Ubuntu adds desktop support for small businesses
Summary
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The company, which sponsors Ubuntu, already sold helpdesk services for enterprise users. However, the new Desktop Support Services, announced on Friday, are largely aimed at "small businesses looking for a cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac", Canonical said in a statement.
"Canonical's Desktop Support Services provides an easy... way to get Ubuntu up and running in the home, home office and small business — reaching the vast majority of computer users," Steve George, director of Canonical's corporate services division, said in the statement.
There are three versions of Desktop Support Services. The Starter version is for basic set-up of Ubuntu, the Advanced version is for more complicated migrations to the open-source operating system, and the Professional version is for making sure the Ubuntu PC is integrated with the user's corporate network and company IT services.
The Professional version also aids the user in setting up desktop virtualisation, and offers its subscribers quicker access to support personnel, Canonical said.
Ubuntu is the most popular distribution of Linux in use, although its precise share of the worldwide operating system market is difficult to gauge. According to Net Applications, Linux as a whole has a 1.05 percent share of the global OS market, to Windows's 93.04 percent and Mac OS X's 4.86 percent.
Microsoft is gearing up to release its next desktop OS, Windows 7, in October, after predecessor Vista arrived to a lukewarm response. In the past couple of years, Linux has made some inroads on netbooks, but has lost ground recently to Windows XP, which Microsoft reprieved from killing off.
The Starter version of the Ubuntu desktop support service costs $54.99 (£34.73) a year, the Advanced version costs $114.98 (£72.62) a year, and the Professional version costs $218.54 (£138.03) a year. All versions are cheaper on an annual basis through a three-year package, and all prices are exclusive of VAT.
This article was originally posted on ZDNet UK.
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You imply that your take is different; please do enlighten us.
You will either be told something vague or empty or insulting to linux users with no form of evidential support.
Must be nice to be so totally disconnected from reality.
So now in addition to people just asking for me they are now waiting for me too. My status climbs just a little bit higher each day. 
"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."
I have to say that just 4 years ago there were no machines running Linux at my company. Now all the servers are running Linux and there's a couple of desktops running the latest version of Ubuntu in the computer room. I can see companies wanting support while they make the migration.
Sorry that my response is very broad but it is due in a large part to the initial assertion was to broad to specifically respond to, which is why my title raises the question.
But they can't do that because they don't have the knowledge, personnel, R&D, funding, or business connections that MS has. Even OsX has no chance. Apple has fooled a lot of people out of a lot of money, and those profits are still not enough to compete with MS for the desktop user market. Sure VM this VM that, its not the same. Idiot users don't mess with VMs and there's no reason they should have to.
Of course microsquish is fighting hard to defend the desktop/netbooks markets and may even score some temporary victories but the growth rate for linux is shocking. I pity microsquish now and think Mr Gates jumped ship at the perfect moment, before it's inevitable decline.
http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2kkf6fkfz9y6xw4/start
Thank you so much for your time!
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