I’ve spent some time on Ubuntu Brainstorm lately.
Brainstorm is the place to go to give your thoughts and ideas on what Ubuntu should be. It’s really a great idea, and there are lots of neat things being proposed. If you got some thing that you want to be implemented och changed in Ubuntu, that isn’t really a bug, go to brainstorm.ubuntu.com.
However, apart from the nice ideas being proposed, there is a trend that really worries me.
Many users of GNU/Linux these days, think that projects like Gnash are stupid, when you can get the original Flashplayer. Those are the same people that think you’re stupid if you don’t want to use the mp3-format, or install support for the windows-media format. This isn’t true only on brainstorm of course, but also in the overall community.
I’ve seen people posting on blogs and online-communitys and forums about Richard Stallman being a complete moron, and about how the FSF is hurting the GNU/Linux-community. These people really don’t know what they are talking about, and it hurts me to read such things.
I was met by sarcasm when posting in IRC and forums trying to find an all-free portable media device too.
So I don’t think people are bad or evil just because they are installing proprietary software on GNU/Linux, because I do install some proprietary drivers and codecs too. What’s worrying to me, is the fact the people don’t think twice about what it really means to install those things, and don’t really think that free alternative are important.
What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that we should support the projects that are developing things like Gnash, even if we are using the proprietary flash-player. We should buy an ogg-capable portable mediaplayer if we can. We should encode our videos in Theora if we can. We should use free fonts, if we can.
March 2, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Hear, hear!
March 2, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I totally agree with you. Not sure if you’re still looking for PMP, but I just bought the Cowon D2. Not only is it supported out of the box in Linux (plugged it in and it detected the media player as a disk, and the SDHC card in it as another disk), it also plays Ogg Vorbis. I don’t believe it supports Ogg Theora, but I’m not aware of any that do. Definitely consider it and support Cowon for supporting us.
March 2, 2008 at 2:55 pm
It is normal - they are just consumers! They don’t give anyting back to the commynity! For them this is a free launch. All this noise that Linux must widen is leading to this - mass market!
March 2, 2008 at 3:43 pm
That is of course your opinion, but not right one. Because we should use highest possible software if we can, and not free free free freeeee (foss fetishizm…
I don’t have time to play with linux, or free (buggy, unstable, frustrating) alternatives to high quality proprietary software (like nvidia drivers vs. noveau, like gansh vs. flash, like ogg vs mp3, like dumb Brasero vs. Nero, like IE7pro vs. Firefox, like damn Compiz vs. Aero, like OpenOffice vs Ms Office, like WMP11+codec packs from K-Lite or CCCP vs. Mplayer + stolenW32codecs or Totem-Xine)
I don’t have time to constantly fight with OS, where basic things don’t works, entire enviroment is unstable, buggy and slow and if you wanna fill a bug report, you will find million more bugs on launchpad.
I don’t have time to spend hours of googling, reading various wiki’s or forums or learn to compile some code or edit config files, because a want OS witch is stable, reliable and simply works, with thousands excellent application and drivers and pheriperals avaliable to choose from…That OS is Windows (or entire Windows platform and ecosystem build around it), That is the real freedom of choice, usign HW you want, using SW you want, using freeware alternatives or pay for HQ software and that is only platform worth my time, and not slooowwwlllyyyy evolving linux without basic functionality and several parallel projects with similar functionality instead working together….like Brasero, GnomeBaker or K3B or like Rhythmbox, Banshee, Exaile or Amarok….or like Compiz, Beryl and Compiz Fusion schyzofrenia…
I really don’t have time for this shit…
March 2, 2008 at 4:12 pm
@Laco
I actually wrote a lot more of a reply just a few minutes ago, but I willl remove that and just encourage people who know better to have a good laugh.
March 2, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Laco, You actually are showing a lot off inside about all this “shit”? Why You wasted your time if Windows is all about! And why such a spite for something that you get for free ! It was your decision to try it and not to use it - only You are to blame! Here, in Bulgaria we say - sometimes only the mad sees the truth!
