Is Kubuntu in trouble?

Wow, what a busy time! I can barely find a break to keep up with Linux news and share them here. Hope the smoke clears soon so I can finish some of the reviews I started before they stink too bad.

Today I want to share some sad news coming from Kubuntu camp. Jonathan Riddell, the sole developer Canonical funded for the development of the project, explained:

"Today I bring the disappointing news that Canonical will no longer be funding my work on Kubuntu after 12.04. Canonical wants to treat Kubuntu in the same way as the other community flavors such as Edubuntu, Lubuntu, and Xubuntu, and support the projects with infrastructure. This is a big challenge to Kubuntu of course and KDE as well.

The practical changes are I won't be able to work on KDE bits in my work time after 12.04 and there won't be paid support for versions after 12.04. This is a rational business decision, Kubuntu has not been a business success after 7 years of trying, and it is unrealistic to expect it to continue to have financial resources put into it."

Worrying comments indeed. Jonathan goes on about how the Kubuntu project needs to adjust and do some things differently if it is to be successful (survive!). I see reasons to be positive in that Kubuntu 11.10 was an entirely community supported release, and it is the best Kubuntu yet, but I think it would not be smart to ignore the challenges that this decision from Canonical will bring to the Kubuntu project.

Personally, I wish the best for Kubuntu, it is currently one of my favorite distros and has a lot of potential in front of it. Let's hope it lives on and does so healthy and strong!