Ed Hewitt Yet another Tech & Gaming Blog!

Quick Look at Ubuntu Light

Since it is highly unlikely I will get a chance to try Ubuntu Light out in the near future, mainly because its only available to OEMs, I thought I will do a quick review of what I have seen of this latest version of Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Light was announced a few months go in Belgium, at UDS for Maverick. The initial idea purposed by Mark Shuttleworth was a version of Ubuntu, stripped down, which will be installed along side Windows. Marketed at a very fast way to get to the Internet. I was a bit reserved at the idea, for two reasons. Why do we need another version of Ubuntu, we are going to turn into the Windows way of having too many versions which confuses the user. Secondly, is it a good idea marketing a stripped down version of Ubuntu, when we should be promoting the full Desktop edition.

However, after a chat with Popey on the podcast, and watching the video above, I think I understand the idea. Its hard to get Ubuntu on OEM computers as the default, everyone (at the moment) wants Windows. However, in recent years, as our need for quick Internet access has grown, people want to be online as quick as possible, Windows does not cut it. By creating a version of Ubuntu to be installed along side Windows, for super quick access to the web, more people may choose to boot into Ubuntu Light more than Windows. Ubuntu Light, when finally released, should offer 5-10 second boot straight to the web. Advancements in boot speed, since Jaunty (9.04), stripping down Ubuntu to the bare basics for the web, creating a fast slick new UI, and choosing to use the super quick Chromium (Google Chrome). All this has allowed for fast access to the web, which seems to be what most users want these days. Why wait to boot into Windows 7 to use Internet Explorer, which could take 2minutes, when you could boot into Ubuntu which takes 10seconds!

The overall aim is to get Ubuntu into more users hands, and maybe one day, will encourage more users to make the switch!