Freespire's Google ads: "What is Ubuntu Missing?"

[Peter Garrett]

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 16:31:01 +0700
Chanchao <custom at freenet.de> wrote:

> On Fri, 2006-10-06 at 03:16 -0600, Conrad Knauer wrote:
> 
> > These freedoms make Ubuntu fundamentally different from traditional
> > proprietary software: not only are the tools you need available free
> > of charge, you have the right to modify your software until it works
> > the way you want it to."
> > 
> > "the right to modify" ~~ Software Libre.
> 
> This is getting pretty philosophical.. In rigidly pursuing absolute
> Freedom, people can't play their music without jumping through hoops.. 

Yes, it *is* philosophical. Is that supposed to be a Bad Thing (tm)
according to you ?

Try this for a more "pragmatic" view : if the software is not Free in the
Free Software sense, people including the Ubuntu developers are not "free"
to improve it, because they are forbidden to see and use and improve the
source code. Examples of why this is a Bad Thing from a purely pragmatic
point of view would be, for instance, the appalling quality of the closed
Macromedia/Adobe Flash plugin, and the constant problems caused by binary
blob graphics drivers - which again are inaccessible to the community and
developers. Wifi drivers.... the list goes on....


Peter