Canonical is going the Kubuntu distribution will not longer financially support it. Until now, a developer from Canonical in time working on the KDE version of Ubuntu, but after version 12.04 should the community continue the project development.
That is, after version 12.04 of Kubuntu last. Riddell remains in the service of Canonical, but can then no longer under the spell to the KDE version of Ubuntu to work. This will make the community all development should pick up. Riddell says in his free time, little time for development, because he is struggling with poor health.
The decision is according to the developer taken because of Kubuntu not a commercial success, and there are also no signs that still going to happen. After Kubuntu 12.04 provides Canonical, therefore, also no paid support for the project. The business model of Canonical is the offer of paid support for the software that the free spreading.
Canonical continues to Kubuntu support with infrastructure, for example for the provision of iso’s and distribute software packages. That offers support also to other Ubuntu derivatives such as Xubuntu and Edubuntu. Just like Kubuntu are based on the code of Ubuntu, but with a number of changes. As has Gobject introspection data for the Unity desktop environment of Ubuntu exchanged for KDE, and used Xubuntu, the XFCE environment. Edubuntu is designed for education and includes educational software.
What is the set of Canonical means for the development of Kubuntu, it is not yet clear. Riddell writes that if the community is a future for Kubuntu see, they have more tasks to pick up, such as the testing of software.