Ubuntu Corporate Edition

[leftcase]

As mentioned in the original post, Xandros is a 'plug-in' solution for replacing Windows XP. They worked very hard on that. SUSE also has capabilities in that area. Ubuntu, on the other hand, is focusing on other areas - the next release will have 3D desktop effects, something the home/hobbyist user would want. So Canonical/Ubuntu just don't seem very interested in the Enterprise desktop market, as of yet (while they ARE interested in the Enterprise server market).

Perhaps in time this will change. But I doubt if this will happen without the drive coming from Mark Shuttleworth himself; for now, this is not present.

Fair enough - shame though!

With vista looming on the horizon I image that lots of enterprise organisations will be looking towards other options to replace their aging fleet of XP machines over the next few years. Ubuntu Enterprise could help fill that gap I reckon...

Chris

[MrHorus]

Fair enough - shame though!

With vista looming on the horizon I image that lots of enterprise organisations will be looking towards other options to replace their aging fleet of XP machines over the next few years. Ubuntu Enterprise could help fill that gap I reckon...

Chris

You forget how slowly enterprise orginisations operate.

Mine (a finance company) is only JUST rolling out XP across our sites

[leftcase]

You forget how slowly enterprise orginisations operate.

Mine (a finance company) is only JUST rolling out XP across our sites

Youch lol

[MrHorus]

Youch lol

Well it's a financial services company.

There are lots of bespoke applications that simply do not exist outside of these four walls and as a result, there is a LONG testing an acceptance procedure and XP isn't rolled out until they are sure that existing applications will work.

It's a pain but I suspect the same is true for any large enterprise.

[Cows]

Everything that everyone said above is true. I personally think that since Ubuntu is a free to use OS & Distro it should remain free if they were to make a Enterprise Server. I doubt that Ubuntu will keep the Enterprise Edition free since all the other Distros keep there Enterprise Editions at high prices. This is a very good idea of making a Enterprise Edition.

PS: I just switched from Win XP to Ubuntu =].

[TLE]

Just to make this absolutely clear. What I'm suggesting is a business ready distribution available at no cost that plugs into the current space in a corporate infrastructure occupied by Windows XP...

Also to make it clear, it isn't something I have built and ready for upload, but is indeed as suggested something which would require input and development. I'm suggesting a project concept and I'm willing to help in any way I can, but I'm not distro developer, I'm a systems admin so I can't do this alone.

I don't think the problem is that the Ubuntu community is specially hostile, but I think that too many Linux users have tried to join a distribution, which promised to be free, only to experience that a differentiation is made later, and that you can only have the best version if you pay for it. Hence the hostility towards words like Coporate or Professional Edition. Just make sure you make it clear what it is that you mean, if you try to rally people for this project.

There is absolutely no need to have a separate Enterprise edition. It might be shocking, but 95% of what "enterprise" users want is the same as home users. That being said, there are a bunch of things that Ubuntu needs to do to make it fit better in the large deployment space. Part of that project is being taken on by the Ubuntu Directory (https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-directory) team, but we need more people.

Corey

Maybe this could be accomplished by a package/program instead? A application that helps you install and configure everything for coporate use easily? If it is possible it would certainly save some work.

[leftcase]

Maybe this could be accomplished by a package/program instead? A application that helps you install and configure everything for coporate use easily? If it is possible it would certainly save some work.

Quite possibly, if the solution was a simple plugin that did the lot, that would certainly be interesting.

[OffHand]

I see your point but it is not a matter of enterprise or not. If an idea is good enough and high in demand it will be (or should be put in) put in Ubuntu. That way it will be available for both home users and cooperate bizz.

[dasunst3r]

The packages are out there, so the issue on hand, I suppose, is the bundling thereof. There is a server edition out there, so we don't really need a "Corporate Edition," but rather expand on the server edition.

[Cows]

I don't think the problem is that the Ubuntu community is specially hostile, but I think that too many Linux users have tried to join a distribution, which promised to be free, only to experience that a differentiation is made later, and that you can only have the best version if you pay for it. Hence the hostility towards words like Coporate or Professional Edition. Just make sure you make it clear what it is that you mean, if you try to rally people for this project.

There is absolutely no need to have a separate Enterprise edition. It might be shocking, but 95% of what "enterprise" users want is the same as home users. That being said, there are a bunch of things that Ubuntu needs to do to make it fit better in the large deployment space. Part of that project is being taken on by the Ubuntu Directory (https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-directory) team, but we need more people.

Corey

Maybe this could be accomplished by a package/program instead? A application that helps you install and configure everything for coporate use easily? If it is possible it would certainly save some work.

If that is true then don't you think that it would be easier to just edit the Ubuntu Desktop Edition and just save it as a new Ubuntu called Ubuntu Enterprise Edition.. it will still be free but this one will contain more stuff that relate to businesses. At the end you will have Ubuntu Desktop/Server/Enterprise Editions.