Give me a reason why Canonical shouldn't build their own computer line?

[Mateo]

There are no A+ linux manufacturers out there. ZaReason and System76 are good, but they produce B+ computers. That's ok, but Ubuntu should be featured on a premier line of hardware as well.

If these two companies can produce good computers, Canonical can as well. With Ubuntu becoming more and more popular, it's silly of them not to release a computer themselves. They can afford it. They can put the money into making sure the product is best-of-breed. So give me a reason why they aren't doing this already? They went cloud, successfully, why not go hardware as well?

I want a top-of-the-line Ubuntu computer that is 0 effort on my part. Right now I can't get that. That should be a huge concern of Canonical's.

[NightwishFan]

Zareasons look pretty neat to me. :)

My reason: Fragmentation = destruction for Canonical. They do not have the resources to spread their net so far yet. Perhaps not ever.

[MisterGaribaldi]

Because there's little-to-no chance of ROI on having Canonical-branded PCs?

or better yet...

Because the average John Q. Public doesn't know and doesn't care about Linux on the desktop?

[sgosnell]

There is a huge difference between producing software and manufacturing hardware. For the latter, you have to build a factory, then the necessary machinery, and the people who are good at software are usually poor at supervising assembly lines. It requires a huge investment, with little chance of recouping it. Ain't gonna happen.

[73ckn797]

Maybe I ought to start marketing Linux Ubuntu computers via special order. I could build a desktop unit with Linux compatible components. They may not initially be the cheapest computers but if enough orders came in I could build an inventory and obtain bulk pricing on the components. This could become a nice small business.

[armageddon08]

Cost/Benefit Ratio will be too low..

[73ckn797]

Cost/Benefit Ratio will be too low..
If you enjoy the work you do, profit is secondary. Filling a gap in what is available will satisfy the desires of those who would want a system Linux ready. I just might pursue this. Since computers are such a necessity these days and knowing there are people who would not take the time to build their own system, I just may be able to create a side business to what I already am doing. It could be a division of my current incorporation.

[slooksterpsv]

As others have stated, just consider the product and how you'd try and market it.

Would I buy a Ubuntu PC put out by Canonical? Absolutely!

Would other general PC users? More than likely no, of is so, maybe about %1 of them would.

Why? Linux is still trying to gain market, it has a great size of a market, but it needs more end users to use it before they could create PCs. And Linux is split, granted Ubuntu is becoming the more generally used one, its still split out there.

Additional Items? I've seen too many companies get into the hardware division and fail, and even have their software degrade due to it.

[drawkcab]

There is a huge difference between producing software and manufacturing hardware. For the latter, you have to build a factory, then the necessary machinery, and the people who are good at software are usually poor at supervising assembly lines. It requires a huge investment, with little chance of recouping it. Ain't gonna happen.

True.

Having missed the netbook explosion, they ought to aggressively try to get Ubuntu on tablets ASAP.

[WinterMadness]

i think they should do this, but they shouldnt focus on marketing it as linux because most people dont care or care to know. just market the strengths of linux, not the name.

also, the reason osx works as well as it does is because its made for specific hardware. canonical should also release similar software to ms and apple.

[NightwishFan]

If they focus on one brand that is only a tiny fraction of the market. Also, Linux may be used in some businesses though it does not have the consumer market of creative professionals such as OSX.

[benerivo]

I like the idea of building an Ubuntu tablet/pad. It could be marketed as tablet having a full web browser, office suite, media player, wi-fi, file-sharing, social networking apps, and doing everything 'a computer' does. It would have to be cheaper than the ipad.

At the moment people expect computers to be windows or a mac and have support for them, and that's why retailers don't really want to stick ubuntu pc's on the shelves. With a tablet, they might do as joe public doesn't yet expect to get a full pc from a tablet, and i think they would be pleasantly suprised when they found they had one.

Canonical wouldn't need their own factories, but could contract an existing hardware manufacturer to build them, but with full ubunutu branding and marketing.

If they don't, then in the same way desktops dissapeared from the shelves, i think laptops will. Then where will ubuntu be?

[alaukikyo]

There are no A+ linux manufacturers out there. ZaReason and System76 are good, but they produce B+ computers. That's ok, but Ubuntu should be featured on a premier line of hardware as well.


what is a+ manufacturers??
System76 also has a high performance laptops and desktops

[alexan]

So far I did understand, the actual commercial model used by Canonical will keep it in live for about 4~5 years (Mark Shuttleworth said).

