Just a quick message to those of you based in Blighty. I and many other Ubuntu folks will be partying tonight to celebrate the release of Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala at:

> Salvador & Amanda,
> 8 Great Newport Street,
> London,
> WC2H 7JA.

> +44 (0) 20 7240 1551

I hope to see you there! Should be there at around 7pm.

One of the ways in which many people have been able to experience Ubuntu is via Canonical’s [ShipIt](https://shipit.ubuntu.com/) program, which has shipped millions of CDs to new users. This has provided a valuable opportunity for new users to try Ubuntu and for our community teams to obtain CDs as part of their advocacy efforts.

Due to the sheer growth of Ubuntu, we are making a few changes to ShipIt which I wanted to ensure I share with you. For the details, I am going to turn the mic over to everyone’s favorite Canonical COO, Jane Silber who updated us [on the Canonical blog](https://blog.canonical.com/?p=264):

> [The ShipIt program](https://shipit.ubuntu.com/) has been at the core of the Ubuntu project since its inception. The goal was to make sure that there are no restrictions, as far as was possible, to people having access to Ubuntu. In the last five years we have shipped millions of CDs and seen Ubuntu’s popularity and reach grow in ways that would be impossible without ShipIt.

> And that aim continues. We need to make Ubuntu available to as many people who need it, particularly those for whom the download options are limited. The goal has not been to supply a CD to every Ubuntu user of every version of Ubuntu. Remember, one of the coolest things about Ubuntu is the way you can upgrade from one version of Ubuntu to another – without the need for a CD!

> While these CDs are often referred to as “free CDs”, they are of course not free of cost to Canonical. We want to continue this programme, but Ubuntu’s growth means that some changes are necessary. Therefore we are adjusting how we handle CD requests to try to find the right balance between availability of CDs and the continued viability of the ShipIt programme.

> We will continue to supply CDs to LoCo teams and Ubuntu members. And we hope to make CDs available to everyone who is just discovering Ubuntu. And we continue to search for additional ways to make Ubuntu and Ubuntu materials available to everyone. But we are limiting shipments to people that we think have alternative paths of getting Ubuntu. For instance,

> * you can upgrade to the [new release without a CD](https://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/upgrading)
> * you can download your own [CD for free](https://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download)
> * you will be able to download the [CD wallet artwork](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DIYMarketing/#CD%20Distribution%20Materials)
> * [becoming an Ubuntu member](https://www.ubuntu.com/community/processes/newmember) by contributing to Ubuntu, and thereby becoming eligible for more CDs
> * And finally, you can [purchase CDs](https://shop.canonical.com/)

> We will change the language on the ShipIt site to make it clearer what we are doing. We hope that you support this effort and realise that the intent is to continue to make Ubuntu available on CD to everyone who needs it.

> Jane Silber, Canonical

Thanks for the update, Jane. 🙂

[System76](https://system76.com/) who are the makers of [this](https://system76.com/product_info.php?cPath=28&products_id=89):

…have also proven themselves to be incredibly supportive of Ubuntu and growing our community.

I just wanted to point you all at their [76er Program](https://knowledge76.com/index.php/76er_Program) where [Ubuntu LoCo Teams](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams) can get laptop stickers and printed flyers for release parties. Thanks to the always amazing Carl Richell for providing such an fantastic resource for our community!

[Five years ago today](https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2004-October/000003.html), the first ever Ubuntu (Warty Warthog) was released. Back then I was an Open Source Consultant working for the government-funded [OpenAdvantage](https://openadvantage.org/) and had a (more) [stupid beard](https://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/417405578_ce8d1c8eca_o.jpg). Five years later, I am working on my seventh release since I joined Canonical three years ago, and a more *refined* beard. 🙂

I really believe Ubuntu has been a force for change, and I am hugely proud that I have had the chance to be involved in this rollercoaster of opportunity. When Warty was released, what excited me was not only it’s technically adventurous approach and it’s commitment to simplicity and usability, but also that the Ubuntu community was forged in a way that I felt *got it right*. At the time Linux was already in the sights of the industry but many organizations were merely tolerating community as opposed to embracing it. I admired that the Ubuntu community had an open governance model, a code of conduct and a real meritocratic approach complete with commercial sponsor. This was brave for a commercial sponsor, and credit Benjamin Mako Hill and Mark Shuttleworth for this commitment to community. Both have been an inspiration to me before I joined Canonical and since. Thankyou, guys.

We have made tremendous progress since Warty, but we are still only at the beginning of a long and fruitful journey for us all. As we work feverishly to add the finishing touches to Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, everyone in our community, be it developers, translators, documentation writers, LoCo teams, governers or otherwise, should step back for a moment and breathe in what we have all accomplished. Karmic is shaping up to be a rocking release, and speaking personally, even though I am seven releases in, I have never been so passionate and committed to the journey. The future holds incredible promise, and I feel privilaged to work with such a devoted and inspiring community and so many wonderful people at Canonical. Tonight I will be grabbing a glass of something sparkling and toasting to another five years!

I have a crazy-busy day today, so I am going to keep this short. I just wanted to share how cool [Ubuntu One](https://one.ubuntu.com/) is working out for me, and how it can rock your world too as it ships in the upcoming Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala, released *next week*! There are two particularly cool things that Ubuntu One has enabled me to do, which I wanted to share.

I use TomBoy to manage my world. I manage my TODO list there, I track each member of my team’s work there, and I use it as a means to note down ideas and other bits of information. If I lost my notes, I would be devastated: I can replace software, but I can’t replace information. For some time now TomBoy has supported syncing, but it was a faff to set up. To do so required SSH keys and my own server. In Karmic, you can sync your TomBoy notes to Ubuntu One, and not only that, but I can also go to the Ubuntu One web interface and browse and edit my notes there, and changes will be synced back to my desktop. *Awesome* does not sufficiently convey how tip top this is.

Secondly, with the [freshly announced Shot Of Jaq](https://archivedblog.jonobacon.com/2009/10/19/announcing-shot-of-jaq/) out there in the open, when Aq and I recorded our first few shows, we used Ubuntu One file sharing to move the content around. Aq, based in England, and myself, based in California, would record our respective side of the conversation locally and then Aq shared a folder with me and he would drop his recording in there and it would appear on my desktop. Simple as that. Wickeed.

Karmic is rocking, and Ubuntu One is just another great reason why. Good work, Ubuntu One folks!