity was debated at length. The old X.Org server was quickly discarded as was Wayland, which never finished reaching a stable version and was initially considered the most valid alternative.
For that reason, Mir is a standalone development from Canonical that is based neither on X.Org nor on Wayland but on SurfaceFlinger, a graphical server created by Google. The final product will have the following characteristics, as promised by Canonical:
- There will be support for Android controllers
- There will be support for DRM, KMS, Mesa and GBM
- There will be backwards compatibility with some applications that make use of X11
- There will be support for Qt / QML and GTK + 3 development tools
- It will be used in all Ubuntu variants (for mobiles, for tablets ...)
The plan is to have a first basic integration between Mir and Unity by May 2013, in October to have the code ready to use Mir and Unity on the Ubuntu Phone OS and to achieve full convergence by April 2014 (Ubuntu 14.04 LTS).
More about Mir: Ubuntu wiki & Ubuntu Fridge
The questions that remain: prepare, write ...
1.- Why Canonical abandoned the development of Unity 2D, which was based on Qt, to focus on Unity 3D, based on OpenGL ... and now, finally, Unity (the 3D) is going to be ported to Qt and even the ability to create Qt bindings for Mir (they will be called QMir). Did I confuse them enough? It's just that the situation is confusing and contradictory ... let's hope it's not just one more of the hasty decisions of Mark Shuttleworth and the guys at Canonical.
2.- What will become of the life of Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu and other distros derived from Ubuntu? By having a single interface (Unity… of course), Ubuntu is going to be a closed package. The distros that today derive from Ubuntu, like the ones mentioned above, are not going to have ANYTHING in common with Ubuntu except for its package system. For that reason, it is worth asking: wouldn't it be more logical for these distros to start to be based on Linux Mint or Debian?
3.- If Unity and Mir were to be based on Qt, wouldn't it make sense for the desktop version of Ubuntu to include Qt programs instead of GTK-based programs? Will the desktop version of Ubuntu die in the hands of the "new" Ubuntu Phone OS? Nooooooo ...
4.- Will Unity and Mir really be free software or will they be projects created solely for Ubuntu that will become super difficult to use in other distros or other graphical environments?
It is my fear and I believe that of many. Canonical already has a track record in this regard and it seems to me that with these announcements they seek to further deepen this line: to create software that only works for Ubuntu. The exceptions, that there are, are the least (Launchpad, for example). Hopefully I'm wrong and that the boost Canonical can give Mir can be enjoyed by users of other distros as well.
5.- Do you get the impression that Canonical is pure advertisement lately? First the version of Ubuntu for the TV, then for the phone, now this ... and we still haven't seen any true commercial versions. Anyway ... maybe it's a matter of time. Hopefully when televisions or phones with Ubuntu actually appear on the market it will be a polished and stable version, not a half-finished product, as is often the case with some Ubuntu desktop versions.
Let's agree that it is a slightly strange announcement. Everyone knows that Canonical has not hired enough people experienced in graphics drivers and other low-level issues to create a graphics server in the time they set out. It is suspect that what they want to do is a fork of SurfaceFlinger, used by Android. In fact, Ubuntu ROMs for phones include this server. Anyway ... we'll see, we'll see and then we'll know.
And what do you think? Will Canonical rule the world? Will it conquer our hearts ... sorry, our phones, TVs, PCs, etc.? Will a version of Ubuntu come out for our refrigerator or GPS?
Ubuntu will never be sold, Ubuntu will never be sold, it is because nobody wants to buy the cretin OS: / (8)
Canonical is going too far but they must be careful to market themselves and lose the concept of free software.
Answering for questions:
1- It is not known for sure why he did it. I always thought it was wrong to abandon Unity 2D, and in the end, you see, they have to go back to Qt, and the reasons are known: It is much faster, and much easier to program.
2- I imagine that gradually Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, and others will have to separate from Canonical and its repositories. That simple
3- I always asked myself the same question. If you use Qt / QML, what is the point of running Unity on Gnome? But only they will know the answer.
