Ubuntu needs a new development model

[Ryan Oram]

On Mon Jun 14 11:23:03 BST 2010, Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt at
canonical.com> wrote:
>We're making a small step towards this in Maverick, with the ability for
>application developers to submit packages for an Ubuntu version after
>that version has been released.
><https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/desktop-maverick-opportunistic-apps-stable-release>

Hmm, it doesn't cover application updates, only *new* applications. It
seems also a bit process and red-tape heavy ATM, but that stuff can be
moderated later on.

It's a step forward to say the least, but I'm disappointed that it
doesn't cover application updates.

-----

I think leaving maintenance of the end-user applications to the
developers will free up a ton of resources so the Ubuntu developers
can focus on making the core OS stable. In addition, it also removes
the major reason for having a new version of Ubuntu every 6 months,
making a yearly release possible, something many have been clamoring
for (http://tinyurl.com/ubuntu-standard , the original seems to be
down). This will give the developers of Ubuntu more time to test the
OS.

I feel that having the applications updated and distributed separately
from the core OS releases will result in a more stable distribution.
I'm happy that Canonical and Ubuntu are considering this path, but
perhaps you should go a little bit further.

Thanks,
Ryan