Ubuntu 16.04 proves even an LTS release can live at Linux’s bleeding edge (Ars Technica)

Ars Technica likesUbuntu's latest release, and thinks it may be the best releaseCanonical has presented to date. Snap packaging is part of that appeal,but Snaps have competition. "While something like Snap packages have the potential to completely change the way distros work, it remains to be seen if Snap specifically will be what ends up reaching critical mass. It's certainly possible that Snap may prove popular enough to warrant other distros incorporating it, but it's also possible that there may end up being more than one way to handle self-contained packages. Looking at Canonical's track record does not inspire confidence. Upstart gave way to systemd, the software center gave way to GNOME Software, and even simple things like scrollbars get abandoned for upstream solutions. How Snap packages end up over the long term will be fascinating for Ubuntu users to watch, but even in the worst-case scenario, fans shouldn't have anything to worry about. If one day Ubuntu does abandon Snap in favor of another system, all the changes will likely be behind the scenes.In the shorter term, Snap packages should be a boon to Ubuntu, allowing users to stick with a stable base system while still leaving them free to try just-released software packages without fear of wrecking the system."