Order

[kelly]

On Tue, 15 May 2012 17:19:33 -0500
Matthew Byers <stlsaint at ubuntu.com> wrote:

<snip>
It sounds messed up
> but even if the lubuntu community vote on a certain feature...it
> boils down to the developers. Beauty of linux....you can always use
> another or make your own OS!!!
</snip>

That is ludicrous.  Which is why successful small businesses actually
*listen* to their customers and do their utmost too implement the
changes their customers are requesting.  Those who do continue to be
successful.  Those who choose to ignore their customer base sooner or
later fade from view and are forgotten.

Gnu/Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular are no longer 'developers
scratching their own particular itch'.  Both have grown far too large
for that.  Both have an enormous customer base in terms of Fortune
100 companies, software companies who provide a tremendous amount of
funding and developers to a project and, last but certainly not least,
individual "users," such as myself and, I would suspect, most of the
other people on this list.

We the 'customer' *are* the final arbiters of Lubuntu, Ubuntu and
Gnu/Linux itself.  Make no mistake about that.  We do indeed have the
final vote.  We can simply move to another O/S as you brought up.  But
we also vote with our keyboard -- telling others how screwed up
whatever O/S we just dropped actually is.  When that happens it is the
beginning of the end for that particular O/S. An end which is long,
slow, painful and public.  Everybody can watch an O/S die.

Consider Ubuntu for just a moment.  It was individual *customers* who
voted with their keyboards -- telling any who would read just how great
Ubuntu is.  In other words it is the customer *not* the developer who
makes or breaks an O/S.

Finally, I am a customer.  I am not a user.  I really would appreciate
you keep that firmly in mind.

-- 
krp
0x8BCBFAB0