Apple brought touch technology to mainstream mobile devices when it introduced the iPhone back in 2007. Now with the iPad, touch has become even more popularized, with other vendors scrambling to introduce tablets that include some of the same features as the iPad, including multi-touch input. As Linux Planet reports, the next version of Ubuntu Linux will include support for multi-touch as part of a broader push to enhance user interactivity across the entire Linux desktop ecosystem. Ubuntu developers are working with others in Linux community to make sure the new features are comprehensive and can be adopted broadly.
The next version of Ubuntu Linux aims to support multi-touch as part of an effort to expand the Linux desktop user experience, potentially bringing the sorts of interactivity popularized by devices like the Apple iPad to tablets and netbooks powered by Ubuntu.
But the plan isn’t to stop with Ubuntu alone, according to the distribution’s founder, Mark Shuttleworth, who notes the new version will include the new, open source UTouch framework. Ubuntu’s backers say UTouch will offer a type of user experience that’s thus far been absent on Linux devices.