4- We have the same fear .. hence I think Canonical is looking more and more like Apple .. 😀
5- No comments .. for the love of not being a Troll hahaha
do not believe, for me it is not so. It is more in mobile put the sidebar similar to the desktop
Argentina ! Argentina ! LOL
sure ... or someone is copying us?
I do not think, they are not turnips, they know that they do not get anywhere
how not? There are already versions to install on functional androids and to test
Nice note!
1- Maybe they learn from their mistakes
2- precisely what Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc do not share is the graphical part, so you can safely continue with x and your desktop system.
3- you have to see what they invent, maybe gtk + qt and the new thing that comes from mobile. Think osx is now copying things from ios 🙂
4- hopefully they are free, free, etc etc and that they contribute to the community
5- it was pure advertisement, but now the mobile versions can be tested and have nightly versions
I really like Ubuntu's design, that's why I follow it ...
I do not see another company, distro, etc. doing the same, putting all its forces to improve and innovate.
I think it's clear, when the Catholic Church became very exclusive to do only what the Pope said, a contrary religious branch called Protestantism appeared, now, looking at it from the software side, when the Canonical company became very exclusive to do only what Mark Shuttleworth was saying, a Linux distribution called Linux Mint appeared. What happened to the Catholic Church in the XNUMXth century? At least half of Europe separated from the Church, joining the Protestant movements (even the most powerful country in the world is mostly Protestant). With reference to the software What is happening with Canonical? At least half of the users that previously used Ubuntu as an operating system have migrated to Linux Mint, due to its portability, because Canonical seems to make more free (but not free) software. Nowadays there is the saying that Android is the least free Linux of all, but it seems that Canonical wants to compete in this area with Google and make Ubuntu the least free of all.
I feel that since the last Ubuntu updates, Canonical got lost: /, maybe it was unconsciously preparing us for its mobile devices like Unity, the name fits perfectly, I don't know, the tablet really looks very promising the mobile 2 2, the desktop os I lost love, I stay with Linux Mint 🙂
My biggest fear: Ubuntu becomes popular and is a victim of the most violent and cruel viruses in the world
Remember that Ubuntu is Linux and as such it is much more secure than Windows, in fact I would dare to say that it has the same security as OSX as it is based on BSD Unix, it is much more stable than Windows or another OS, I do not think they affect it so much. virus like Mocosoft OS
regards
That's what you want 🙂 but I give you the bad news that it won't be like that
(the safest thing in my opinion is that something or similar never happens)
I always ask myself a question, just as far-fetched, is it that users of other distros really feel "something" of envy for Ubuntu?
(which would be understandable: more and better programs, its all-in-one ecosystem, pc's pre-installation, its unstoppable growth, innovation, ease, compatibility ...)
More and more people show me that it is so;
They install a distro to which they get used to, then discover that another is better and since they do not want to change they begin to criticize and proclaim their disappearance.
I know it seems like a "radical" idea but think about it friends, every day I am more flustered and I also think that now, that ubuntu and canonical go all out, that's when people really understand and support ubuntu (those who don't understand it, don't they support it 😀
A clear example; criticism is cheap, and critic comments do not reach 4 lines. Like yours.
People who think otherwise, to make their position understood, write books for you (that is to say) Great texts with many arguments and examples. Of these I am seeing many, in taringa and in personal blog's.
http://www.taringa.net/posts/linux/16459258/Ubuntu—Una-Verdadera-Historia.html
This is a comment that I saw that I liked:
Many complain about Ubuntu, that if it uses Unity, that if it is not stable, that if it violates your privacy, that it has proprietary software, that if it is slow, that the problems and blah, blah, blah ... If so much they do not like Ubuntu for who do not try to make their own distro to their "Like" and compete with both Mac and Windows?
