Canonical has announced the launch of Ubuntu Core 18.04, the IoT-version of its Ubuntu operating system that has seen a surge in popularity thanks to the growth of cloud workloads. The promise of decade-long support should tempt developers looking for an OS to deploy for IoT devices that need to go the distance, but the industry still seems to be waiting on the explosion of gateways and edge-devices that need as capable an OS as Ubuntu that couldn’t make do with something designed for microcontrollers. The launch comes at what looks like something of a tipping point for the industry. Open source has surged in popularity and acceptance, and even Microsoft, a company that used to be antithetical to the…