Only the 32-bit architecture has been covered so far

Jun 9, 2015 13:31 GMT  ·  By

Ubuntu developers have managed to build the first Ubuntu Desktop Next version based on Snappy package, although it's only for the 32-bit systems. This is just the first step towards the final goal of having a full Ubuntu release that is based entirely on Snappy.

Canonical announced a while ago that it was planning to have two different Ubuntu versions out, one using the old and tried Debian packages and a new version using the Snappy packages. This new system is used with great success on the phone, and it provides some much-needed app confidence, and it should make Linux dependencies a thing of the past, especially for the mobile platform.

As it stands right now, Canonical already has a working Ubuntu Next version that comes with Mir and Unity 8, although both technologies still need a lot of work. It will be a while until they are ready for regular use, but the team of developers wants to shift this Next version to Snappy packages as well. It's the next logical step if we keep in mind that Ubuntu Touch uses the same base.

Snappy packages for the desktop will take a lot of work

It's difficult to pinpoint when Snappy packages will be ready for desktop use, but it's unlikely that it will happen before the release of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. This is a major step for Canonical and they will surely have a lot of problems to fix.

"We're off and running! +Sebastien Bacher has got a Snappy build of Desktop Next for i386.  We need to turn it into an installable image now, and work out why amd64 didn't work. Progress is being made every day," said Canonical's Will Cooke on Google+.

You can already download the 32-bit image for Ubuntu Next with Snappy packages, but it won't be of much use just yet. In any case, you can also check the launchpad entry for more information.