Ubuntu is doing things that no other distro has done, and it is being new things, changing a little of everything to give competition to its rivals, Canonical is a company and voila, it has to do things like ask for donations on its website or like the partnership with Amazon, they need funds to maintain the projects and I know ..
Now they accept it, many clung to Gnome Classic, and They Are Afraid of Change, things change, everything changes, the mode of transport, cell phones, computers, and many other things, if Windows and Mac change and their users are happy. Why Ubuntu can't change? Ubuntu does not have to cling to the past, also to change, evolve and NOT stay behind like the other distros.
Now Unity is something that I like about Ubuntu, because it is something new and innovative, it still has minimal problems but with time it will be the best
And most of all, many are so obsessed with Mr. Stallman's ideology about being free, that everything that is not free software they criticize and live only on him.
Let's raise awareness, Ubuntu is changing for the better, it has done good things, thanks to Ubuntu there are more users in Linux, I hope the other distros will be encouraged to change to evolve and not be left behind, stuck by the ideologies of Mr. Stallman.
http://www.taringa.net/posts/linux/16546113/La-hipocresia-de-muchos-invito-a-reflexionar-y-o-bardear.html#comment-1028457
Here many are anti-ubuntu for sport.
Regards
I think there is no need to be alarmed, precisely the other buntu are characterized by having a very different graphical interface, as for unity, I think it is a very good idea and I really like how it looks, also the ubuntu touch looks great , more beautiful and elegant than the iSO and more functional and practical than android and WP8. That it has some compatibility with android or that at least it is based on some things of this, it seems good to me, why reinvert the wheel? If something is already done, it works for you and you can use it, I don't see a problem, I say re-using the code is part of the advantages of free software. I do not know much about things that only work for Ubuntu, I use Linux mint and so far I can say that most of the packages that claim to be for Ubuntu have served me very well, only the graphical interface differs.
As a separate point, I think it is excellent that a distro 8 any) prevails and sets the trend, the reason that many companies do not develop proprietary drivers for Linux (I say free drivers are appreciated, but for high-performance tasks the proprietary driver is better like it or not) because there are so many distros and so much non-compatibility, fragmentation between one and the other, that it is difficult to do something that is profitable or worthwhile, I think it is good that one distro prevails and that the others (at least the main ) follow it in a certain sense (especially in compatibility) so it is closer to complete compatibility between distros (and the plans that there are to make a universal linux store based on java as I understand it, it is an even closer step), in The end, what I mean is that it is good that a distro prevails, the main ones follow it and so sooner rather than later we will have or begin to see things made for Linux, we already started with steam and it is only the food enzo.
just to be somewhat redundant, we must thank the canonical guys for prioritizing the ease of use of the OS and directing it to the common user, 8 years before it would have been impossible for a normal user to turn to linux, since ubuntu, anyone can use linux being even easier to use and install than windows (linux mint I speak to you), which allows users like me to get rid of windows which is imposed on us from the cradle and when they sell us a pc nobody asks us what we want, at least Thanks to Ubuntu, which was the one that marked that trend and that many other distros followed, is that now I have the possibility to choose something different from Windows without having to spend 3 times more on a Mac
I was going to write something similar to yours, but since you have already done it, just tell you that I agree with you. 🙂
You are confusing the desktop environment (KDE on Kubuntu, XFCE on Xubuntu, etc.), with the graphical server (Xorg, Wayland, and now Mir). Both Ubuntu with Unity (for now), and Kubuntu, Xubuntu, etc, are based on Xorg, and later on Wayland.
If Ubuntu now bases its graphical server on Mir, the derivatives will have to make adjustments so as not to need it, because at least the Kwin developer has said that he will not make specific adjustments for a single distribution, but that those in charge of the distros will have I have to adjust Kwin to work on Mir instead of Xorg or Wayland.
And the same will happen with Mint and others: they will have to make the decision to move to Mir, or to continue with Xorg / Wyaland. So far, Cinnamon uses Xorg.
