Ubuntu 2014

2013 was a phenomenal year for Ubuntu. As I write this article in mid-January, I find it hard to believe that just over a year ago we announced Ubuntu for phones.

In that year, we built and released the first version of Ubuntu for phones complete with core apps, got Ubuntu running in development for tablet, delivered Mir in production on the phone, built a vastly simplified new app delivery platform complete with full security sand-boxing, created a powerful smart scopes service to bring the power of native search and online content to devices, delivered a new SDK with support for QML, HTML5, and Scopes, built an entirely new developer.ubuntu.com, created extensive CI and testing infrastructure to ensure quality, shipped two desktop releases, extended the charm store, delivered Juju GUI, spun up multiple clouds with Juju, continued to grow our LoCo community, spun up the Ubuntu Advocacy Kit, and much more.

In terms of Ubuntu for devices, I mentally picture 2013 as the year when we put much of the core foundational pieces in place. All the things I just mentioned were huge but significant pieces in delivering a world-class Free Software convergence platform. Building this platform is not as simple as building a sexy GUI; lots of complex foundational work must be done, and I am incredibly proud of everyone who participated in getting us here. It's a true testament of collaborative development involving many communities and contributors from around the world.

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