Free Knowledge Culture Calendar/October 20

Today in 2004 the first Ubuntu release was made. Ubuntu was going to be the most popular desktop Linux, with remarkably good user support and an easier user interface. When it arrived, it opened up the world of Linux to new groups of users. For many, it represents their first conscious Linux experience. It is also known for some questionable development decisions by manufacturer Canonical: For a while, all input to Ubuntu’s central search field was sent to Amazon, unencrypted. Some more ambitious innovations have been canceled due to protest from users that were puzzled by seeming reinventions of the wheel, such as the convergence of desktop and mobile user interfaces.