My theory is that it's all about apps. Last time I went to BB at least 80%
of the laptops had touch screens. This has been and continues to be the wave
of the future. The one with the better apps wins. The majority of mobile
app developers focus on developing for iOS or Android. If MS can make
development of apps for their app store quick and easy, that could send the
development trend their way.
The truly disgraceful part is that Canonical is cashing in on Ubuntu's
image--an image the was carefully crafted since 2005. I still remember the
grass roots slogan when I started using it in 2005: "Ubuntu means 'we are who
we are because of who we all are'" With an icon of people holding hands in
solidarity, as a community. Then Canonical comes and unilaterally decides to
let themselves be used by MS. They are selling that image to MS.
They could just say to MS, "You don't have permission to use our name or our
image and if you do we will sue you." Instead Canonical says, "well if they
don't use us, they'll use someone else, so we might as well get what we can
out of it". That is the problem with the open source mentality. No ethics,
no values, no standards, just whatever appears to work best in the present.
(don't let my handle fool you, I'm not always pragmatic!)
Who knows, maybe there won't be a marketing campaign using Ubuntu. This might
just be an inside thing for developers and nobody will care that it is
Ubuntu. Either way, it's like they say: "sleep with dogs and you'll get
fleas"
