[ubuntu-uk] Sad but true? From the Register

[Rob Beard]

On 15/01/2009 17:29, Liam Proven wrote:
>
> [2] It's a completely Flash-driven site, when Ubuntu doesn't include
> Flash. This is a political decision - I've been debating it recently
> on Ubuntu-sounder, in fact. The sad reality is that because of the
> Ubuntu project's determination to ship only Free software, excluding
> drivers, when Ubuntu comes out of the box, it's crippled. No Java is a
> minor problem, no RealPlayer or QuickTime or WindowsMedia is a bigger
> one, no MP3 support is a big issue, but no Flash is absolutely huge. A
> great many websites are completely inaccessible because they are
> entirely Flash-driven.
>
> This is again a problem with Ubuntu, but it's a deliberately-chosen
> one, and I'm not sure if anything can be done about it.
>
>    
But technically the first time you visit a site which requires Flash, 
Firefox does give you the option to install it with a couple of clicks 
(plus it gives you a choice of if you want to use Adobe Flash or one of 
the FLOSS alternatives).  I can't say that Java is as simple, I'd love 
to see something similar for Java too.  But as Alan said, Windows 
doesn't come with any of this pre-installed anyway.

I personally think that Ubuntu do a good job, it's certainly more 
friendly than Debian.

Rob