Ubuntu coming to tablets, smartphones

Software developer Canonical is planning to expand its open-sources Ubuntu® Linux operating system to include smartphones, tablet computers and other touchscreen devices, according to technology news provider IDG News.

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth will introduce the new development at the Ubuntu Developer Summit this week in Orlando. Shuttleworth will also likely solicit volunteer developers to help modify the software for mobile devices.

"An application for Ubuntu in the future will have multiple personalities. When it is running on a desktop computer, it will have a different personality from when it is running on a tablet," says Shuttleworth, according to IDG. "From a developer point of view, there will be a phenomenal amount of coherency and reuse of the core capabilities on the application."

According to a Computerworld report, Canonical claims its software is used by 20 million people worldwide. Seen as a free alternative to Microsoft® Windows® products, Ubuntu has carved a small but dedicated niche in the PC market.

The company would undoubtedly like to expand this success to the tablet market, where it faces heavy competition. Google's Android™ also runs on the open-source Linux and has been very successful in recent years. If Canonical plans to compete in the tablet and smartphone markets, it will have to find a way to steal users away from Android and others.