One Ubuntu to Rule Them All

We have all seen Ubuntu emerge as the top distribution. You can argue the figures if you like, but by any standard that I have seen it is far and away the most popular distribution. This does not factor in the fact that Ubuntu’s user base is fragmented with its own distributions, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Mythbuntu and Ubuntu Studio. While this naming was once cute, it has lost its appeal for many people and it is further confused by people like me who use more than one and switch between the desktop environments as I feel like it. Am I an Ubuntu user or not? I am writing this on Kubuntu 9.04 but yesterday I was working on Ubuntu 8.10.

The biggest problem however is not the Canonical Ubuntu derivatives but the growing number of non-Canonical ones. It is time for all of this confusion to end. Canonical can help itself by establishing one brand name, Ubuntu, and anything but Ubuntu would then be a non-Canonical derivative. It is time that Kubuntu became Ubuntu KDE, Xubuntu became Ubuntu XFCE, Edubuntu became Ubuntu Education, Mythbuntu became Ubuntu Myth, and Ubuntu became Ubuntu Gnome. Ubuntu Studio does not need to change. Better still let them all be known as Ubuntu.

Then when I saw the name Fluxbuntu, I would know that it is not from Canonical. What of distributions that have Ubuntu in the name, such as Ubuntu Ultimate Edition or Super Ubuntu? They should not be using the name Ubuntu. Ubuntu Ultimate Edition can be called Ultimate Edition and Super Ubuntu can become Superbuntu. I would prefer that any non-Canonical reference to Ubuntu be removed altogether. It is time for Canonical to enforce its trademark in order to distinguish itself from the plethora of pretenders.

Linux is confusing enough with all of the choice. I don’t think that it needs to be more complicated than it already is. Users would benefit from companies such as Canonical enforcing their brand name and strengthening their identity. Especially when there are so many copycat distributions that could give Ubuntu a bad name if it poorly implements what Canonical has worked so hard to build. Canonical is taking a risk every time a new distribution comes out that uses the Ubuntu name.

Another benefit of rolling them into one name is that figures for Ubuntu usage would become more in line with reality. People would see that Ubuntu is even more popular than it appears. For example, if one takes Distrowatch page ranking as an indicator (no, it is not scientific), Ubuntu is number one, just ahead of openSUSE. However, this figure does not include the other Canonical offerings which appear separately. This makes both Ubuntu and Kubuntu which is much farther down the list appear more anemic than they need to be. The sum of the parts makes the lead look even greater and it gives a more accurate picture. Ubuntu users themselves don’t make this distinction. If you ask in a room of users who uses Ubuntu, the Kubuntu people will usually raise their hands too.

To further muddy the waters, if I install Ubuntu and then install LXDE and remove Gnome, am I using Ubuntu? I would say of course. This shows how crazy the naming of Ubuntu is. There are choices that are not even covered with Ubuntu’s own naming scheme.

What I would like to see is Ubuntu released on a DVD with the choice of desktops at the time of installation.  This would also facilitate the addition of material that would otherwise be stripped away in order to fit on a CD. Other than the desktop environment and the associated packages for each, Ubuntu is the same as Kubuntu. The installer is the same.

The differences between the variants focus on the user experience. Ubuntu is different from Kubuntu because Gnome is different from KDE. So why not play on that and make the installer the determining point rather than at the time of downloading. By including all of the desktops on the DVD the user could try each out without the necessity of downloading the separate versions. Each time you do this you are downloading the kernel plus all of the file system and libraries several times. I don’t even bother downloading different versions any more. I just install either Ubuntu or Kubuntu and install the other desktops. It is so arbitrary for me that I no longer care which one I download.

So you might complain that you know that you like Gnome so why should you have to download KDE? Perhaps the network installer could be improved so that those who know what they want can have more control and tailor make Ubuntu with whatever they want. I could see that  some people would like a hybridized version with the best of KDE and the best of Gnome, as much as wanting all of one and none of the other. Most Ubuntu users do this anyway, running at least K3b or Amarok.

Another way to handle this could be to have the distribution use a simpler desktop such as Open Box  and run it from the Live CD and then allow the installer to download the various other desktops and components as needed.

It is time for Canonical to re-visit the way it names its distributions and how it delivers them to end users. They and the users can benefit from simplifying things, allowing the users to have more choice while at the same time keeping the integrity of the name, no matter what their choice.

Who stands to lose? First to lose would be the derivatives who are trying to fly on the coattails of Canonical. Second to lose would be Gnome. There is no doubt in my mind that if the two desktops are put side by side most users would opt for KDE. It just looks better and performs better, in my opinion. Gnome is looking dated. That would only be in the short term however. Gnome is being forced to play catch up and is due for an overhaul anyway. When Gnome gets a face lift then perhaps the reverse could be said. The third to lose would be people who don’t want choice. They don’t like making the kinds of decisions that might need to be made. However, at least their decision can be informed because they could try different environments before installing.

I am advocating more change than is necessary. It does not need to go this far. The change could be as simple as just changing the name. That could be done quite simply. A side benfit would be one logo and Ubuntu could dispense with the depressing brown and orange theme that most users dislike. The distinguishing feature would not be the theme, but the desktop itself.

This alone would give some critics less ammunition and it would bring Mark Shuttleworth’s statements of wanting an improved look and feel closer to Mac OS/X more of a reality. There is no reason why GTK and QT4 can’t use the same theme to create a common Ubuntu look that he wants so badly. It would certainly engender brand loyalty instead of creating division in one’s own house. Then there truly would be one Ubuntu to rule them all.