Ubuntu 10.04 will bring panel overhaul, social network menu (ars technica)

There's a lot of different areas of experience. Working on packaging and writing patches for crasher bugs is totally different than UI design. Do you have references to previous UI work he's done? A portfolio of experience?

Has Shuttleworth studied or been trained as a UI designer? Doesn't he have trained UI designers on staff? Why aren't they doing the UI design? Didn't he just say in the press briefing the the CEO change is about putting the right people in the right leadership roles? Does he have the right experience to be leading UI design?

I think its one of those situations where there is a danger of over indulging Shuttleworth's interests as wealthy dillitant and patron of Ubuntu. Having your rich patron dabbling could be really bad...or it could be great. I'm not an expert in UI design and I have no basis to comment on the quality of UI mockups. I would like to see outside UI experts critique the Me menu however.... especially with an eye on how this stuff could be integrated into the evolving gnome 3 framework.

-jef