Canonical will outfit the next release of its Ubuntu Linux OS with a new type of interface that will allows desktop users to execute functions for any program through a command line interface, or by voice command.

Anticipating a growing market for smart television sets, Canonical will be demonstrating a version of its popular Ubuntu Linux OS that can be used for running TVs.

Ubuntu 11.10 has some jagged edges and documentation isn't easy to locate, but Canonical is certainly dreaming big with this latest update, dubbed Oneiric (dreamy) Ocelot.

Canonical, which has great ambitions to extend its Ubuntu Linux to such devices as smartphones and tablets, is prepared to reach out to developers to get them to build the applications necessary to make the platform successful. But the company will have its work cut out for it, given that established providers on the market have a substantial head start.

Canonical certainly delivered some exciting news this week when it announced that its Ubuntu Linux distribution is on the way to tablets, smartphones, and TVs.

It was exactly seven years ago that the very first version of Ubuntu Linux--dubbed "Warty Warthog"--was released, kicking off a long line of increasingly popular versions of the free and open source operating system.

After months of anticipation by Linux fans around the world, Ubuntu 11.10 “Oneiric Ocelot” made its long-awaited debut on Thursday.

It's now been almost six months since the release of Ubuntu 11.04, or “Natty Narwhal”, and that means it's about time for the next version of Canonical's popular Linux distribution to make its official debut.

There's no doubt Canonical's popular Ubuntu Linux distribution gets the majority of attention in the Linux world these days, but there are myriad others equally worthy of consideration.

Ubuntu Server is a fast, free, no-frills Linux distribution that fills a niche between utilitarian Debian and the GUI-driven and, some would argue, over-featured Novell SUSE and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.