On the one hand, I have read that Mir will incorporate compatibility with the current X system, so it may not be very difficult to make the changes. On the other hand, if Canonical decides to embed Mir deeply in the software packages (to put an analogy, as Microsoft embeds Internet Explorer in Windows), it may be that the impact on the derivatives of Ubuntu is more profound than just the window manager / desktop environment ..
In particular I affirm my support for Ubuntu, it is innovating. Some time ago I read an article where the points of the why were clearly detailed? Ubuntu is taking this direction and is right if Linux in general does not change, it will never go further than 3%.
But how have we already passed 1%? it would be very good news if it were true.
Ubuntu is innovating a lot lately, it has improved unity in each version I am eager to try when the mir comes out officially with unity 8 it will be quite a bomb xP who says that Gnu / Linux is difficult or one of two
1- You have not tried Ubuntu (be careful not to test version 4.10 if not 13.10)
2- Have you tried to install Arch Linux or Slackware or why not? Gentoo Linux
regards
It is the same, xorg is not part of the base system, it is only the base to mount a desktop. They can still use the Ubuntu base system, adding xorg or wayland mounting xfce, kde or gnome, etc.
it seems that in Spain they are being copied 😉
I don't think that xubuntu, kubuntu, etc could be based on mint, because mint is based on ubuntu, and the truth is I don't know what will happen to mint, but luckily I no longer have to worry about it now that I use archlinux, although I do I worry about the MIR because if the main linux programs are dedicated to only supporting MIR all the distros go to hell and everything will be Ubuntu, that has me worried and more than Ubuntu it will be more spy than ever in version 13.04
The abundance of distros is not a problem for graphics drivers: after all, right now there are many distros and you have drivers.
Also, there are only 3 package systems in the base: deb, rpm, and tar.gz. On the other hand, on its official website Nvidia has its proprietary driver for Linux in the form of a bash script (if I remember correctly), so the package format of each distro neither fits nor comes.
There are no driver problems because now all distros use Xorg. But the entire community was making the effort to switch to Wayland and Ubuntu is dating MIR. So now the effort is not only going to be that the applications have to support Wayland but also MIR and Xorg (for backward compatibility). Same drivers for nvida, amd and intel; They have to adapt to Wayland and MIR. The Linux world is being divided.
Hello, it would be nice if you wrote the name of the author of the article.
1.- When Canonical developed Unity 2D, Qt did not have support for rendering via OpenGL. Currently Qt Framework 5 offers full support for OpenGL, which makes it a very logical bet for Canonical's decision (in terms of the power, flexibility and ease of development that Qt offers).
2.- Definitely the tie will be cut, and I dare say that not even the parcel system will be preserved. Virtually all current graphics software on Linux would be incompatible with both Wayland and MIR. They have to be PORTABLE to the new display server.
3.- In MIR all this software will be incompatible. It will depend on whether GTK and Qt begin to be ported to the models of this display server. Whether GTK programs are used in Mir or Wayland is somewhat irrelevant, since unlike X.Org, both use hardware acceleration models to do their job. As long as they are visually integrated, the rest is superfluous.
4.- Ubuntu appeals to take control, definitely with the new Apple. All the technical criticisms they made of Wayland are unfounded. Mir is a solution to a non-existent problem.
5.- Hopefully it's not pure vaporware.
Interesting….
2013/3/11
You need to read this article published by malcer: http://ext4.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/mark-shuttleworth-no-sabe-lo-que-quiere/ , in it, many doubts about the position shown by many developers are clarified.
That's right ... they earned the benefit of the doubt. I concur.
A hug! Paul.
Of all the reviews I have read lately on the subject this is the most consistent. The truth is, who really knows what is being orchestrated in the Canonical headquarters. What I do know is that it is innovating there and therefore, it is inviting others to innovate. Either to refute all their arguments or to support them. It is breaking the "status quo" that has long left Linux in the shadows. These decisions may be your biggest mistake, or they may also be your best decision. That to this day is uncertain. But what is certain is that Ubuntu deserves how much less the blessed benefit of the doubt. If we are going to criticize, let's criticize constructively and not in a yellowish way as if Linux blogs and forums were entertainment magazines.
