[ubuntu-uk] Race Online 2012 PCs shocker!

[Alan Bell]

On 18/05/11 13:05, Paul Sutton wrote:
> oh and people have full time jobs, so we need to do this when we have
> time and between other activities.#
yeah, but some people have a full time job for which more Free Software 
in the UK would be a strategic benefit. I really want more people to be 
working as individuals or small (or large) businesses providing 
consultancy and support for Ubuntu and Free software in general.
> perhaps one of the reasons that MS have jumped on this is because they
> can, they have the discs, have the books, have the support and can
> afford the infrastructure.   The OSS community can't so we lose out and
> will continue to do so. did canonical offer to do anything on this.
>
ok, a few points here. You may have missed the fact that *THEY ARE 
SHIPPING UBUNTU* this is a win. Yes they are in theory offering Windows 
as well (with strings attached) but lets not lose sight of the important 
bit here.
Proprietary companies do flood the charitable sector with their leftover 
dross at knockdown prices. They do this because it costs them nothing 
(incremental cost of production of software is zero) and they get joint 
press releases that they can wave about and call Corporate Social 
Responsibility. There is probably some tax writeoff involved too 
somewhere, but I can't be bothered to find it. This bunch have talked to 
Canonical (don't know who in Canonical) but it isn't being done with 
Canonical support.

Alan.