Time never stands still, however, so even as Precise Pangolin was making its official debut, work was already beginning on its successor, which we've recently learned will be named .

Also with an eye to the future, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth on Tuesday spent an hour answering questions about what else is coming down the pike for Ubuntu in version 12.10 and beyond. As part of this week, Shuttleworth's "Ask Mark" session offered a compelling glimpse at what's to come.

Organized at the beginning of each new release cycle, Ubuntu Open Week is a week of IRC tuition and Q+A sessions aimed at getting new contributors involved.

Kicking it all off is the "Ask Mark" session, during which community members are invited to ask Shuttleworth questions about the Ubuntu project.