Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux, is considering a new version of its Landscape remote management tool that may appeal to solutions providers and service providers. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.
First, a little background: Landscape is a remote management tool designed specifically for Ubuntu Linux servers, desktops and notebooks/netbooks. Initially, Landscape was a SaaS (software as a service) offering. In September 2009, Canonical plans to diversify beyond SaaS to offer an on-premise version (called Landscape Dedicated Server) for IT managers to run within their organizations.
But Canonical won’t stop there. Sources say Canonical is taking a close look at the service provider market to see how various partners (ISPs, MSPs, VARs, etc.) could potentially benefit and generate recurring revenue from Landscape. The VAR Guy believes a service provider-centric version of Landscape will likely debut in 2010.
The Bigger Picture
Admittedly, Landscape is only one piece in Canonical’s larger strategic business puzzle. As the company prepares to launch Ubuntu 9.10 in October 2009, Canonical is working on a range of related services and relationships — including cloud, OEM and shared storage initiatives (such as Ubuntu One).
Canonical also continues to build its channel partner network — formulating close relationships with training centers that specialize in Ubuntu Server Edition and Desktop Edition.
Meanwhile, Linux rivals aren’t resting on their laurels. Red Hat this week announced channel partner specializations focused on infrastructure (Linux), middleware (JBoss) and virtualization. And Novell is enhancing its ISV (independent software vendor) relations with new SUSE Linux appliances.
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Tags: Canonical Landscape | Landscape Dedicated Server | Landscape Ubuntu | Ubuntu Desktop Edition | Ubuntu Netbook Remix Edition | Ubuntu Server Edition
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Interestingly, I wonder if on-site deployments can be considered distribution and if any of the software in landscape has any copyleft licenses.
That was always the problem with creating closed SaaS products and then later on expanding the service scope by distributing it. I hope they’re looking into all compliance.
Martin: The VAR Guy must concede he’s not familiar with “copyleft” licenses but he’ll look into this.
The Var Guy:
The GPL is an example of a “copyleft” license. Don’t get hung up on the lingo. The point is certain licenses like the GPL and LGPL have licensing terms which specifically cover redistribution as a distinct action from mere use. The GPL and the LGPL for example require that anyone receiving binary version of a codebase licensed under GPL or LGPL must be given the opportunity to request and receive the corresponding source code associated with those binaries.
Not all OSI approved licenses require access to corresponding source however, so as long as Canonical thought about compliance issues when building the codebase its not difficult to avoid a problem. There are still many OSI approved licensing options which don’t require access to corresponding source. And in the cases of interpreted languages like python, its usually a moot issue entirely as the scripts are the source code.
In any event, the only people who have the ability to verify this are people who are purchasing the product (and the current crop of beta testers). There are no freeware demos to inspect. If no one buys it, there’s obviously no potential for compliance issues.
-jef
Jef: Thanks for the explanation. The VAR Guy will poke around when Landscape Dedicated Server ships… reporting back on early customer reactions.
The VAR Guy:
Why wait…how about you try to find customer reactions for the existing Landscape service. Or have you already tried that and given up for lack of anyone to talk to?
Jef: You raise a good, valid point in terms of “why wait.” The short answer is “lack of bandwidth.” But The VAR Guy plans to solve that with some new blogger hires soon.