The VAR Guy

Canonical has made a subtle but important shift in its channel partner strategy. Sure, the Ubuntu Linux promoter continues to engage with solutions providers. But increasingly, Canonical wants to recruit hosting partners and cloud partners onto the Ubuntu bandwagon. Here’s why.

Canonical’s Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) sounds like its set to get a boost from IBM. A source attending HostingCon says a deeper relationship between IBM and Canonical could be announced as soon as July 20. And the relationship, which may surface at OSCON, could give Ubuntu and IBM’s DB2 database a lift in the cloud. Here’s why.

As OSCON (Open Source Convention) gets set to start July 19 in Portland, Oregon, I’m reminded of an Ubuntu-centric conference that once showed great promise. The event, called Ubuntu Live, was co-located at OSCON in 2007. But it no longer exists. Here’s why it’s time for Canonical to revive Ubuntu Live for partners and customers.

The VAR Guy is running on fumes today. Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2010 (WPC10) was long and tiring, but the conference represented a strong showing for Microsoft and roughly 10,000 channel partners. Here are six channel partner blog entries The VAR Guy didn’t get a chance to write while he was running around WPC10 for the week ending July 16, 2010.

The health care sector is set for a technology-driven transformation as the federal government pushes adoption of electronic health records and pursues national health information exchange. Hardly surprising, the Open Source Convention (OSCON) has a health care track that will focus on open EHR/EMR software and the government’s standards-based Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) among other topics. What’s in it for VARs? Here are some clues.

The VAR Guy has awoken from a deep one-week sleep — otherwise known as a vacation. Our resident blogger will arrive at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC10) in less than 24 hours. But before The VAR Guy covers all-things Microsoft, here are six channel partner blog entries he didn’t have time to write during the week of July 9, 2010.

I applaud Canonical for pushing Ubuntu beyond the desktop — up onto servers, and down onto mobile devices. But I’m starting to wonder:  Can Ubuntu really gain traction on Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs)?  Or put more bluntly: Does the world really need another mobile device operating system?

When Canonical canceled its Ubuntu Live conference — which had been scheduled to coincide with OSCON in Portland, Oregon — I was deeply disappointed. But in retrospect, here’s why canceling Ubuntu Live — and focusing more resources on August’s LinuxWorld Expo — was a very smart move by Canonical.

Canonical is preparing an Ubuntu Server blitz at LinuxWorld Expo in August. Alfresco, IBM, Openbravo, Zimbra and others are expected to rally around Ubuntu Server at the conference, The VAR Guy learned during meetings at OSCON. Here’s the scoop, and the implications for Ubuntu partners.

Canonical CEO and Ubuntu Linux backer Mark Shuttleworth will step into the spotlight July 22, when he keynotes OSCON (Open Source Convention) in Portland, Oregon. It will be a critical moment for Shuttleworth and the Ubuntu movement. Here’s why.

I will be attending OSCON (Open Source Conference) in Portland, Oregon, this week. I plan to blog live from the event on July 22 and 23, and I will be attending Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth’s keynote on Tuesday. I’ll be joined by The VAR Guy, a blogger from our sister site. This could/should be a big week for Canonical and the Ubuntu Linux movement.

The VAR Guy is trying his best to attend both OSCON (July 21-25, Portland, Oregon) and LinuxWorld Expo (August 4-7, San Francisco). In particular, he wants to learn more about the emerging Ubuntu Linux community. But if he only had the time and money to attend one of the events, which should it be?