Ubuntu is reviving an in-person event at which developers and distro enthusiasts can get together to plan, hack on, and find ways to help improve the project.
The new “Ubuntu Summit” will be held this autumn in an as-yet unannounced location.
Canonical is heavily investing in its community outreach of late, with a swathe of new hires and a “reboot” of its online engagement initiatives.
Now things are stepping up a gear.
The new Ubuntu Summit sounds like it will channel the vibe of the original Ubuntu Developer Summit, the twice-yearly fixture that was, to be totally frickin’ partisan, was totally frickin’ awesome. This time there’s a broader remit, i.e. a get-together that’s not just for developers (hence being billed as the ‘Ubuntu Summit’).
Community Celebration
The last physical Ubuntu Developer Summit was held in Denmark back in 2012 to plan the (then) upcoming Ubuntu 13.04 release. As well providing a space for developers to get together and hack in real-time the conference was host to a keynote address by Mark Shuttleworth, often detailing new features/plans/ideas.
In 2013 Canonical switched to an online-only event in what it said was an attempt to widen engagement and attendance (though one assumes also a cost-saving exercise given its phenomenal investment in mobile at the time). The Ubuntu Online
But with Canonical now profitable — the company plans to make an IPO in 2023 — Ubuntu founder Mark Shutteworth feels the time is right to invest in the Ubuntu community again.
And I think few will disagree (though various community-led events like UbuCon have kept the flame burning in the mean time).
Further details about the event will be revealed in the next week too. Along with the where and when we should also information on how people can apply to attend — so we’ll keep you posted!
May Update
The first revived Ubuntu Summit is tentatively scheduled for Prague, Czech Republic, between November 7 to November 9, 2022.