[CoLoCo] (Fwd) Proposal: Removal of the WinFOSS collection

[Chomafin]

I do like the idea of the WinFOSS project, But I think its outgrown the
Ubuntu CD.  I think it would be great to keep as a separate package, that
way it can grow.  Right now its so limited that it does not get any new apps
out there really.  Everyone knows about FireFox by now.  And like Dave says,
why put windows software on a Linux cd.

On Dec 10, 2007 8:27 AM, Dave Vanderploeg <dave.vanderploeg at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Removing the Windows software only makes sense to me. I've never once
> said, "I want you to ditch windows, so here's a CD that has Windows software
> on it". If we have an opportunity to push FOSS for Windows, we can use other
> tools (OpenDisc) to do so.
>
> Dave
>
>
> On Dec 10, 2007 8:02 AM, Neal McBurnett <neal at bcn.boulder.co.us> wrote:
>
> > FYI.  What do you think of the marketing potential of the WinFOSS
> > collection vs other uses for the space?  Do you talk about it when you
> > give CDs away?  Do people express interest?  Does anyone who expressed
> > interest because of the WinFOSS stuff end up installing and using
> > Ubuntu?
> >
> > -Neal
> >
> > ----- Forwarded message from Henrik Nilsen Omma <henrik at ubuntu.com>
> > -----
> >
> > To: Ubuntu-Devel Developers < ubuntu-devel at lists.ubuntu.com>
> > From: Henrik Nilsen Omma <henrik at ubuntu.com>
> > Subject: Proposal: Removal of the WinFOSS collection
> > X-BeenThere: ubuntu-devel at lists.ubuntu.com
> > X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.8
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I propose that we remove the collection of Windows-based FOSS from the
> > Live CDs during the Hardy cycle.
> >
> > It was originally introduced as bridge from the Windows world to the
> > Linux world -- let people become familiar with FOSS applications like
> > Firefox and OpenOffice on Windows first, making the transition to Linux
> > easier. Since then Ubuntu has become easier to install, more user
> > friendly and projects like Firefox and OpenOffice have been very
> > successful in promoting themselves, reducing the need for distribution
> > by us.
> >
> > It also served originally to fill out the space on the CDs, but that is
> > no longer needed (instead, space is tight). We originally included over
> > 100 MB of WinFOSS, including OpenOffice, but this has gradually been cut
> > back to free up space. The currently collection is basically Firefox,
> > Thunderbird and Abiword, and this cannot really be cut back any further
> > without making it pointless. With the use of lzma packages and other
> > slimming magic, the alternate CDs are set to shrink a bit this cycle,
> > which means the Live CDs will be as much of a space limiter.
> >
> > Including more languages, documentation, example files and applications
> > on the Live CDs seems more in keeping with Ubuntu's mission statement
> > than including Windows software at this point.
> >
> > The CD browser utility that currently presents the WinFOSS collection is
> > a tweaked Gecko browser where the navigation buttons, context menu etc
> > have been removed and which knows how to launch .exe files. It also
> > serves a few other purposes, including presenting Ubuntu with text and
> > screenshots and launching documentation like the Windows->Ubuntu
> > migration guide. We also planned to use it to launch the Windows-based
> > Ubuntu installer.
> >
> > The advantage of the browser setup is that it is fairly easy to design a
> > decent looking interface with simple HTML. The downside is that the CD
> > browser itself takes about 10MB.
> >
> > One option is to keep the CD browser as it is (with it's 10MB) and
> > continue using it to display/launch documentation and launch the
> > Windows-based installer.
> >
> > A second option is to write a new stand-alone executable (possibly using
> > NSIS) that could launch both the documentation, guides, and installer.
> >
> > A third option is to extend the opening screen of the Windows-based
> > installer to include buttons to launch the guides and documentation.
> > This is IMO likely to be the most elegant.
> >
> >
> > Henrik
> > (maintainer of the WinFOSS collection)
> >
> >
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