Canonical Embeds Ubuntu Linux Into Devices to Secure IoT

The new effort will extend Ubuntu's Snappy Linux technology to help enable the Internet of things.  Canonical, the lead commercial sponsor behind the open-source Ubuntu Linux operating system, is getting into the embedded device market in a bid to help secure the Internet of things (IoT).

Ubuntu is best known as a popular Linux operating system for servers, cloud and desktops. Now Canonical is positioning Ubuntu to be relevant for embedded devices and IoT by taking advantage of the Snappy Ubuntu Core technology. Snappy Ubuntu Core was first announced on Dec. 10, 2014, as a minimal version of Ubuntu, with the optimized Snappy system that can improve security and application updates.

Snappy, initially positioned as a technology for the cloud, is now being brought to embedded devices.  "We identified some time ago that for mobile devices we really had to raise the bar on the reliability, efficiency and security of the update mechanisms, as well as the isolation of apps from one another," Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu and Canonical, told eWEEK...