Mark Shuttleworth Comments Following Ubuntu Community Friction, Uncertainty

For the past number of weeks there have been discussions ongoing about the "loss of leadership" within the Ubuntu community and as part of that the Ubuntu Community Team and Ubuntu Community Council having faded away in recent years. Following a lot of comments on the Ubuntu Discourse, Mark Shuttleworth has chimed in with his thoughts and work moving forward.

Within this thread have been views from community participants of Ubuntu interacting great with the community and not so much. Some have pointed to Ubuntu's declining membership, the abandoned Community Council, lack of clear community governance, and Mark Shuttleworth appearing less involved these days from the community window. Some just attribute these shifts just to Ubuntu now being quite mature compared to its early days.

Mark wrote a lengthy post today acknowledging the frustrations and that he hasn't been absent but rather has been very busy in recent years getting Ubuntu into a position of long-term sustainability. "So I am in fact more present than ever, and just as concerned with our community’s interests, and just as appreciative of the great work that many people continue to lead under the banner of Ubuntu in all its forms. I am rather frustrated at my own team, because I have long allocated headcount for a community lead at Canonical, a post which has not been filled."

He is very much in favor of having a dedicated leader for the community interactions with Ubuntu, seemingly similar to Jono Bacon's role in the past at Canonical. However, this role as a "community leader" / "community secretary" of sorts has yet to be filled to his dismay. Mark also believes the Community Council members were losing motivation and not accomplishing as much in their waning years.

Read Mark's community comments in full via Ubuntu Discourse.