Canonical and IBM, as expected, have expanded their relationship. The latest move involves a virtual appliance, comprising IBM's DB2 Express-C software running on the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud. At first glance the Canonical-IBM relationship is a nice win for Ubuntu. But perhaps there's a deeper story angle here... involving Canonical's continued pursuit of Oracle on Ubuntu. Here's the speculation.

It's the question thousands of users will surely ask when Canonical debuts Ubuntu 9.10 in October: "Will Ubuntu 9.10 work on my PC?" Canonical has developed testing software to help you determine if your system will fully support the new Ubuntu. Here are the details.

Canonical announced yesterday a new Synchronization service for Ubuntu machines. The new tool is called Ubuntu One and it will allow Ubuntu users to synchronize files between multiple computers via the internet and also share files using it's web interface or work remotely with those computers.

When it comes to deploying Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope), Canonical’s installed base seems to be a loyal, eager crowd. To wit, the vast majority of WorksWithU site visitors have already upgraded to Ubuntu 9.04, according to an informal reader poll.

With Ubuntu, Canonical has had notable success in convincing people to switch from other platforms, but potential Ubuntu users are still running into trouble in several areas.

The Canonical OEM team has been approached by a number of OEM’s who want to sell netbooks (small, low-cost laptops with an emphasis on the web) based on Ubuntu. Almost universally, they’ve asked for standard Ubuntu packages and updates, with an app launcher that’s more suited to new users and has the feeling of a “device” more than a PC.

Canonical's most famous project is Ubuntu.  But Launchpad, another of the company's major endeavors, has been around just as long - even though many casual Ubuntu users may not be aware of its existence.  Here's a look at the value Launchpad offers, and where it fits into Canonical's present and future.

No doubt, it's sometimes difficult to measure Ubuntu's business success. Canonical says Ubuntu now has about 12 million Linux users - up from an estimated 8 million users in 2007. That sounds impressive, but what does that really mean in terms of Ubuntu's market penetration, Canonical's march to profitability and Ubuntu's progress as a Linux distribution?

Canonical on Thursday made available the Release Candidate of its latest Linux-based operating system, Ubuntu 9.10, on the same day Microsoft launched the long-awaited Windows 7.