Canonical Ltd. (Ubuntu’s company of origin) has yet to turn a single dollar in profit. Mark Shuttleworth, the founder and main funder of Canonical and Ubuntu, stated in 2008 that the company would wait for the business to become profitable for another 3 to 5 years. We are currently approaching 2 years. If funding for Ubuntu is pulled would Ubuntu continue? Most likely. The biggest changes would be in the way it is developed and maintained. The development of Ubuntu would become far more a collaborative community effort, and the kinds of outrage we saw over the movement of window buttons would likely all but disappear. Another possible downfall would be the return of Linux to obscurity in the mindshare of the world’s populace. Before Ubuntu, most people had never even heard of Linux. Those who had heard something about Linux considered it incredibly nerdy, difficult to use, and something more for programmers and tinkerers than anyone else. Ubuntu has changed all of that.

Where is Ubuntu headed in the next 3 years? Will there still be a Canonical? Will all those wonderful Ubuntu designers be out of work? It’s been years since I considered the fate of Ubuntu. Unlike Debian foundation, at some point in the very near future Canonical is dependent on profit to continue.

(Source: elevenislouder.blogspot.com)

Ubuntu is the world’s third most popular operating system. Thanks to Canonical and Mark Shuttleworth, user interface designers are finally having a major impact on the way GNU/Linux based computers interact with the user.

However, the open source community still hasn’t gotten behind end user testing with new users. Usability testing is the key to making a great interface better. While user testing has started to happen inside Canonical, we’ve yet to step forward in large numbers and participate.

Many bloggers have had their say about Ubuntu design decisions, but so far, very little hard data has been collected. Better Ubuntu was inspired by Better Desktop because it’s been defunct for nearly 4 years.

It’s amazing what can be learned from 3 or 4 novice users. I can’t wait to see what we can discover. If you have an interest in Ubuntu design and user testing, then you should follow me on Twitter.