I don’t think anyone can argue that Canonical has not contributed as much to the Linux Kernel but as previously stated, sometimes its not just about the code. Creating ease of use and nice packaging goes a long way with end users. Creating lots of services that actually work is fantastic as well.

Lastly…Gnome Shell. Oh, how I am mixed on it. If it works better than KDE 4 on release I’ll be surprised. KDE 4.3 still crashes on me and is a slug relative to Gnome 2. I know that Gnome is feeling a bit dated but it works. However, I’m one of those bleeding edge folks that likes wiz bang newness. So I’m willing to give Shell a shot.

This is very true. In fact they’re looking both at the system and at the end user as a whole, and by investing a lot in marketing they brought widespread attention to Linux in general.

“……Critics contend that Ubuntu’s regular release cycle compromises quality, since it forces software to be pushed out the door before it’s been adequately tested.”…….

I think maybe Canonical could experiment a joint venture with another distribution that would work as a kind of her testing branch. We know that lots of users like to stay always at the bleeding edge of technology even if compromising some stability. So, this related distribution would work like Canonical’s Suse vs Novell or Fedora vs Red Hat.

Maybe Ubuntu doesn’t contribute as much to the code base of upstream projects as the other distributions do. But that’s all right, because there’s more to an operating system than coding. If writing good code was all that mattered, Windows would be no more than a distant memory. Ubuntu really shines in the areas of interface and usability. You’ll never get people to switch to a Linux-based system if you give them a fresh Gentoo install and tell them to go wild. (Ok, maybe some people will, but not enough to mention.)
Canonical is also responsible for Launchpad, Landscape, and Bazaar, which are very important in their own right, although not necessarily a part of the operating system. I think Ubuntu has done an excellent job of looking at the system as a whole instead of just a coding project.

It’s great times for Linux. Its slowly being recognized as a viable alternative to using Windows. We should all get together and support and make Linux great.