Canonical Ltd. has created and continues to back several projects. Principally these are free and open-source software (FOSS) or tools designed to improve collaboration between free software developers and contributors. Some projects require a Contributor License Agreement to be signed.
Open-source software
Mark Shuttleworth (standing) and other Canonical employees discuss Launchpad at a design sprint in Germany in 2006
cloud-init, the de facto standard for the initial setup of virtual machines in the cloud
U1DB is a cross-platform, cross-device, syncable database application programming interface (API). It allows applications to store JSON documents and synchronize them between machines and devices.[10][11]
Snapcraft, python-based tool for packaging software
Launchpad[13][14] a centralised website containing several component web applications designed to make collaboration between free software projects easier:
Rosetta, an online language translation tool to help localisation of software (cf. the Rosetta Stone),
Malone (as in "Bugsy Malone"), a collaborative bug-tracker that allows linking to other bug-trackers,
Soyuz, a tool for creating custom-distributions, such as Kubuntu and Xubuntu.
Other projects and services
Landscape,[15] a proprietary web service for centralized management of Ubuntu Linux systems
Ubuntu One, a discontinued service since 2014 for file synchronization and other uses
Ubuntu Advantage, a commercial support service that covers Ubuntu and other Canonical products
Multipass,[16][17] launched in 2019, provides a command line interface to launch and manage virtual machine instances of Linux in Windows, macOS and Linux.
Ubuntu - Version History - Visual Timeline - 20231019Canonical - Ecosystem - Mind Map - v20231018
Business plans
In 2007, Canonical launched an International online shop selling support services and Ubuntu-branded goods; later in 2008 it expanded that with a United States-specific shop designed to reduce shipment times.[19] At the same time, the word Ubuntu was trademarked in connection with clothing and accessories.[20]
In a Guardian interview in May 2008, Shuttleworth said that Canonical's business model was service provision and that Canonical was not yet close to profitability. Canonical stated that it would wait three to five years to become profitable. Shuttleworth regarded Canonical as positioning itself as demand for services related to free software rose. This strategy has been compared to Red Hat's business strategies in the 1990s.[21] In an early-2009 New York Times article, Shuttleworth said that Canonical's revenue was "creeping" towards US$30 million, the company's break-even point.[22]
Canonical achieved a small operating profit of $281,000 in 2009, but until 2017 struggled to maintain financial solvency and took a major financial hit from the development of Unity and Ubuntu Touch, leading to an operating loss of $21.6 million for the fiscal year 2013.[23] The company reported an operating profit of $2 million in 2017 after shutting down the Unity development team and laying off nearly 200 employees. The company now plans to focus on its server and professional support solutions,[buzzword] which have proved to be most profitable. Through this, Canonical plans to maintain solvency and achieve long-term profitability.[24][25] In 2022, Ubuntu made a profit of £0.52m on revenues of £14.31m. [26]
Subsidiaries
Canonical Group Ltd is located in London.
Canonical USA Inc. is located in Boston, Massachusetts and Austin, Texas.
Canonical China Ltd (Chinese: 科能（上海）软件科技有限公司 and 科能（上海）软件科技有限公司北京分公司) is located in Shanghai and Beijing.
Canonical Ltd Taiwan Branch (Chinese: 英商科能有限公司台灣分公司) is located in Taipei.
Canonical Limited is located in Isle of Man and Tokyo (Japan).[6]
Canonical Brasil Ltd is located in São Paulo (this office is no longer listed on their website).
Canonical Canada Ltd is located in Montreal (the office is no longer in service[27]).
Employees
Ubuntu Developer Summit October 2011
Canonical has more than 600 employees.[5] The head office is in London on the 5th Floor of the Blue Fin Building, Southwark Street,[28] having previously moved from the 27th floor of Millbank Tower.[29] In the summer of 2006, Canonical opened an office in Montreal to house its global support and services operation.[21]Taipei 101 is also home to a Canonical office.[30] There was formerly an OEM team in Lexington, Massachusetts, United States.[31]
Current
Notable current employees of Canonical include:
Mark Shuttleworth, CEO and founder of the Ubuntu project, former Debian maintainer of Apache and founder of Thawte Consulting (2004–), CEO until March 2010 and from July 2017 to present
Jane Silber, Board of Directors,[32] formerly CEO (March 2010-July 2017); formerly COO and leader of the Ubuntu One project
^"Company no. 110334C". The Isle of Man Companies Registry. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2005. [ Previous names: ] M R S VIRTUAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED [ Name type: ] PREVIOUS
^UK registered trademark #EU004059218 "CANONICAL", filed 29 September 2004.
^ ab"About Canonical". Canonical Ltd. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2012. We've come a long way since our launch in 2004. We now have over 800 staff in more than 42 countries, and offices in London, Austin, Boston, Taipei, Montreal, Shanghai, São Paulo and the Isle of Man.
^"Canonical launches U.S.-based shop.ubuntu.com in time for holiday season". Ubuntu Insights. Canonical Ltd. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2015. Canonical launched today an U.S.-based on-line shop for Ubuntu-branded merchandise and software. With a new fulfillment house in St. Louis, Missouri, shipments are faster and less expensive for Ubuntu users and enthusiasts in the U.S
^"Ubuntu for Android". Canonical Ltd. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012. We have over 500 staff in more than 30 countries, with offices in London, Boston, Taipei, Montreal, Shanghai, and São Paulo.
US$141 million (2020)[2]: 13 
US$82 million (2020)[2]: 14 
