Key Parts of Ubuntu 13.04 Will Be Developed in Secret

In a twist that is sure to raise eyebrows and cause no end of neckbeard scratching, Canonical founder and Ubuntu’s de facto spiritual leader, Mark Shuttleworth, has announced that key parts of Ubuntu 13.04 will be developed in secret.

The reasoning is simple: Ubuntu 13.04 (dubbed Raring Ringtail, after the ring-tail cat/raccoon) will contain some features with “high ‘tada!’ value” (Shuttleworth’s words), and he would rather they stay secret until the big reveal. Judging by his words, Shuttleworth is sick of Ubuntu features being torn apart by critics before they’re ready. “We’ve … figured out that critics will be critics whether you discuss an idea with them in advance or not. Working on something in a way that lets you refine it till it feels ready to go has advantages: you can take time to craft something, you can be judged when you’re ready, you get a lot more punch when you tell your story, and you get your name in lights.”