March 2, 2008 at 6:29 pm
If you are using something like Slack or Debian, I would have understand your concern
But you talking about Ubuntu, the one that takes from Debian and giving back that tiny tiny bit, so this piece of blog isn’t so convincing, sorry.
March 2, 2008 at 7:31 pm
@LOL
I do know that Debian and Slackware are among the more freedom-friendly distributions, and I was actually using Debian Testing until just a couple of days ago. I switched to Ubuntu for a number of reasons.
1. There wasn’t really a branch of Debian that had wad I wanted. Testing was almost there, but the fact that some packages get removed and added alll the time was a bit too much to handle. Stable is to old, and Unstable is.. well, unstable.
2. I want some kind of standardization and Ubuntu is so popular that it’s my best bet.
3. The fact that Ubuntu is getting so many users is, to me, a good reason for me, who care about freedom, to mix with the rest of the users. Maybe I can inform people about what’s good about being free.
etc etc.
And I do think that Ubuntu is giving back quite a lot to Debian. A funfact is that one idea on brainstorm was to have a “Debian Appreciation Day” which I find kind of neat.
March 3, 2008 at 2:09 am
I think this situation is caused by amoral open source advocates pushing free software to the masses. The masses are taught to consider convenience over anything else (ethics) because they haven’t learned of the subjugation that occurs with proprietary software. They often get convenience in exchange for their freedoms. Of course, freedom to these people means having the liberty to be subject to a better proprietor over having the liberty to help oneself and their community.
Also, there are many free software activists that know free software is far superior (even if it is functionally inferior) to proprietary software but fail to understand why subjugation under proprietary software is so evil.
March 3, 2008 at 4:53 am
mono is another non-fsf software and many people like it because its easy to use mono.
geez…i would rather use python for that matter.
people dont care about freedom.
March 3, 2008 at 9:35 am
@Laco
Go back to your Vista, troll. You are a good example of the morons this blogpost talks about.
March 3, 2008 at 9:49 am
LOL, “Ubuntu, the one that takes from Debian and giving back that tiny tiny bit.” You don’t seem to understand the FOSS concept if this is your perception.
March 3, 2008 at 9:51 am
Thanks for mentioning free fonts - the Open Font Library mailing list is a center of the free font community, as is the FontForge mailing list (the leading free editor today)
March 3, 2008 at 11:24 am
LOL: that’s a nice way to move the discussion to something completely irrelevant and unrelated by making a false statement.
I think, that what these users think their opinion is just uninformed, and thus it doesn’t really matter, I think they are also the minority even though the fact they are ignorant also determines that they are a lot more vocal and certain that they are right and thus take so much opportunities to say what’s basically crap, I would also think there are interests behind some of them.
March 3, 2008 at 12:24 pm
About the portable media player. I’m using Meizu M6 which supports vorbis and flac for audio (among other formats). For Video, it supports AVI (XviD) but haven’t tried with theora, but I think it wouldn’t work. Hope that’s enough for you.
March 3, 2008 at 12:47 pm
The best thing to do is just get over it, it’s just people’s opinions. Don’t let it get you down. A lot of us care.
I love Free Software. I use it in preference. I understand how proprietary software is limited. Want a bug fixed, only company X can fix it. Want a new version? How about a new platform support? Company X. It’s really rather restrictive. The developers are a doormat, the users at company X’s mercy. Yes, I enjoyed reading many of Stallman’s essays.
I suppose if Adobe dropped the Linux Flash player, would these folks be rooting for Gnash or what? Or perhaps a proprietary driver gets discontinued. In the realm of Free Software something like that happening is unlikely and fixable if it does.
Also, a tiny pet peeve, the software I use to play MP3 and DVD for example, are Free Software (GPL!). As I can use the format 100%, I don’t have an issue. Now when I rip my own CDs I use FLAC or OGG. I just have old files I want to play. Just as I can run my old games in something like DOSBox, To be Free Software, you get to use it for Any Purpose.
