What does the new year hold in store for Ubuntu? Well, it’s already ushered in a new chief executive at the vendor’s lead sponsor, and she’s setting her sights on the mass consumer market.
In an interview, Canonical CEO Jane Silber talks about taking Ubuntu Linux into the mainstream. And that means taking on Microsoft. Linux Planet has the details.
Linux at retail has been a hit-and-miss proposition for more than a decade. Consumers have been able to purchase some boxed versions of Linux distros from off store shelves over the years, though for the most part, that’s not how most have historically acquired Linux.
Ubuntu has been one such Linux vendor that has had its distribution available at retail. In 2008, Ubuntu was sold for a time at Best Buy locations. Much has changed since then — owing to a persistently difficult economic climate and a revitalized competitor in the form of Microsoft Windows 7. So what is Ubuntu’s strategy for retail in 2010?
In an interview with InternetNews.com, Jane Silber, the new CEO of Ubuntu’s lead sponsor, Canonical, shed some light on her company’s strategy to get Ubuntu into the mass consumer market.
“On the consumer desktop side, it’s a combination of taking some market share from Microsoft as opposed to changes within Linux distributions. And in part, it’s about growing the overall size of the pie,” Silber told InternetNews.com.