I do suppose that once they established their business (cloud computing+business for business+sell stuff on ubuntuone-softwarecenter) they will take the next step.

Ubuntu computers is a very delicious idea for customers.


"Fragmentation" is an old fable necroposted by Steve Jobs.

[Oxwivi]

We don't need a Linux, free version of Mac. Period.

[Random_Dude]

Because they made this:

http://shop.canonical.com/images/UBN30014-1.jpg

[NightwishFan]

I think they just outsourced it. Though to be honest, it does look awesome even if it (apparently) does not work well.

[linuxforartists]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with Jolicloud, they're a cloud-oriented OS that started making their own netbooks: Jolicloud Jolibook review (http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/26/jolicloud-jolibook-review/). From the official website: Jolibooks (http://www.jolicloud.com/jolibooks).

Canonical might have to go niche at the beginning, I think. Like making laptops aimed at programmers and web developers. Then gradually widen to the broader public. As much as I love Ubuntu, I can't imagine it taking the world by storm that quickly.

[Doctor Mike]

Because... Canonical is hampered by the public view that its users envision. Canonical is not a non-profit company. It can't afford to be such.

Free is for geeks like me or people with greater knowledge.

The level of quality and free is determined by the input and efforts of ordinary people like you and me. Barring in mind that free is a state of mind. Commercial accounts require accountability, or more plainly someone to blame. To pay for service is to dismiss that responsibility and move on.

In the world of this forum most people have some idea what's going on. Such things are very much untrue of the real world.

I am a novice by this OS's standards, but I'm not a novice in the realm of business. Ubuntu crossed the threshold of potential into viability and lost its audience primarily due to disaffection and unrealistic aspirations.

1% does not a country make and what makes the land is sweat and true dreams.

[GabrielYYZ]

because i think it wouldn't be wise for canonical to turn into an Apple type of company...

take, for example, this iMac:



3.06GHz Intel Core i3
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM
8x double-layer SuperDrive
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
Magic Mouse

it costs $1199 just like that. for me that's RD$44,363

and now, my current computer, that i built myself a couple weeks ago:

3.20 GHz AMD phenom II X4 955 BE
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x2GB
320GB SATA/500GB SATA hard drives
Nvidia 9500GT 1GB DDR2
plus all the other hardware

that cost me the equivalent of $700 more or less, in other words RD$18,000 less than an iMac. and, since i did my research before actually buying the parts, i don't have any hardware issues and kubuntu runs like a dream.

no thanks, i'd rather let canonical stick to improving the OS and market the related services to make money. 1 Apple is enough for the 5% that want their iHardware and their iSoftware to come from the same company.

Disclaimer: i don't want my post to be misinterpreted as an "apple hater post". i'm in now way attacking apple or their prices, i'm fine with them charging whatever they please and doing their business in whichever way they see fit. the apple example is merely to make the point of why i think canonical doing hardware/software at the same time might be a bad idea in a world of free/libre linux distros.

[NightwishFan]

Canonical is not non-profit, it is just not yet profitable.

[alexan]

@GabrielYYZ: Apple don't make rules: they just propose a fashion which many fellow buys.
It hadn't nothing to do with build computer... indeed their most selling product are ipod (portable mp3 player), iphone (cellphone) and ipad (big cellphone).

If you want to take an example of a company who produce PC keep IBM in mind (ms-dos and windows 3.1 OS were made for "IBM Compatible Personal Computer").

Actually the market is divided between.

business PC (computing, not office terminals): IBM
fashion PC: Apple
desktop/office PC: [place keep empty by Microsoft]

if Canonical aim to enter in market, they should hit the empty spot: Microsoft.

[madjr]

An online store is a must. A place where you can get supported peripheral (webcams, printers, video cards, wifi , etc.) and laptops / netbooks / desktops from various "certified" manufacturers.

Canonical would get a commission on sales (like in the software store).

Nothing to lose, but we all have much to gain from this.

[GabrielYYZ]

@GabrielYYZ: Apple don't make rules: they just propose a fashion which many fellow buys.
It hadn't nothing to do with build computer... indeed their most selling product are ipod (portable mp3 player), iphone (cellphone) and ipad (big cellphone).

If you want to take an example of a company who produce PC keep IBM in mind (ms-dos and windows 3.1 OS were made for "IBM Compatible Personal Computer").

