Semantics

[Mike Smith]

On 4/14/05, John or Margaret Montgomery <monashee88 at shaw.ca> wrote:
> Hello folks,
> 
> I am using the heading  - 'semantics' because I know that words matter.
> 
> I am well aware that Linus used the infamous phrase in a playful, jesting manner. I have not felt some other users of the term, to be using it with tongue in cheek.
> 
> I find no humor in the phrase 'Self-appointed Benevolent Dictator For Life'. Mr. >Shuttleworth may be the nicest person on earth but the dictator thing is real. Do we have >any examples of a 'benevolent dictator'? The answer is yes, many times, for awhile but >the benevolent adjective, sooner or later becomes a lie. I keep reading between the lines >of Mr. Shuttleworth's statements and many on this list, that 'the ends justify the methods'.
> 
I found humor in it. Now all we need is someone to mention the word
nazi and we can close this thread (Godwin's Law,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_Law).


> Consider the word 'canonical'.  Have you looked up the definition for it in a good dictionary? There is something here which bothers me and I think, should bother more of you than it appears to do.
> 
A canon is a standard or rule, commonly used to describe the process
of how the books of the Bible became the books of the Bible. I assume
you mean Mr. Shuttleworth has some view that Ubuntu is a distribution
of Biblical proportions or some other over-the-top view of himself. I
don't know the man, but he is surrounded by talented people that are
producing an excellent distribution of Linux. Perhaps it's just a
swell sounding name. And a standard is a nice thing to have for
meeting goals/expectations/etc.



> All of the major Linux distributions have some form of democracy which underpins the company. Presidents can, and indeed. have been voted out. That can not happen with Canonical short of a palace junta.
> 
Cacnonical is a "meritocracy"
http://www.ubuntulinux.org/community/processes/governance
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=meritocracy
They can organize themselves however they see fit.

> If Mr. Shuttleworth is so certain in his message of 'humanity', why is he so distrustful of his fellow human-beings? In fact, why is this list censored?
> 
Maybe I've been too busy, but who has been censored?

--
Mike (changing my name to UbuntuMike in honor of my new cult) <-That
was a joke btw