Ubuntu developer Canonical Ltd. debuted an important new release of its flagship operating system today, adding key capabilities such as Microsoft Active Directory integration, use of the Wayland display protocol by default and a new software development kit for the Flutter framework.

The Ubuntu distro is one of the most popular Linux operating systems. It has a big presence in the enterprise, used to run virtual machines, servers and cloud computing services, as well as personal devices and robots.

Canonical, which leads Ubuntu’s development, also revealed today that it’s working with5 former rival Microsoft Corp. on performance optimization and joint support for Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu.

The company said the integration with Microsoft Active Directory in Ubuntu 21.04 is an important milestone that makes it possible for Ubuntu machines to join an Active Directory domain at the time of installation to enable central configuration. Active Directory is a technology that’s used to manage fleets of computers and devices on a network. With the integration, Active Directory administrators can now manage Ubuntu workstations and simplify compliance with company policies, Canonical said.

In addition, Ubuntu 21.04 gains the ability to configure system settings from an Active Directory domain controller, the company said. So, with a Group Policy Client, administrators can now specify security policies on all connected client devices, such as password and user access control policies. It also works for desktop environment settings such as login screen, background and favorite apps.

Meanwhile, Ubuntu is taking a significant leap forward in security through its default use of Wayland for graphics, Canonical said.

“Firefox, OBS Studio and many applications built with Electron and Flutter take advantage of Wayland automatically, for smoother graphics and better fractional scaling,” the company stated.

The new Flutter SDK is another milestone. Flutter is a software framework that’s used by developers to build “native” apps on multiple operating systems, including Android, iOS, Windows and MacOS. The idea is that they can write their apps just once using Google’s Dart programming language and have them run across all of those platforms, without needing to tinker with the code for each version.

The framework is designed to enable what Google calls “ambient computing.” That’s where people can access their favorite apps and services from any location, be it at home or at work, on any kind of device, using a consistent set of methods and commands.

Canonical, which first revealed it was working to support Flutter last year, said the new Flutter SDK snap build integration means the framework is now compatible with the Ubuntu platform too, and that developers can now use it to publish multi-platform apps for one-click installation on numerous Linux devices.

The support for Microsoft SQL Server is a big deal too. Canonical said SQL Server’s database management system and its command line interface are now both available on optimized Ubuntu images on Microsoft Azure, providing Ubuntu users with access to Microsoft’s renowned, high-performance and extremely reliable database platform.

Canonical said it and Microsoft will provide joint support for Ubuntu with Microsoft SQL Server that’s deployed on-premises or through the Azure Cloud Marketplace for mission-critical workloads.

“Native Active Directory integration and certified Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu are top priorities for our enterprise customers.” said Canonical Chief Executive Mark Shuttleworth. “For developers and innovators, Ubuntu 21.04 delivers Wayland and Flutter for smoother graphics and clean, beautiful, design-led cross platform development.”

Image: Canonical