[Bug 269656] Re: AN IRRELEVANT LICENSE IS PRESENTED TO YOU FREE-OF-CHARGE ON STARTUP

[David Ayers]

I am also a user... actually I'm a paying customer.

Please do not suggest to ignore license agreements.
Please do not suggest to hide EULA's.  Consider that users are not necessarily administrators and the EULA is a agreement enforced upon the user.
Licenses are at the core of the freedom provided by Free Software and the reason Ubuntu exist.

The Ubuntu promise

 * Ubuntu will always be free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates.
 * Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies around the world.
 * Ubuntu includes the very best translations and accessibility infrastructure that the free software community has to offer.
 * Ubuntu CDs contain only free software applications; we encourage you to use free and open source software, improve it and pass it on.

Trademarks are certainly gaining importance in a world of Free Software.
I could consider a general statement about copyrights, patents and
trademarks after a user logs on to /Ubuntu/ for the first time as a
stand in for all relevant packages.  The Ubuntu's universe repository
should have a no-EULA policy.

After receiving the first my wife's Dell pre-installed / Canonical
supported laptop and I started the DVD viewing application, I was
presented an EULA.  I did not read it.  I uninstalled the package.  I
still use the preinstalled proprietary drivers but I consider that a bug
that should be fixed in the future.  I'm now considering actually filing
it as one of my 10 support issues I've paid for just to communicate that
a bit louder.

What makes Firefox special that the MPL/GPL/LGPL Licenses do not
suffice.  I'd be happy to use iceweasel if the Mozilla Foundation is
trying to set a precedent that pave the way for OpenOffice.org, MySQL,
Linux (as in the trademarked kernel) ... all started needing EULA's to
remain enforcible trademarks.  Do not give anyone the opportunity to
unsettle users that believe that Ubuntu is allowing more rather than
less proprietary software as it develops.

I cannot not consider renewing my Ubuntu subscriptions (yes, I have
another one for the family Desktop) or purchasing new ones unless I see
stronger activity to increase users freedoms by reduction of restricted
drivers and EULA's.  (Note that I have not investigated much yet so
there may actually be strong activity for preinstalled Ubuntu in this
area but if so Canonical is not doing a good job of communicating it.)

Free Software is not about free beer... and I'm doing my best to
communicate this and to put my money where my mouth is.  I've already
got one blind eye (the proprietary drivers to make the hardware on
preinstalled Ubuntu work).  I want commercial grade desktop support for
my wife an family's for Free Software as I just don't have the time to
rely on community support in some cases.  Please do not alienate me.

-- 
AN IRRELEVANT LICENSE IS PRESENTED TO YOU FREE-OF-CHARGE ON STARTUP
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/269656
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