Not a bash, just the facts

[Alan McKinnon]

On Wednesday 22 March 2006 21:26, Mats Holmberg wrote:
> That's exactly where the problem lies. It should be easier =)
> Because fiddling with an OS is nothing but purely unproductive, it
> is something that should always be hidden from the user. I need
> Ubuntu and Java, but they won't do my work so they should work
> completely without me being involved in setting them up. It's no
> excuse that  even Microsoft can't do it better. I'm not trashing
> your post, I read the rest of it too =) Just a side note.

I'm with Derek on this one. It's not going to happen till Sun license 
a JRE on GPL-compatible terms.

If Sun were really clever (not just half-assed smart like they are 
now), they'd issue it under a BSD license. Ubuntu can't change their 
terms, it's the senior idea of the entire distro, the one thing that 
everything else revolves around. But it's no great shakes for Sun to 
change - they know the OSS model anyway, they don't charge for a JRE, 
no-one in their right mind will fork it and there's a standards track 
to keep the language pure.

As long as there is a clear unambiguous legal conflict between Ubuntu 
and other 3rd party software, Ubuntu will not redistribute that 3rd 
party software. To do otherwise would be very foolish and stupid. 
It's the price we have to pay to have a free OS.

(Also not trashing anyone's post, just stating the obvious)

-- 
Alan McKinnon
alan at linuxholdings dot co dot za
+27 82, double three seven, one nine three five