Is Ubuntu commited to free software?

[Remco]

On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 18:32, David Schlesinger
<lefty at access-company.com> wrote:
> On 6/10/10 9:13 AM, "Remco" <remco47 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Meh, you can still use the original kernel if you want to. It's
> (mostly) free
>> software after all. ;)
>
>
> By the same token, you (and the handful of others who share these concerns)
> can still use a forked kernel if you want to. Or "The HURD". Go wild.
>
> That would seem to be a lot less effort for those who don't especially care
> about this, i.e. the ones you and others are asking to do this work on your
> behalf.

I'm not asking anyone to do anything.

>> ...politics is always part of open source! There is no other
> reason for the
>> "Use only free software" option on the cd installer.
> Whether or not this "free
>> kernel" is needed, I don't know. If the "use
> only free software" option also
>> gets rid of all blobs in the kernel,
> then I don't see the need.
>
> I disagree: these "politics" are part of "free software", not "open source
> software". There's nothing in the OSI Definition dictating that you remove
> the option to use non-open source software from users if that's their
> choice. Feel free to point out where I've missed it, if you believe it's in
> there.
>
> If you don't know "whether or not this 'free kernel' is needed", perhaps
> your time would be better spent getting an authoritative answer to that
> question rather than insisting that a possibly unnecessary option needs to
> be thrown into the build (and tested and regressed and, and, and...)
>
> (If there's another common thread in these things, it seems to be the idea
> that a bunch of other people who presumably have better things to do--and
> are doing them--will simply _stop_ in order to cater to a demand presented
> by someone who's not willing/able to do the heavy lifting themselves.)
>
> Having gotten that authoritative answer, I'm _still_ not sure it would have
> the slightest bit of relevance here. Go create a "FSF-Buntu" or something,
> if you feel the burning need.

Hostile, much? I'm not the one who proposed anything. I'm just trying
to see the relevance of this proposal by  posing the question whether
the "Use only free software" option also fulfils this need. The need
is obviously there. Not everybody shares your opinion of the FSF.

-- 
Remco