--- title: Changes to Gobuntu description: The Gobuntu development team would like to announce that after 8.04 release of Gobuntu, the project will aim to merge many of the Gobuntu changes into mainline Ubuntu, such as our “Free Software Only” installer option which only installs software considered free by the Free Software Foundation’s definition of software freedom. This instal […] url: https://canonical.com/blog/changes-to-gobuntu --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical "More about Canonical") 18 June 2008 # Changes to Gobuntu --- Share the article The Gobuntu development team would like to announce that after 8.04 release of Gobuntu, the project will aim to merge many of the Gobuntu changes into mainline Ubuntu, such as our “Free Software Only” installer option which only installs software considered free by the Free Software Foundation’s definition of software freedom. This installer option now obviates the need for a separate derivative project, and in the interest of reducing the workload of Ubuntu core developers, the Gobuntu project will instead focus on merging as many changes as possible into mainline Ubuntu. The Ubuntu community and Canonical remain deeply committed to driving the development and adoption of free software. Thus, we will work with interested downstream projects (e.g. gNewsense) to ensure that we make their development efforts as easy and streamlined as practically possible. The Ubuntu project has encouraged a culture of working with and producing derivative distributions, and we will be discussing how we may best serve the needs of these projects with the project leaders in the coming weeks. As always, the primary focus of the Ubuntu community, Canonical, and our derivative and downstream projects remains the success of free, Open Source software. We hope that by providing every Ubuntu user with the ability to install a completely free system using the standard Ubuntu installer we will move closer to a world of freedom, choice, and personal liberty with the hardware you own. Jono Bacon – Community Manager [Get in touch Interested in running Ubuntu in your organization?](https://ubuntu.com/about/contact-us/form) ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. In submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Notice](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy/contact) and [Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### AI infrastructure for telcos](https://canonical.com/blog/ai-infrastructure-for-telcos) Why moving from pilots to production changes the platform Artificial intelligence has moved beyond the demonstration phase. Telco operators are already exploring it for fault... [Benjamin Ryzman](https://canonical.com/blog/author/benjaminryzman) 2 October 2026 [### Canonical named a Challenger in the 2026 GartnerⓇ Magic Quadrant™ for Server Virtualization Platforms](https://canonical.com/blog/canonical-a-challenger-in-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms) Canonical has been recognized as a Challenger in the 2026 GartnerⓇ Magic Quadrant™ for Server Virtualization Platforms. The inaugural edition of the report provides an... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 1 October 2026 [### Canonical announces the alpha release of Charmed OpenShell to help secure autonomous AI agent fleets](https://canonical.com/blog/charmed-openshell-alpha-release) To streamline enterprise deployment and lifecycle management, Canonical is announcing the alpha release of Charmed OpenShell. [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 28 September 2026 [### Ubuntu coming soon to Snapdragon X2 Series platforms, unlocking more Linux PCs for the agentic world](https://canonical.com/blog/ubuntu-coming-soon-to-qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-series-platforms) Canonical and Qualcomm Technologies announce upcoming native Ubuntu support for Qualcomm’s flagship laptop silicon, delivering multi-day battery life, 80 TOPS NPU acceleration,... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 23 September 2026