Steve Jobs would say rest in peace:
«[…] Again, you cannot unite the different points looking forward; they can be joined only by looking back. So they must trust that the dots will somehow come together in the future. They must trust something: their guts, destiny, life, karma, whatever.
Tito already said that Android apps would not run, not because of the graphical server but because they will remove dalvik from their distro.
Yes it is…
That is precisely what the question is about, the thing is, will Ubuntu take the path of a proprietary company? where your software is just for them? nothing strange would seem to me
That's right ... it's a complicated question ...
In the end I wonder if Ubuntu Touch will end up being just another Android ROM, maybe a little modified.
Haha ... as is ...
Applying what you say, for Ubuntu it is fortunate that Debian does not act like that, because then Ubuntu would go down the drain: keep 20.000 packages, plus its own shell (unity), plus its specific applications, plus a graphical server? I think it would be too big a bite for Canonical
Hi. But here there is an important difference, Ubuntu is doing it the other way around and more progressive, that is, MS put an interface for tablets on the Win8 desktop from one day to the next, while Canonical is taking the Ubuntu desktop interface to the tablets, which as an evolution seems more logical to me.
bro I see the same, unity is focused on a touch device like gnome3. Is the same.
Ubuntu phone seems like a bet on the future of the all-in-one pocket computer.
Xorg is slow compared to Android's graphical server
Wayland is very slow in its development
Making Mir COMPATIBLE with ANDROID controllers is a logical bet, being GPL it has many tricks to bury Wayland as standard.
The other DE, Gnome, Consort, KDE, Enlightment and XFCE with a little work will work on Xorg as well as Wayland and Mir and the user or distro will choose the best / fastest / best drivers, and probably Mir.
Unity - which is not to my liking for the desktop - makes sense for the all-in-one pocket computer, if you add more configuration options - to the gnome2 that could be disguised as almost any other - it will be great, and if not always we will have the promising Consort.
Canonical is the only GNU / Linux company that can give you market share, and like CM ROMs on Android, if ARM succeeds in the world, other distros will make improved versions for geeks, surely Mint will release a variant, and I wouldn't be surprised Get Manjaro on board by taking advantage of all of Canonical's previous work to add more value for powerful users like us.
Ubuntu is not interested in shutting down, the current GNU / Linux desktop market is 50% its and all the other distros help it and help each other in its success, it is a clear example of coopetition - competition and collaboration -.
Paradoxically, the competition is another Linux like Android, which is not GNU because it only takes advantage of the kernel, it has its own graphical system and the applications are not compiled but interpreted with its own java dalvik engine of which I do not know why there is no application for GNU / Linux that allows running Android applications - an ACL Android Compatibility Layer -, perhaps because Xorg and dalvik do not understand each other and maybe Mir does - we'll see if ubuntu phone with Mir can run Android applications -.
Microsoft also uses its "community" programmers to polish its software, but those fixes aren't free, huh?
In any case it is a problem of the derivatives not of ubuntu ... that the derivatives work in not depending so much on Ubuntu then
Excellent article, I had not commented here for months (if I read you), but the job only allows me to read you on the bus: o. Thank you very much 🙂
From what I understand Unity is free software, but in order to use Compiz in Gnome 3 they had to patch everything, so it has become practically impossible to port, about Mir I have no idea but it seemed horrible that in two years they would have thrown Wayland (which was also announced with great fanfare)
I do not think he is forgetting them, in fact he is relying on them more than ever, look at the preview of ubuntu touch for developers and programmers, they are using the community to improve and polish their software, I mean they know where they have the strength and what Its strength is the community of developers behind it, I don't think they will abandon that, also community means developers + volunteer work = incredible results for low cost and less time. they know
Well it's just the point of view maybe I'm just being a little paranoid xP
First Ubuntu directly attacked windows 8 with everything it could. Most of the common complaints were due to the graphical interface that made it look like a tablet. Now ubuntu goes the same way, forgetting about it. Users will now be confused, and for me, ubuntu is no longer an alternative to windows.
