Going mobile in 2013

[Allison Randal]

On 01/04/2013 11:33 AM, Jonathan Carter wrote:
> 
> I think any rational person will agree with the above points, but I'd
> also like to point out that some of these areas still have great
> potential for improvement. I don't think it's completely healthy to sit
> back and get complacent about governance and values because I see huge
> problems in the Ubuntu community that I believe should be addressed.
> 
> I've been tempted to list those issues here but I don't think it's the
> right place. I do think that there should be some good pushes to have
> some processes better defined and also what the Ubuntu community is,
> because as a long time community member, it's even getting hard for me
> to explain to outsiders.

My own definition of "Ubuntu community" has broadened radically over the
years toward the consumer end of the spectrum, and I don't think that's
a bad thing. I was part of the "Apple community" starting in 1984. It
was an important part of my life, and the lives of many others, and I
don't devalue that experience because we were "only consumers". One of
the things I admire about Ubuntu, really quite unusual in the industry,
is its capacity to be a home for all types of people, from the greenest
tech newbie to the cracker-jack kernel hacker to the Fortune 500 CEO
(who might also be a tech newbie) and everything in between. There's
value in periodically introspecting "Who are we?", but I hope the
conversation runs more along the lines of "How do we help more
consumer-oriented users feel like part of the Ubuntu family despite
radically different skills and experience?" at the same time as "How do
we continue to respect and appreciate all those who
contribute/participate in creating Ubuntu?"

No family is perfect, and maintaining any relationship is a constant
process of improving as individuals and collectively. But don't let that
process of improvement distract from the fact that what we have here in
Ubuntu is pretty darn awesome, entirely unique, and well worth fighting for.

Allison