Businesses don’t buy operating systems. They buy applications. With that fact in mind, Canonical is gradually expanding its online store for Ubuntu Linux applications. It’s a smart move — but solutions providers will need to keep their expectations for the store under control. Here’s why.
After checking out a range of Ubuntu merchandise in Canonical’s online store (yes, The VAR Guy has an Ubuntu baseball cap), site visitors may spot Ubuntu applications from Cyberlink, IBM, Parallels and Fluendo in the store.
More Choices, Please
Still, Canonical needs to stock its online store with more applications in order to attract more businesses and solutions providers to Ubuntu, The VAR Guy believes.
So, The VAR Guy sent this question to Canonical Marketing Manager Gerry Carr:
“Any update on the strategy for populating the store with third-party apps?”
Carr’s reply:
“The strategy [for the store] remains the same – we bring them [applications] on when it is mutually sensible and the products are packaged and tested. We have revamped the process in the last couple of weeks, mostly regarding the internal process as it is too slow to get these apps online. Sometimes it is our fault sometimes it is not but it is slow. The new process ought to speed things along.”
Hmmm. Sounds like new applications are on the way. But which ones? The VAR Guy asked Carr specifically about Alfresco and Openbravo — two ISVs (independent software vendors) that vowed to support Ubuntu Server Edition in mid-2008.
Carr’s reply:
“I believe we are waiting of the next version of Alfresco and will sell it through the store when available. Open Bravo I am not sure we have agreed any commercial terms with. I know they intend to make a version available for Ubuntu, but independently of us I think.”
Translation: Populating the Canonical Store with more Ubuntu applications is going to take time. But that effort remains a priority within Canonical.
Online marketplaces featuring open source applications sound promising. But even Linux leader Red Hat hit a few bumps before gaining some momentum with its Red Hat Exchange online store.
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Canonical will need more than IBM and Parallels to make Ubuntu attractive to business users. SUSE Linux learned that lesson about a year ago and Novell finally started promoting the SUSE ISVs. We’re one of them. I don’t think Canonical has done anything to find us or recruit us onto Ubuntu.
@SUSE Man – why would Canonical recruit you?
Convert: We are a small but pretty well known software developer writing for SUSE Linux. Canonical should recruit us for the same reason they are trying to work with MySQL, Openbravo, Parallels, Alfresco and other Linux oriented application developers.
Our loyalty to SUSE is based on customer demand. If customers ask us for Ubuntu we will focus more on that. But we’re not hearing demand from customers or demand from Canonical.
If there’s anything we should have learned from Apples failure to capture the personal computer market and Microsoft’s success, it’s that success comes from applications.
There’s absolutely no point in owning a free OS with no applications to run on it. It’s true for corporate clients and it’s true for high street shoppers.
Clearly Canonical want to play in the enterprise market. But that’s not where their major successes are. At least not that I can see. Ubuntu has struck a cord with home users and small businesses. Canonical needs to be pushing out applications for these customers every bit as much as they need to gain ground in the Linux server market.
If Mark Shuttleworth is serious about Ubuntu over taking Apple in the next two years in term of the desktop experience then Canonical better get in gear and start supporting high street shoppers. We need that integrated suit of applications. The e-mail client, the web browser, the media library, the graphics apps, the productivity apps and I’m not talking about spread sheets. I’m talking about a decent easy to use video editor. Stuff of that nature.
Ubuntu needs to start showing it’s strengths. Take Dells’ Mini 9 as an example. The Ubuntu Remix interface works so well on that machine. Why isn’t it part of everyday Ubuntu?
Aikiwolfie: You’re speaking The VAR Guy’s language.
They need to make an app store like function. Similar to CNR but slick like the iPhone App Store built into Ubuntu. Make it simple to buy apps right there.
That would be slick and make it easy for users to get the software they want.
The main thing is to make it like iTunes or like the Original CNR BUT, not have a whole bunch of old apps like the current CNR does.
This is how I see it, having an online store is great specially if you are going to populated with applications that business and home users can purchase and use. However if no one knows about it, if there is no good marketing behind it; it does not matter. No one will know about it other than us Linux users and to some degree some others but it would never be successful unless there is advertising on the radio, print, TV and web mediums.
So once Ubuntu can finally get a good video application(like some else mentioned), a decent desktop interface(Gnome is good but not great at least not yet). Then maybe we will truly see Ubuntu catch on, but relying on the community to market or advertise Ubuntu is just not going to happen at least not this decade.
Also the other thing that is hurting Linux as a whole is that no one can get together and agree on what Mark said or on anything. See everyone has their own thing going, you’ve got folks who hate GUIs and eye candy and then you got folks who love it. So until everyone can come together and AGREE that the main stream users not GEEKS like us want a polished eye candy desktop that works then it will never be the year of the Linux Desktop. I LOVE UBUNTU it is great for ME!
The future is services. Not software. Specialized, rare niche software, maybe(only). Certainly not web browsers and graphics editors. Just exactly what software *ISN’T* available; in some availible repository? Everyone can utilize better, open software. Not everyone is technical enough to get to it and maintain thier system (Even though certain FLOSS bundles are the lesser, of user friendly evils, now.) If a person or group is not technical, they need quality tech help on ANY OS and system.
Adobe is now offering Flash via Canonical’s partner repository in Ubuntu 8.10 also.
Personally, I’m glad for more choice also. But the fact that the partner repository is disabled by default is limiting, imho.
Actually nevermind, I think Add/Remove asks you to enable a repository if its not enabled and shows the software anyway.
aikiwolfie: You are absolutely correct. Please, I wish that somehow you could make this known to Mark. Please try.
Vadim P: for 8.10 flash in partner repository? Well, things might be progressing. Just move quicker.
reya276: I hear you too. This is the biggest problem with linux, ’slow’ adoptiont is made because people cannot agree on a direction. I would like to see strong leadership and direction in Ubuntu (maybe there is) knowing that there is always going to be people who strongly disagree and complain. Ubuntu has been great for me too.
Bring it on!
Good article. Canonical’s original idea to provide an easy way for users to buy commercial apps is not bad but I find their implementation a bit poor… it looks like a shop from the nineties
What ubuntu / canonical needs to implement to be successful on the desktop is a real app store. With a friend of mine, we started working on the idea and released a app store like system for Ubuntu / Linux last week. It’s called allmyapps and really aims at helping novice linux users find and install new applications on their system. Clearly this is a first step (the site is 1 week old) but Canonical should better in this direction than in a eCommerce like website direction imho.
Thibauld: Stay tuned for store enhancements from Canonical. We hear they’re coming. In the meantime, our resident blogger will check out your AllMyApps store. Sounds like an intriguing venture.
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