When more Free and Open Source Software leaves proprietary in the dust (I think Firefox, Apache, Linux, etc. have certainly done so) they will use what is best. As for now, they get to use a decent operating system and reduce the number of botted machines and spam we get on the net.
Would someone used to Free Software switch back? I think some people are complacent since they are used to closed source software. I’m not sure it would work the other way around. For a user, you lose the right to copy, share and use it how you want. For devs (users too) you can’t modify it, and the community can’t benefit. You get a black box, that likely costs money, don’t know what it really does, and at the mercy of Company X…
March 3, 2008 at 4:06 pm
First, Laco, U made me laugh like nobody today
First, media player sucks bigtime. IE7 has more security issues than Firefox, OpenOffice.org is more efficient than MS Office, AND AERO is so hardware hungry, that U need to have DirectX hardware supported GPU. JUST LOOK WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH MICROSOFT AND INTEL with the motherboards which have intel 915 graphics embedded. Compiz runs even on GeForce 2!!!
Second,
“So I don’t think people are bad or evil just because they are installing proprietary software on GNU/Linux … What’s worrying to me, is the fact the people don’t think twice about what it really means to install those things, and don’t really think that free alternative are important.”
So true, I do the same, and think the same way. I’m also tired of configuring and installing everything after a fresh instalation that i even bought Mandriva Powerpack. My point is, every user needs to satisfy it needs, even if few dollars are needed for that…
It’s good to see that projects are getting more and more support. Example, we already have a good font replacement made by Red Hat. Infact, for almost everything there is a good replacement.
March 3, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Keep up the good work, at least now I know that there are people out there who care like me.
My country, Vietnam, is famous for being at the top of software piracy list. But yet, I’m pushing FLOSS as if I’m crazy (why use FLOSS when you can get a CD full of pirated software for $.50 publicly?)
It’s not about price, it’s about freedom. This freedom is critical to developing countries. Instead of paying foreign companies every year, they can use that money to invest in domestic free software development. It will be a long term project, but their next generations will be expert, having the solid foundation to bring their technology to any levels.
I used to think why I’m fighting for this freedom. It’s not money or responsibility. I think it’s just simply that once you tasted freedom, you will fight for it so that you and other can continue to benefit from it. RMS is a moral, right, a moral who has the gut to do what he think is right, a moral who stands at the extreme end to pull us. No matter how crazy he is, we need somebody like him.
it’s not the software that’s free; it’s you
March 3, 2008 at 7:01 pm
There are two groups of FOSS users out there: The Believers and the Consumers. It has been this way for some time now, but with FOSS software becoming more mature with each passing year, The Consumers are growing more numerous, and therefore more vocal in their support of no-cost software. It doesn’t help that Microsoft keeps raising prices to the point where their products are practically unaffordable.
In some ways, the problem is that word “free”. While many see it as “liberty”, a growing number see it as “cheap’. Whether FOSS is a means to pass computer control to the people, or a means to get more while paying less, depends upon which group of users you talk to. Increasingly, that conversation is going to get you an earful, and there’s an excellent chance you won’t like what you hear.
No sense complaining, because the disagreement’s only going to get worse.
March 3, 2008 at 7:11 pm
[...] at the TuxToday blog, there’s a post about Linux users not caring about freedom - because they’d rather just use Adobe’s Flash plugin in lieu of Free Software like [...]
March 3, 2008 at 7:47 pm
@sillyxone: Thank’s for your comment! The bit at the end, “it’s not the software that’s free; it’s you”, is just awesome! Keep up the good work!
@TomB: “The Believers and the Consumers” huh? That’s actually a really good way of putting it. And the part about the word “free” in English can mean two very different things is.. too bad.. Maybe we should call it “Libré Software” instead?
March 3, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Should FOSS only be for those that understand, believe and support what FOSS stands for or should it be for anyone that needs what a particular FOSS offering does?
