Kubuntu Gets New Backer, Parting Ways With Canonical

While some KDE users running Kubuntu were concerned following Canonical's decision to drop support for Kubuntu following the 12.04 LTS release, there's a new backer of the Kubuntu project outside of Canonical.

Taking over Canonical's sponsorship role of the KDE-based Ubuntu derivative is Blue Systems. Canonical decided to drop funding of Kubuntu following the 12.04 release as they focus more efforts on their own Unity desktop spin, but now there's life for Kubuntu out of Canonical. Ubuntu's Technical Board decided just last week that Kubuntu could be sponsored externally as far as they are concerned.

Jonathan Riddell, the main Kubuntu developer that was a Canonical employee, will now be leaving the company after the Ubuntu Developer Summit in May and will be joining Blue Systems. The start-up company will be funding him to continue work on Kubuntu while they're also reportedly establishing a fund to further Kubuntu in other ways as well. Blue Systems is already a backer of kde-gtk-config, KDE MenuEditor, KDE FolderView, and other projects. They've also sponsored the KDE version of Mint Linux.

The announcement of Kubuntu to be sponsored by Blue Systems was made at Kubuntu.org.