Ubuntu Linux is about to take a sharp turn, with founder Mark Shuttleworth announcing on Monday that the next release will use the Unity interface as its default Linux desktop.
Shuttleworth, speaking at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, also announced his plans to bring in new financial contributions to sponsor open source development projects. But the big news was the shift to the Unity desktop shell, which Shuttleworth insists isn’t meant as a slight to the familiar GNOME desktop, stressing the compatibilities of the two. Datamation takes a look.
The next release of Ubuntu Linux could have a very different interface than regular Linux desktop users are used to seeing. Ubuntu Founder Mark Shuttleworth today announced that the Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal release would use the Unity interface as its default Linux desktop shell. To date, Unity has been available to Ubuntu users as a netbook-focused user interface.
Shuttleworth announced the dramatic change at the Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS), which kicked off today in Florida. In addition to the new desktop, Shuttleworth also announced a new effort to enable Ubuntu users to sponsor open source projects with financial donations. Shuttleworth’s overall goal is to continue to improve the quality of Ubuntu Linux as well as the broader ecosystem of open source projects on which it relies.