There are far, far more people that need something like Linux because they want a functional operating system and system utilities at free or reasonable support cost but otherwise couldn’t care less what FOSS is or stands for. Having them use Linux grows the popularity and legitimacy of Linux and, in turn, of FOSS. That brings more support, more investment, more proprietary shift to FOSS over time as the market becomes apparent.
To ask the potential users to hold off if they can’t, don’t want to, or just don’t want to have to think about whether they are using only FOSS is to postpone all the positive and negative effects of a much broader Linux user base and perhaps even prevent it from ever growing beyond the community that cares to think about thinks like whether an offering is FOSS or not. Why would we do that? Those consumers bring more good than bad no matter how you measure.
March 3, 2008 at 8:44 pm
The problem is simple: I sent an e-mail to Stallman a few days ago writing that while Gnash doesn’t have all the features (or at least the main features) of the proprietary flash player, almost nobody will care about it, because people just want to see the works (Stallman doesn’t like that we say “content”
over the web. So, If I can’t use Gnash to access MySpace, yahoo Live and a lot of other video sites, I can’t use Gnash, otherwise I’ll be unable to see those sites. It’s simple as that.
Of course I agree with Stallman that we shouldn’t support proprietary software, but, when the user doesn’t have a choice, a proprietary player is better than NOTHING.
If Gnash wants to be respected, it should first support all the main sites people use, including myspace, and most video sites. While it doesn’t happen, people won’t use it, because it doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter if gnash can play youtube videos. It has to play all the video sites over the web… the development of Gnash should be more aggressive (in fact it’s very slow). Otherwise, Adobe will launch a 64 bit flash player and even the 64 bit support couldn’t be mentioned as a Gnash advantage anymore…. so hurry up Gnash developers. If you’ll don’t, Flash will be in version 11 or 12 and Gnash will start to support Flash 9…. it’s non sense.
March 3, 2008 at 9:04 pm
There is a fine line between choosing to have freedom and fanaticism.
If you blatantly refuse to use Nvidia drivers since it is not open source, then youre taking away a huge chunk of fun and freedom (freedom to do what I need to do) in Linux.
No gaming because it is not open, no DVD’s because it is not open…. then you are missing the whole point of an operating system I believe.
Then you should also not have a standalone DVD player connected to your TV, cause the evil codecs are at work there too!
Yes, I’m a FOSS advocate, but to punish myself because there is no other alternative is not part of my nature, I’m not a monk for crying out loud!
Don’t get me wrong, I use open source exclusively, but there is no Nvidia OS drivers that can give me the same performance as the proprietary ones, there is no other choice but to install the DVD codecs, I want to watch DVD’s on my PC (I have no TV).
MS Office… why use it on Linux when OpenOffice does the same and better in some instances? It is not needed, you see what I’m getting at?
I’m a FOSS advocate (self proclaimed Gentoo Linux fan boy), but the reality of the matter is there is some stuff that the FOSS just doesn’t have atm, and as long as there is going to be multi-billion dollar hardware companies, I don’t see that changing soon…
Yes I agree the newer generations has lost the “freedom” spirit, maybe they should watch Revolution OS…. oh wait, that is copyrighted…. ironic isn’t it?
March 3, 2008 at 9:21 pm
This post is very hoting, and this blog is high ranked in
the top blogs report . You can
earn some money with a good blog like this.
March 3, 2008 at 9:41 pm
[...] my nerd frustration on that issue). On my iGoogle page today, I saw an enticing article title…someone felt sad to say that GNU/Linux users “don’t care about freedom.” The article title was, in my mind, excellent advertising, so I commend the author for it. My knee [...]
March 4, 2008 at 12:45 am
Ok, here’s the thing. I’ve installed MP3 and DVD playback codec’s on my precious GNU/Linux system; hell I can even show you where the boot log displays “Module nvidia taints kernel”. But and here is the but. My ipod, plays MP3’s, it doesn’t play Ogg’s, to cater to this mobile device all of my CD’s are kept in MP3 format, curiously I like to listen to them via my laptop as well sometimes. How does one deal with this? The portable device won’t use your free solution.
