Is AskUbuntu now the "official" support forum for Ubuntu and Canonical? I am aware of the link between AskUbuntu and Stack Exchange.
In particular, why is Ask Ubuntu on the 11.10 and 12.04 installers, and not any of the other official resources?
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1Duplicate of meta.askubuntu.com/questions/234/…, meta.askubuntu.com/questions/434/… meta.askubuntu.com/questions/650/… and meta.askubuntu.com/questions/1351/….– jrg ModCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 16:54
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While these threads do address parallel questions, they do not address if there is, or was, a change in direction for the official support methods and forums for Canonical and Ubuntu.– hazizCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 17:05
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2The questions I linked to above all hint at it, and if you look at the official community support page, both the forums and Ask Ubuntu are linked. There is no "the 'official' support" for Ubuntu and Canonical, there are multiple methods.– jrg ModCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 17:11
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@jrg Perhaps reopen this as "Why is AskUbuntu in the default installer, and not other support sites?"– JjedCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 17:17
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@JacobJohanEdwards Even that question is something that can't really be answered, I don't think we know. Only person who could answer that is probably Mark Shuttleworth or someone equally high up.– jrg ModCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 17:40
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@jrg I believe it was just a decision of the Ubiquity team, much like the twitter stream... Few of those people here, surely– JjedCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 17:41
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1Ask Ubuntu isn't a forum, it's a Q+A system, it's not a replacement for the forums, it's a replacement for LP Answers.– Jorge CastroCommented Apr 26, 2012 at 17:43
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2 Answers
The Community maintainer for the installer slideshow made this decision.
This one is a mix of things.
The install slideshow ends with a slide that is about getting help. Right now it’s pretty heavy on tech support, but the idea is “don’t worry, you are not alone!”
With Ubuntu Forums, the information available at a glance is that you really need to REGISTER, there are a lot of categories, there’s a category for absolute beginners, and (if you’re especially observant) people post quite frequently. The last two pieces of information are quite compelling, but I’m put off by how far the viewer of the slideshow is from actually seeing people get help.
I think Ask Ubuntu just does a better job for the quick glance - “hey, this place looks helpful” – kind of thing.
First, there is no obligation to register, and I like that for making things a little more relaxed.
Second, the site is all about Q and A and the landing page has a prominent list of questions and their answers. The site also has an “Ask a question” button whether you’re signed in or not, so I think it’s a little more inviting. I think someone can see Ask Ubuntu and understand it in three seconds.
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It's possible that it can switch around in the future, by the way. We'll see what the forums do and where the design goes for the next cycle :) The gist of it, if you cut through the meat of my overly long post, is that the slideshow is specifically pointing people to a support system right now. The forum is a very different beast. Commented Apr 27, 2012 at 16:14
In particular, why is Ask Ubuntu on the 11.10 and 12.04 installers, and not any of the other official resources?
We are featured on the Community Support page.
To answer the broader question of why we're featured: I think our way of doing things and the structure of the site provides people with the best possible opportunity to get something answered.
Obviously the aim for Ubuntu is to make it so great that nobody ever has to ask a question but when you have a resource like Ask Ubuntu sitting here poised to help people, why not advertise us?
