Ubuntu 10.04 LTS will be released today. Chris Dollmont gave me a demonstration on his Thinkpad last weekend and I was very impressed. It is one of the most talked about releases for Ubuntu that WILL change how people view and use Linux.
Two years ago, Mark Shuttleworth, the main promoter of Ubuntu and the Linux community, challenged developers to make Linux much more visually appealing and exciting than the Apple Macbooks. Well, I think they did it and now Ubuntu, yes I am using just Ubuntu instead of the full Ubuntu Linux, has a chance to bring a larger group of users to the Linux desktop.
For me here in Vietnam, I have introduced Ubuntu and Linux Mint to my students with success. At the school I am forming, I will start offering Ubuntu Linux courses for high schools students and adults. This release is perfect timing for me to offer my courses. Macbooks are expensive for the average Vietnamese here in Saigon but Ubuntu can run on any laptop, old or new. Who knows, you may see an increase of Thinkpads and Dell laptops which Ubuntu supports very well.
I feel this will be a great time for Linux thanks to the efforts of Shuttleworth and and the open source developers.
I can’t wait to download the latest release of Ubuntu tonight…
Yes, students are more ready to accept Linux (in my case, Ubuntu and / or Linux Mint). I have been introducing them to my students with success too. This, I believe, points to the future – not that Linux will dominate – but Windows will come off its pedestal