Can Linux do on Tablets what it failed to do on Netbooks? It looks like we are about to find out as Canonical, the people behind the popular Ubuntu distro of Linux are preparing to fill a major gap in their lineup and release a version of Ubuntu designed to work with touchscreen tablets.

In an interview with , Chris Kenyon, Canonical’s vice president of OEM says that we may see a version of Ubuntu that is tablet optimized as early as the beginning of 2011. Back when netbooks were the hot new PC category, Linux looked set to finally break into the consumer market in a big way as the earliest netbooks ran the lightweight, free OS rather than Windows. Consumer desires changed that as people opted for the OS they knew best, that being Windows, but perhaps it will be a different story as Tablet’s become more widespread in the consumer market?

Ubuntu has long been available as a well received Netbook Remix which uses a small screen-friendly layout to improve the usability of many netbooks. However, having tried the Ubuntu NBR on a touchscreen netbook, I can state that while it more or less worked, it just isn’t designed for tablets and after a few days of frustration I uninstalled it.

Kenyon says that the specific needs of touch and tablet users are being taken into account, and after sending the required congratulations to Apple over the iPad, stated that Ubuntu could be a serious competitor with iOS, Android and Meego in the tablet category.

The touch optimized version of Ubuntu would be based on the upcoming Ubuntu 10.10, aka Maverick Meerkat (what with Linux versions being named for wild animals, Android version for desserts and Mac version on cats, isn’t it time Windows versions had themed names? How about skin diseases? “Ballmer premiered the upcoming Windows 8, codenamed Excellent Eczema” It could work, really.). The touch friendly version would be called Ubuntu Light and combine the current Netbook Remix with tablet functionality.

Ubuntu currently has a version called Ubuntu Light which is a quickstart version they were pushing to Windows users, but as it doesn’t seem to have made much noise, I imagine it would be dropped or renamed to make way for Canonical’s next attempt at entering the consumer market.

Kenyon also stated that Ubuntu will not be available in a smartphone version, apparently feeling (correctly) that the field is too crowded as it is and that Linux smartphone OSes were tried before being abandoned by the opensource community in favor of Android.

Personally, if a Ubuntu tablet version were able to be installed as a dual boot easily with Windows I would be very happy to install it on a Windows 7 tablet, especially if it had “instant on” capabilities.

Posted by: pybadyfyto at 10:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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