In a blog post, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth announced the release of an initial version of the Ubuntu Business Desktop Remix. All the bundled software is also available in the Software Center, but Canonical has packaged up the remix into one CD as a convenience for users.
Shuttleworth says that the remix was first discussed at the developer summit in October 2011. “Remixes can include non-free software and still retain the Ubuntu name, as long as they can be brought back to the standard Ubuntu experience with straightforward package management tools and no risk of divergence on the hardware and security front,” he says. Expect some applications on the remix, including VMWare View, to fall under a proprietary license.
What’s Inside
In addition to VMWare View, the first release of the remix includes the Adobe Flash Plugin and the OpenJDK 6 Java run-time environment. You won’t find social networking and file-sharing apps, games, or development and sys admin tools.
32-bit x86 installation images are available for free download, but you’ll need to register and agree to a license, first: https://www.ubuntu.com/business/desktop/remix
So far the comments on Shuttleworth’s announcement have been positive, with one commenter saying, “This is a great move and it’s good to see Canonical codifying a real solid target for Ubuntu deployment instead of the generic amorphous Ubuntu for everyone.”
