"Canonical, the company behind the popular Ubuntu Linux
distribution, is preparing to launch a new Web service called
Ubuntu One, which will bring cloud synchronization and
collaboration features to the Linux desktop. The service is under
heavy development, but it is expected to be ready for widespread
use when Ubuntu 9.10, codenamed Karmic Koala, is released in
October.
"Canonical began inviting Ubuntu community members to
participate in a closed beta test on Monday. Ars took it for a spin
to see how it performs, also speaking with Canonical engineer
Elliot Murphy and product manager Matt Griffin, who described the
technology behind Ubuntu One and provided some insight into
Canonical's future plans for the service.
"Ubuntu One will support tight desktop integration. To achieve
that goal, the developers are building client software that will
make the service a seamless part of the desktop experience. The
software is currently available to beta testers in an Ubuntu
Personal Package Archive (PPA) hosted on Launchpad. The source code
will be released soon under open licenses and is said to be usable
on other Linux distributions."
