[ubuntu-uk] Community distro ?

[Michael Wood]

Hi,

Two things have really touched a nerve with me recently and I would like 
to open a discussion.

Firstly: 
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork#head-8c391b3699f3571c2aedfa7cb78adb4623206933

"Feisty artwork will be designed by kwwii -- of Kubuntu Edgy and KDE 
Oxygen Icon fame. He will be working closely with sabdfl in the design. 
Do not expect community involvement in defining this portion."

This seems to contradict entirely the description of ubuntu "Ubuntu is a 
community developed, linux-based operating system ...." - Ubuntu.com .

So far the Art work for Feisty has been rather doggy in my opinoin and I 
don't hold a huge amount of hope for it getting better. Not saying that 
Kwwii isn't a good artist but I don't see his art suiting the GNOME 
Desktop. It may turn out to be excellent but the discussion, ideas and 
contribution which is provided by having community involvement is going 
to be completely lost.

Secondly, why, with all the information i've been able to squeeze, won't 
ubuntu/canonical consider sponsoring GUADEC (GNOME User And Developer 
European Conference) but  were willing to be Gold Sponsor of the last 
aKadamy  ? (KDE's Conference) especially considering that GNOME is the 
desktop that Ubuntu and Edubuntu uses.

These two issues I have seem to be linked by  my feeling that ubuntu is 
an organisation who's community only has a pseudo influence over 
decisions that really matter. It would be in the ubuntu communities 
interest to be a sponsor of GUADEC and to have community involved art 
work. 

ubuntu needs to look at how these decisions affect it's own community in 
terms of excluding them at will and importantly the affect and 
impression that is given to the wider open source community.


Thank you,

Michael Wood


-- 
/\/\ichael [ email at michaelwood.me.uk  ]	
  \/\/ood  [ http://michaelwood.me.uk ]