Blogging Live From Ubuntu Live 2008

Generally speaking, The VAR Guy is a procrastinator — except when it comes to timely blogs. In fact, he’s already confirmed plans to blog live from Ubuntu Live 2008, scheduled for July 21 and 22 in Portland, Oregon. Here are five reasons you should care about the Ubuntu distribution of Linux, and the Ubuntu Live conference.

1. Sun and MySQL: Last year, Sun and MySQL each had a major presence at Ubuntu Live. This year, Sun owns MySQL. And it’s a good bet Sun will use the Ubuntu Live conference to describe its server and open source applications strategy.

2. Speaking of Servers: Sun is the first major server vendor to certify its systems for Ubuntu. Dell supports Ubuntu on the desktop, but Dell doesn’t have any Ubuntu server plans — at the moment. If another major server vendor was to back Ubuntu, The VAR Guy would expect the announcement at Ubuntu Live. (And he’d also expect updates from established Ubuntu server specialists, like System76.)

3. Back to the Desktop: Oh, and let’s not forget that Ubuntu is the fastest-growing Linux distribution. Ubuntu came preinstalled on The VAR Guy’s Dell PC. And the Ubuntu Live conference will provide an ideal stage for Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth to describe Ubuntu 8.04’s progress since it’s April 2008 release.

4. Going Mobile With Intel: The VAR Guy loves his iPhone. And he looks forward to next-generation devices built around Google Android. But the dark horse in the mobile Internet device market is Ubuntu. Indeed, Canonical and Intel are working on Ubuntu Mobile devices. We should expect extensive updates at this event.

5. PC Peers: During the 2007 Ubuntu Live event, The VAR Guy speculated that Hewlett-Packard would begin Ubuntu preloads. Alas, our resident blogger was wrong. But HP has custom-loaded Ubuntu on selected systems for major customer wins. And if more PC makers are going to climb aboard the Ubuntu bandwagon, Ubuntu Live is the place to announce it.

Sure, Ubuntu Live is still a few months away. But circle July 21 and 22. The VAR Guy will be blogging live — non-stop — from the event.

(Full Disclosure: The VAR Guy is a media partner for Ubuntu Live, which basically means he’ll be attending the event without paying admission. But no, he’s not on the Ubuntu or Canonical payroll. He genuinely likes the operating system, and had a hand in launching Works With U, a new media site focused entirely on Ubuntu.)