Free Software Linux

To this point...Launchpad isn't available under a free software license aside from its Storm component. However, Mark Shuttleworth has stated this afternoon that within the next 12 months they expect to release the source-code to Launchpad.

One of the entries in the launchpad competition today was Sun Microsystem’s Project SocialSite. It’s part of the larger Glassfish project, and uses Apache Shindig as an OpenSocial container - they demo’d OpenSocial widgets running inside Drupal and MediaWiki - all running inside a Java Application Server. Video:

The controversial Affero general public license could get an unexpected boost from Ubuntu developer Canonical. Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical's chief executive, has said AGPL is "a strong candidate" for the eventual open source release of Launchpad, Canonical's developer collaboration tool.

Mark Shuttleworth: "In the case of Launchpad, we do view you as a co-owner of the data, so the resolution of this problem is important to us. [...] Affero GPL is a strong candidate for the front line of thinking on the subject, and that's what I am inclined to use when we publish Launchpad's source code. [...] I do agree that Affero is a better option than the straightforward GPL. read more

One of the reasons free operating systems are so great is because of their bug reporting features. Ubuntu is no exception. Like most other GNU/Linux operating systems, Ubuntu allows users to file bug reports using its bug reporting site, Launchpad. In the free software world, each user becomes a potential beta tester and gets the chance to contribute to the community without ever coding or writing documentation. Unfortunately, Launchpad’s bug reporting tool often scares away users who have no idea what a ticket, project, or distribution is.