Interesting…
One of the reasons why Wayland is not used is because of the issue of mobile devices. However, this is not true. Starting to promote a product by making false reviews of your direct competitor, in short, leaves much to be desired.
My opinion is simple: They are going to create a graphical server to have full control of the project. The worst thing is that they had announced the use of Wayland and the community is meeting deadlines, both by Wayland, such as gtk, qt ... That is not done, they already knew for a long time that they would not use it, otherwise it is impossible to have it prepared for practically now .
Now, will the people of GNOME, KDE, XFCE ... have to do extra work?
for a single distribution? Although it has a very large community, without
A launched, functional product does not make sense to carry out a job that will only serve for that distribution. In fact, the Kwin developer will not support it until it is used by more distributions.
Here you have a couple of links where they talk about this too:
http://www.muktware.com/5341/wayland-incapable-delivering-what-mir-can
http://www.muktware.com/5353/kdes-kwin-wont-support-ubuntus-mir
With Unity Next the logical thing is that they change GTK applications for other Qt ones (and there is still a lot of work for that). Let's see how they manage. I predict a transition period with a pot of GTK + Qt (unless they assimilate KDE applications).
Mir is GPL licensed (although there is code with other free software licenses). Therefore it is not credible that their intention is to shut down the system. Rather they pretend to pass from the others and go their own way. That can cause incompatibilities with other GNU / Linux distros but it will not turn into a Mac OS. At most a new Android will appear.
For my part it's fine, it's just a matter of taste ... after all I use a fedora ... hehe
Haha! I felt identified ... haha ..
Let's hope so ...
It's true ... we'll see what happens and how the subject evolves. These are very radical changes and very little time to do it with relative success.
haha yes argento
I want to say something about point 4 |, all companies that make products make things that serve them, I do not understand what problem there is that canonical do things that serve them and they are still free, it is not that they make software only for Ubuntu, it is that the others do not use it, there is unity for arch or soft center for debian, for example.
Almost everything Canonical does is free, even though not everyone wants to use it, the code is there, so no problem, the others are free to use it or not.
I did not read anywhere about the Fork, what I know is that they have been working in Mir for months
The unification of all the devices seems incredible to me. It is an effort of coherence, from my point of view. Now, about that; which is the idea, there is a very long stretch to execution. Ubuntu, leaving and taking things up all the time. Ubuntu, creating its own tools. Ubuntu, after all.
We must ask ourselves how it affects all the other distributions. Will it be more difficult for an Ubuntu user to switch to another distribution? For example, almost all distributions use systemd by default. The great absent is Ubuntu. So, while the distributions homologate processes like daemon startup, Ubuntu isolates itself.
Unity may turn into a black hole. Let's imagine a hypothetical future: Users try Ubuntu and they like it. Buy an Ubuntu-device and love it. But one day it occurs to them to try another distro and suddenly, they can do nothing. The applications they used were made for Unity, using * their * libraries for Mir and QML and above all, the work dynamics that Ubuntu aspires to have. Also, they lose integration with their Ubuntu-stuff.
And with a fairly large number of users, this line that separates Ubuntu users from "others" will be getting clearer and unfortunately sharper.
Well seen everything. I am with Anibal, there are mistakes and hasty decisions, but it is possible to arrive at a good product.
Otherwise, we will have to go to Debian 7 with gnome 3 ...: _D
Brave hope that of Gnome 3: - / from debian better I don't say nah 🙂
Good article! I had read this news out there and the truth, the only thing I have to say is: «Uncertainty, uncertainty, uncertainty» ha! As you said, we will only know in which direction this ship is turning once all these products see the light. For now we can only speculate ...
