[cabirum]

Canonical needs money. Ubuntu is the only linux mature enough to begin slowly commercializing and become a new major player on the OS market.

This can be a reason Shuttleworth is afraid of critics. Imagine a new feature will be "Ubuntu Premium": a package of brand new professionally developed productivity apps, ranging from webdev and graphics to security products. It's the next logical step after the introduction of ads.

If such an unpopular feature was announced today, Ubuntu will lose its users way before the release of v13.