Ubuntu
is well known as a freely available Linux distribution. It could also
one day be your personal data synchronization system too. That’s right
Ubuntu is expanding its business model with a new data sync/backup
service now in beta, called UbuntuOne.
The
first 2 GB of storage are free (which is kinda of like EMC’s Mozy
service), and then a 10 GB monthly storage plan is $10 US per month.
While
the idea of online storage sync is hardly a new one, it is a great idea
to have this available under the Ubuntu brand and as a fully
integratable Ubuntu LInux application (PPA)
for backup sync. I’ve used a basic rsync across machines myself, but
UbuntuOne promises a web based interface to access files as well as
being able to provide syncronization across machines. I haven’t
actually tried out the service yet (it’s invitation only and my invite hasn’t arrived yet).
While
some Ubuntu users (moreso on the server side) will pay canonical for
support, I suspect that Ubuntu’s path to profit on the desktop side
will come in part by way of UbuntuOne. It’s a service that everyone
needs, the only question is whether or not Ubuntu users go with
UbuntuOne or do it themselves.
I have not seen any other Linux
distribution with a similar effort, though I would expect that Mozilla
will eventually do something similiar with its Weave services backend.
UbuntuOne isn’t just about browser data though it’s about whatever
data�� a user wants to backup/sync.