It also amazes me that since Ubuntu for Android was announced 1 year ago we have not seen any of this materialize. The hope that remains is that we will see everything at once by 2014 and everything will finally materialize. It would be worth the wait there. However, I really like the idea of creating such an ecosystem. It's where technology is going
I predict that in 2 or 3 years at the latest, Canonical pulls its closed kernel and sends shit to the gnu / linux world. Shortly after they will go bankrupt and disappear, that remains.
Argent?
That of inaugurating products that do not yet exist makes me remind the government of my country that it is always inaugurating and re-inaugurating works that have not yet begun to be done xddd
This is becoming more and more commercial, it is good that they are entrepreneurs and innovators but I think they are forgetting the community that brought them forward (Linux fans of free software) and looking for other types of clients, as I see canonical is forgetting of people who use desktop PC's like Microsoft with its disgusting Windows 8
I think something similar to Anibal Ardid, the other distros based on Ubuntu will continue to do so because the graphical part is not shared.
In the meantime, it was to create an image now that they already have it, it's time to show what they can do.
On the other hand, I want to see other distros moving the market in favor of Linux
Very good article. I really liked the tone in which you wrote it. That said, personally I have never liked Ubuntu very much; It has done a lot for free software, that is no doubt, but not in the best way or in the way that at least I would have liked.
Canonical has been forced to "sell itself" in order to excel in the world of free software, but if that is valid or ethical, it would have to be reviewed more in depth. At least I think this time it is okay for Canonical to go further. At least the big companies turn to see the world of free software and that will always be good.
Answers:
1- Abandoned Unity 2D for «iCazas». They persisted with one thing and another and it is known that the Ayatana team is the most "leet", every time they asked it to include a functionality it answered that it was not possible because it was a question of design. It's a reversal, but a good reversal, they heard 99% of people telling them "use qt, use qt, it's been very supported on mobiles for years."
2- They are derived distros, not flavors of the same distro. That makes them dependent, and they exaggerate the discussion, because it is as if they said that X.org is not going to continue being packaged in Ubuntu. They can continue to exist and function as they do now, or they can become independent from Ubuntu following the path of Mint. Or join Mint. Clem Lefevbre should be reaching out to the communities right now.
3. Wait and see that 14.04 will be quite qt-iesca. But remember that 12.04 is not like that and it has support until 2017. Due to the planned obsolescence, the equipment manufactured between 2010-2014 will have already died.
4. Both. Free, yes. But dependent on Canonical bookstores, too.
5. You saw Ubuntu for Android, then Ubuntu for TV, now ubuntu touch (like the one I have running on my Nexus 7). It's not vaporware, it's work in progress.
Every day I have more clear that Ubuntu is on the right track and the rest are lost.
I agree with you, friend, everyone has to overcome themselves not to be "derivatives" or copies of another!
I agree, canonical has been pure advertisement, and no facts. I'm not saying that I do wrong, but it is preferable to finish one thing and then start another.
Part of this whole issue is better understood when another variable is introduced into the analysis, red hat. Red Hat feels threatened and rightly so by Canonical (there are several indicators that canonical is taking customers out of Red Hat). Much of the code Canonical produces is not accepted by Red Hat employees (who work on many open source projects). So Canonical has decided to stand up for herself (and the community) whenever she can as a strategy to rely less on Red Hat's will.
Do not forget that the truly FREE software is the KERNEL which is called LINUX at the right time everyone can do whatever they want with the desks, it is more if new desks appear better, translated into Spanish, what the hell I have to complain because I can't keep a "derivative" of Ubuntu? go to the Debian source and make your own version, in fact go further and boot from the Kernel with something new, a lot of "distros" and the truth is that they are all daughters of Debian, RedHat, what I admire about Ubuntu is that it has its Own repositories will obviously take something from Debian but they try to be unique so all distros should be not a "derivative of"
I use Ubuntu since its inception and if they make changes so that my pc works better then welcome and if they stop being attractive then I change to another distro and period
so it should always be