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

[Chip Bennett]

"Have you tried the Gnome "deskbar applet". I recommend it. You can
search Yahoo and Google directly from the panel, without ever touch a
web browser."

I use Kubuntu, thus KDE, so, no, I've not tried the Gnome deskbar
applet.

That said, the use of Yahoo and/or Google search services do not require
an end-user license agreement.

"So, you never "use the browser to access those services and explicitly
accept the terms of their use through account creation/login/use"."

Those services do not require explicit acceptance of terms of use; terms
of use exist, but they are implicit.

"You just use it. Actually, I'm simplifying, because I think Google does
require you to get an account, and that implies assent. But Yahoo
doesn't. And most services will not, either."

But those services aren't encumbered, and don't require assent. The
Firefox anti-phishing services explicitly state that if the user does
not agree to the terms of use, that the services should be disabled.

Perhaps the Gnome Deskbar Applet is a good analogy; however, I'm not
convinced. The primary differences I see are:

1) Gnome Deskbar Applet can be used to request information from/use of
non-free services (Google et al); it does not install non-free service
functionality locally (in the same way that using Firefox to navigate to
Google is different from having anti-phishing services built into
Firefox). The Firefox anti-phishing service is built-in to Firefox, and
that functionality is installed and enabled by default; and,

2) Lack of agreement with the terms of use of Google's services via
Gnome Deskbar Applet does not require uninstallation/disabling of
anything in the applet itself; rather, it simply requires not making use
of the Google (et al) backend. Lack of agreement with the terms of use
of Firefox anti-phishing services requires disabling of the built-in
services.

"Hence the issue we face."

I certainly acknowledge that this issue is touchy and rather
unprecedented.

I'm doing my best to be a voice of reason in my responses here, given
the preponderance of non-edifying responses. I'm neither a Firefox fan
boy nor a free-software purist. I'm just a Windows refuge trying to
contribute to this community to which I have belonged for but a year. I
can't say how much I appreciate that I - in reality, a "nobody" - can
discuss, suggest, get responses on this issue from such high levels at
both Canonical and Mozilla.

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