What does it mean when Canonical says that Ubuntu is and always will be Absolutely Free?

Solution 1:

The core OS of Ubuntu is committed to remaining completely free (financially and freedom wise). It has a repository for partner and non-free software add-ons. Canonical is also enabling optional "pay for" software in the software center. It does not exist in the Ubuntu "Main" repository.

Services like Ubuntu One are merely branded as such for clarity, and their client side software are indeed free. The subscription services that go along with Ubuntu is part of Canonical's business model, which will eventually make the company profitable.

Solution 2:

I think it means that Ubuntu will not be splitted to 2 editions: Enterprise(Full) and Home(Reduced) like RHEL&Fedora, SLED&OpenSuse (or even Win7Ultimate & Win7 Starter)