Memo to Canonical and Ubuntu: Stop Chasing Apple Mac OS X

I’m starting to get a little concerned. Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth intends to vastly improve Ubuntu. You’ve likely heard that Shuttleworth wants to leapfrog Apple’s Mac OS X in terms of design, polish, etc. But is that really the right set of goals for Ubuntu? I’m not so sure. Here are three other goals I wish Shuttleworth, Canonical and the Ubuntu community would pursue.

1. Master the Basics: How about ensuring there are super-easy ways to make sure Ubuntu works with WiFi, printers and other peripherals.

2. Polish Your Logo: Make sure PC partners carry some sort of “Designed for Ubuntu” logo, to build Ubuntu brand equity and ensure the underlying hardware works with Ubuntu.

3. Simplify Your Naming: Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Kubuntu, Edubuntu… If Canonical keeps announcing more variants of Ubuntu, we run the danger of Ubuntu having more versions than Windows Vista. All those names will only cause market confusion, especially among consumers who want a simple, easy-to-understand alternative to Windows.

Developing an OS that’s more elegant than Mac OS X is a worthy goal. But it seems like Canonical needs to focus on the basics, first.

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