Actually the market is divided between.

business PC (computing, not office terminals): IBM
fashion PC: Apple
desktop/office PC: [place keep empty by Microsoft]

if Canonical aim to enter in market, they should hit the empty spot: Microsoft.

apple sells you the hardware and the software, you can't run the software if you don't use their hardware. but you can use their hardware with other software, from what i've gathered reading some mac users that load a linux distro in their macs.

IBM did hardware and they did it well. they didn't do software (OS/2 is the only exception i remember)
Microsoft does software and they're successful at it (doing it well is a whole other subject). they don't do hardware (the zune is the only exception i remember)

you see where this is going? i get that there's a percentage of people that like Apple, i'm not arguing that or the fact that they do sell fine products. what i'm arguing is that to be successful doing the hardware/software shtick you'd have to sell an idea, not a product. the idea apple sells is that their hardware/software combination is the best experience you will buy.

canonical deals with software and sells services, if they add hardware to the mix, they will have a hard time selling the idea that their hardware/software combo is the best. specially when you can buy good hardware for cheap and get another linux distro that is equal/better than the OS that comes with their hardware.

PS: sorry if my point isn't clear

edit: @madjr: that's a good idea, that one would actually work.

[madjr]

edit: @madjr: that's a good idea, that one would actually work.

i proposed that idea a few years ago. It was one of the most popular.

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/3575/

However, i dont think canonical was ready.

I think in a year or 2 they might make progress in that area and consider it.

edit:
...hmm, seems it needs a bit of updating...

[3Miro]

Canonical is non-profit so they will not get into selling hardware.

What needs to happen is to get more companies like System76. They sell hardware with Ubuntu pre-installed, you do get support and you know that everything is guaranteed to work. System 76 will work closely with Canonical and Canonical with the Community.

[GabrielYYZ]

Canonical is non-profit so they will not get into selling hardware.

What needs to happen is to get more companies like System76. They sell hardware with Ubuntu pre-installed, you do get support and you know that everything is guaranteed to work. System 76 will work closely with Canonical and Canonical with the Community.

correct me if i'm wrong, isn't the ubuntu one offering of 20GB packs for $2.99 a product canonical sells? i thought that meant they were a for profit entity. granted, it is services that they sell, like the technical support for enterprises.


Canonical Ltd.[7] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canonical_Ltd.#cite_note-6) is a private company (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_company) founded (and funded) by South African (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa) entrepreneur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur) Mark Shuttleworth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Shuttleworth) to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu Linux (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Linux) and related projects.

i still think they shouldn't get into hardware though.

[slooksterpsv]

correct me if i'm wrong, isn't the ubuntu one offering of 20GB packs for $2.99 a product canonical sells? i thought that meant they were a for profit entity. granted, it is services that they sell, like the technical support for enterprises.



i still think they shouldn't get into hardware though.

Ubuntu One is a service not a product. You get a service of online storage, you get a product like Ubuntu on a CD.

[madhi19]

There no margin on desktop sales. Most OEM's make their money on the crapware that they force feed on the lemmings who are willing to pay good money for cheap hardware!

[MisterGaribaldi]

If you enjoy the work you do, profit is secondary.

Only for a hobbyist. Profit is both primary and mandatory for those of us who like to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.

[alexfish]

apple sells . full stop, but take a real look at what is inside of a modern day
apple, never mind what it say on the tin, and the likelihood of ending up in the clink

IBM made a booby by getting involved with a grave robber, the ******* should have should have been ****

apple are succeeding because the grave robbers now know they did wrong, well done apple
at least invention and innovation is still inspired by the founders

in the modern day world , at present Linux is the only OS that can bridge the gap of inequality

to me Ubuntu, it is for people , this forum is about Ubuntu

For Canonical.
In a commercial world , per $ of investment , if your thinking about buying a chip , here is my $
and hope more commercial companies get behind your concepts and beliefs

Thank you Canonical

[73ckn797]

Only for a hobbyist. Profit is both primary and mandatory for those of us who like to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.
A person can find work that is both a pleasure and meets their needs. I was not saying this would be a full time job.

[NightwishFan]

I believe Con Kolivas is actually an anaesthesiologist. He does kernel hacking as a hobby.

[wilee-nilee]

A free market economy doesn't support profit in the open source community, just isn't enough desktop or laptop demand.

Pretty simple reasons, as it is Ubuntu has been paid for by Mark S as it is we are lucky he is as generous as he is.