How Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx is More like Mac OS X Than Ever

Like 'em or hate 'em, Macs are more popular now than ever! And a good deal of their popularity is thanks to Mac OS X, the "operating system" that makes a Mac a Mac and comes installed on each one.

Among other things, Ubuntu is a free operating system that you can use to make your PC more like a Mac. So how does Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx, the new version coming this April, help with that? Read on and find out ... both the good ways, and the not-so-good.

New visual style

First off, the system tray. It looks like they're trying to make all of Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx's most commonly-used system tray icons monochrome, like the simple, visually uncluttered icons used on most Macs.

Ubuntu Lucid Lynx is also getting a new icon scheme, with a bright purple color that seems to have been inspired by Mac OS X Leopard's default wallpaper ... at least, that's what it reminds me of. This goes with its new "Light" visual style, making almost a complete rebranding of Ubuntu.

The most controversial aspect of the redesign is the decision to put the "close window" buttons on the left-hand side of the windows instead of the right. This is the way that things are on Mac OS X ... but why? The buttons in Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx aren't even in the same order as on Mac OS X. Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu, insists that this is just the first step in an amazing redesign that he has ideas for, but a lot of people are skeptical.

Proprietary tie-ins

Proprietary means "You can only get this from one source," usually because they have a government-granted monopoly in the form of a patent or copyright. Most of Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx will still be free to download and share, as well as free for others to tinker with and build on -- the freedoms that made Ubuntu what it is today. Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx, however, will be tied in to things that you can't share, or improve or build on.

For instance, the Ubuntu Software Center looks like it'll soon feature pay-for apps ... apps that you can't share with your friends, and that may well be throwaway apps like many of the ones on the iTunes App Store ... since, like on the iTunes App Store, their makers will be paid by how many times they are downloaded. It'll also feature a pay-for music store, tied into their online service called Ubuntu One.

The Upshot

These last few features wouldn't be any surprise if they came from Apple -- the "grand masters" of proprietary shininess. But Ubuntu has always been about sharing. Just look at those people holding hands on the CD covers!

These steps towards proprietary software and online services suggest that Mark Shuttleworth wants to imitate Steve Jobs' company in more ways than one. Not only is he trying to make Ubuntu more like Mac OS X, he's also trying to sell a product that nobody else can make. In essence, instead of trying to leverage the Ubuntu brand, community, and volunteers, to create an experience that cannot be duplicated, he's trying to keep Ubuntu's online service offerings from being duplicated by using the force of law. Again, it wouldn't be surprising coming from anyone else. But it's not what Ubuntu stands for.

What do you think? Am I totally off? Let me know in the comments, perhaps. And whether you're planning on upgrading to Ubuntu 10.4 Lucid Lynx or not, have fun with your computer!