Same with DVD’s.
And you can prise my Nvidia card out of my cold. Dead. Hands. If you think I’m going to deny myself any form of 3D acceleration just because a company doesn’t want to OSS it’s driver, you. Are. Sadly. Mistaken. Besides, laptop, natch. Which of you lot coming here and tutting at people like me want to fashion a replacement ’safe’ GFX card for my Dell laptop to replace the 7900 GS daughter board? It *MUST* have comparable capabilities. No? No takers? Thought so.
Some people out there like Linux, some people out there prefer Linux to Windows, but a lot of us really do not give a flying toss if the software is OSS or not. Just so long as it works, doesn’t cost $$$$ and is “good enough”.
Deal with it.
March 4, 2008 at 1:00 am
unfurtunally is the same people that will not go to a protest for their freedoms because they think is stupid as well they will not write a letter to their congress man because they think democracy is stupid and they only think on the well * of them self.. how can they think on freedom of any kind or civil liberties or software freedom they they have been born on a nice house on the suburds and their schollarship under the bed waiting for them, history has teach us that the ones that risk it all is the ones that have done the mayor changes and at the same time this people were hated and laught at at first.. but later they were heroes.. think on RMS people rips on him.. on what bases? none is because he is different than the regular mortal and he have a plan other than going to MIT and selling out to a huge corporation to make 10 bucks more..he actually thought on a plan that will change the world and he did it so let them laught..is human.
In solidarity
Chris F
http://www.binaryfreedom.info
http://www.dailyradical.org
March 4, 2008 at 2:31 am
moondowner >>>
IE7 security is comparable to FF2 if not higher and i haven’t said that IE is more secure anyway. Why WMP11 sucks? Witch linux player has so great library management and is so fast ? And if you install some HQ codec pack you will get playback of everything in 5minutes with dependable browser plugin.
“…U need to have DirectX hardware supported GPU…” - and what suposed to meens this ? All GPU’s on market from beginning (with GeForce256 in ‘99) have this feature.
For Vista Aero you need DX9 comliant GPU. I had before GeForce FX5200 128MB AGP(y. 2003) = no problem, it was fast and smooth…Same GPU under Ubuntu 6.10 with Compiz 0.3.x was slow and jerky (without Xgl sh*t). Current Gusty with Compiz 0.6 in on my new GeForce 7600GS is finaly so smooth like Aero on my old FX5200…
Intel MB’s with at least GMA950 are also fully working with Aero - tested, no problem there. Current X3×00 family is even powerfull - so i don’t know where lies the problem.
OpenOffice is more efficient ??? Oooohhh boy….OK, i forgive you
Anyway i don’t use Vista (but XP), but one day when i buy new PC i will not trust my data some bugy oss alfa/beta code in heavy development…
March 4, 2008 at 3:22 am
moondowner>
Huh? Mediaplayer is pretty cool program with no opposite on linux side. Maybe songbird would be alternative in future. I tried near all players..and I love some ideas in them, but only useable and consistent player is Rhytmbox,(ok, it have ugly UI without videoplayer etc…but still best player in the town).
Office 2007 is far more productive then OO. Did you ever tried to use them both? I don’t use office-like programs every day, but go and ask regular office users (yup, these poultry in offices).
Only right is that compiz is superior to aero. You have to accept one simple truth: people are going to use best working option for them, when they can choose.
March 4, 2008 at 5:08 am
Oh boy! Another fanatic who thinks freedom is what he/she says it is. Never what others believe it to be.
I use Linux exclusively at home (at work I have to dual boot Windows) and I want the FREEDOM to choose. I don’t want you taking that FREEDOM away from me!
If I CHOOSE to use a proprietary program. that’s my business. It isn’t (or at least shouldn’t be) yours.
