Goobuntu was a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu LTS (long-term support). It was used by almost 10,000 Google employees.[1] It added a number of packages for in-house use, including security features and disabled the installation of some applications, but was otherwise similar. Thomas Bushnell, a Google technical leader for the company's Linux desktops, displayed Goobuntu at LinuxCon 2012. Bushnell explained that "Goobuntu is simply a light skin over standard Ubuntu."[2]
Some suggested Google might plan to market the distribution more widely, but Goobuntu was never officially released.[3] [4] [5] While both Google and Mark Shuttleworth, who spearheaded the development of Ubuntu, confirmed the existence of Goobuntu,[6] both denied that Google had any plans to market the operating system.[7]
Mark Shuttleworth confirmed that Google has contributed patches to Ubuntu.[6]
Google used Puppet to manage its installed base of Goobuntu machines.
In 2018, Google replaced Goobuntu with gLinux, a Linux distribution based on Debian Testing.[8]