Kubuntu Dead? Not Really…

In a world of tabloid news– FOSS-focused news sites not-withstanding– it’s easy to sensationalize Canonical’s move to break financial ties with it’s first, and arguably most famous, derivative work Kubuntu.  Well, before you light your torches, burn down villages and mail death threats to Mark Shuttleworth, let’s take a look at what’s really happened.

Canonical is a business, first and foremost.  Many of you can paint pretty pictures of rainbows and unicorns whilst exalting Ubuntu to the highest throne of the free software community.  If that’s the poster that you want to hang in your office, that’s fine, but it’s not the reality.  Furthermore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.

From Jonathon Riddell’s official announcement:

This is a rational business decision, Kubuntu has not been a business success after 7 years of trying, and it is unrealistic to expect it to continue to have financial resources put into it.

The Internet is in an upheaval trying to get your attention, banging the “Death Bell” and calling “Bring out your dead” as it scrolls it’s way along your RSS feeds.  While everyone was trying to capitalize from the breaking news, we at +The Powerbase were actually reading the announcement, word-for-word.

Practically speaking, not much should change. Community leaders should drive the flavors in terms of vision, direction, scope, day-to-day work items and release. Canonical is committed to providing the various bits of infrastructure as well as the platform upon which to build the flavors. The move aligns all flavors to a community driven and supported model with Canonical providing core infrastructure.

I hope and expect Kubuntu can continue. I encourage Kubuntu devs to apply to UDS so we can have discussions on how to continue it and keep the dream alive.

It certainly sounds like the Kubuntu team will be pushing forward, likely in the same manner as Edubuntu and Xubuntu, whose teams continue to release on a tight schedule to an eager community.  All while working under considerably less influence  than that of +Jonathon Riddell

I’m a firm believer that an artist is anyone who can create something out of nothing.  In the rampart world of tabloid style news sources, creating something out of nothing is just that, nothing.