You have the FREEDOM to NOT use those programs. Make YOUR choice and let others make their own without you attacking them like there is something wrong with FREEDOM.
March 4, 2008 at 5:55 am
That is because we do not promote Linux for its freedom, but for its features. We look at end users as passive, as receivers instead of involving them and allowing them to see what freedom can do for them, their skills and their friends.
We do not seek to attract contributions in other forms than just code, documentation, and bug reports. Please read Marco Fioretti’s A Free Software Manifesto For All Of Us at http://digifreedom.net/node/57. If you seek promoting Linux in general go to http://theTuxProject.org
If we want users to understand freedom, we have to promote Linux as a platform for participation for everybody:
* we need graphic artists to work collaboratively to make a Blender 3D model, one team member does the textures, one does the 3D model itself (polygons and all that), one does 3d effects such as explosion, one does the lighting of the scene;
* we need Office workers to start using templates extensively and start sharing them;
ok, that does not count users sharing accounting documents across cultures, but inside a country it is still a powerfull concept;
* we need composers share music sheets at Mutopia Project;
* we need singers / performers reusing and sampling bits and pieces of others artists songs;
* we need a library of gifted/copylefted movie, animation, game scripts;
* we need marketing people share their studies on Firefox on http://www.spreadfirefox.com
* we need usability experts improve their skills by contributing to openusability.org and receiving feedback;
* and yes we need users contribute their requirements to our software on cofundos.org
March 4, 2008 at 6:46 am
Your preaching to the wrong crowd. Ubuntu is nice yes a little odd at times to a Debian user (thats me) but it is almost like installing Windoze on a laptop, and theres the problem.
Flash is there, so who cares about the oss replacement for that pile of poo (thats what i think of flash and the developers who do it). Now if you had some issue to do with an Intel device being non Linux compatible because Intel are being stupid (hint avoid Intel just in case) then im sure everybody would have been with you.
I thought the comrades at mozilla where doing some work with flash ? if i remember correctly, so isnt your brainstorm doing something already happening.
March 4, 2008 at 6:46 am
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah there was a day and time when I DID have the time to try and evolve my brain to understand all of this technology. Sad that now I do not. But I think it IS important that there are others seeking, creating, using , free alternatives to the Empire called Microsoft. And I am glad I stumbled across this blog to remind me–that while I may have empty pocketbook, I have choices as I start-up yet another biz. I can choose to involve myself again. I can exercise my rights and my brain and grow into the possibilities with others.
March 4, 2008 at 6:52 am
I quite agree with your observations. Those are indeed correct. In my experience advocating the philosophy of open source, the following are some of the reasons why:
1. There are those who do not accept the idea not because the idea is implausible but because the idea is new. For instance, there are those who do not like to use Open Office not because they already tested the software but because they haven’t tested it and they don’t want to explore.
2. There are those who do not want the idea because they are afraid they might like it. And if they do like it, they are afraid to be consider as nerds by the greater number who thinks that GNU/Linux is only for nerds. In simple terms, they are afraid to be “ostracized” by those who are ignorant.
3. Of course, the common fear: some versions of GNU/Linux are not user friendly and they are afraid they might find the learning curve too steep.
4. Others wonder if using open source softwares for almost free is real. You know the stuff “There is no such thing as free lunch”?
5. Government policies are also to blame especially in non-European countries.
6. Some believes Linux is communist stuff without understanding what “communism” really is.
7. The last but not the least: Most of the on-line games are developed in MS Windows platform.
March 4, 2008 at 7:21 am
Did you really say “GNU/Linux” ? - here, a punch in your nose!
Did you really say “freedom”? - here is another punch!
Now, think it all over again and go write another article that as an end result , eventually, might be useful to potential linux desktop users.
March 4, 2008 at 7:48 am
I think Laco is Steve Balmer
March 4, 2008 at 10:05 am
@Cabreh: You are getting it all wrong. I’m not trying to stop you from installing whatever you like. That, indeed, is your right. That doesn’t stop me from being concerned about the possible consequences that comes with closed-source software, does it?
@vi: I’m not forcing you to read this blog. If you don’t like it, there’probably a field somewhere on the top of your browser-window where you can write letters, that, if done correctly, will take you to a website that you might actually enjoy.
And to clarify, I’m not trying to harsh on people who are installing proprietary drivers or codecs. I do install some of those myself. What worries me is the development I’m seeing, where restricted stuff are being thought of as a “must have”-feature.
I don’t want to stop people from installing those things, and shure, it can even be easy! But I do think that we could do more to inform others about the alternatives, and the joy of being free. This can be done by, like Ubuntu, providing an informative text in the restricted-manager, or whatever. Anything really, to clearly state what is free, and what is not, and what the consequences are.
And, we must try to support the initiatives that are trying to create free alternatives, like Gnash.
That’s my opinion anyways!
March 4, 2008 at 10:19 am
The public only wants what works, as painlessly as possible. If freedom were truly the issue, who would own a cell phone?
It is fruitless to disparage any true Open Source project. That said, I think OSS efforts should be focused on enabling creativity more than simply duplicating playback functionality. For example, an OSS Flash content creation tool would have more effect on freedom than a Flash player.
March 5, 2008 at 12:52 am
[...] an interesting post at Tuxtoday lamenting what the author sees as the lack of respect for freedom that many Linux users [...]
March 5, 2008 at 5:17 pm
==============================
i will not trust my data some bugy oss alfa/beta code in heavy development…
==============================
Laco, demanding individuals, global organizations and multinational corporations with more important data than yours actually do trust free software solutions with their data every day. Of course, they are a bit less clueless than you appear to be…
Usually free software is not “buggy, beta, alpha”, unless the authors say it is. I doubt you even read the documentation or the license terms for any software that you use. And if you did, I doubt you made any serious effort to understand what you were reading.
Apparently you are not interested in learning the specifics of an operating system other than windows, or the specifics of an alternative software development and distribution model, which would be necessary to have a good and trouble-free experience with it. Also, apparently, you don’t like to make choices, you prefer that other people make them for you. That is fine of course, you are only a typical, mondern, consumer. Nobody would realistically expect you to do any better than that. Just do not fool yourself by believing that you have the slightest idea about the quality of free software and alternative free operating systems and do not make a fool of yourself to others by expressing an opinion about things that you don’t know.
It is your right to give away some freedom and sacrifice some choices to get some [temporal and limited] convenience. Sooner or later this position will hurt your interests, if it hasn’t already, although you might not be informed enough to realize it.
By your, very thorough, understanding of freedom, feel free to crawl back into your hole, as much away from choices as possible.
March 6, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Most people don’t care about freedom.
Look what is happening in the USA? People get their freedom taken away in such large chunks that you can almost feel it in Europe. Do they care? 5% does. The rest just want flatter TV’s.
I don’t understand this any bit more than you do. But it is the case, and it seems not a lot can be done about it. People choose the iPod, because it looks cool. Not because it can play certain mediafiles or not. They don’t care, and expect it to ‘just work’.
I don’t know. I think you need to at least defend your own freedom, and try to educate others. But if they don’t want to hear……
March 6, 2008 at 3:33 pm
[...] Link [...]
March 6, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Sorry for not reading all of the comments, so someone else may have already written this. I appreciate the goals and the contributions of the FSF and the open source community at large. I use Linux as my home OS because it allows me to do more for less. However. I also openly use closed source software and I’m not ashamed of it. This is real freedom. The freedom to use the best software available to get the job done. Sometimes, that is OSS and sometimes it’s Windows. Do I wish for more high quality OSS software? Sure! But in the meantime, don’t claim that people don’t care about freedom because they used closed source software. Freedom is choosing what you want, not being forced by guilt trip into using inferior software that happens to be open source.
I’m going get back to the ebook I was reading with yBook through WINE because there is no decent replacement in Linux.