Comments on: Taking freedom further http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108 Planetary perspectives Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:42:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Amir E. Aharoni http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-126354 Amir E. Aharoni Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:14:07 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-126354 I though of reporting this as a bug on Launchpad, but i'll put it here first ... ---- Ubuntu is both a popular distribution and one that is relatively purist about Free Software. Despite that, i couldn't find an *easy* way on any Ubuntu-related website to test whether a computer will work with Ubuntu without the need to use restricted drivers *before* i buy the computer. Until now everything was an afterthought - for years i installed Linux after i bought the computer and all the time i ran into problems because there were no drivers or because there were no free drivers. Now i want to test that a computer will be completely usable with only Free Software - but i couldn't find any sane way to do it without being a hardware guru, kernel hacker and master decryptor of lspci output. I already looked at gNewSense webpage ( http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Main/RecommendedHardware ) and FSF's Hardware compatibility page ( http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/ ). Still too hard to decypher. I asked on the forums several times. Some say "buy a Dell/System76" - well, at least some Dells and System76's use NVidia drivers, which are either non-Free or technically crippled. Some say "Google is your friend" - but no, in this case it is not: It is damn hard to check every single device and be sure that it has a free driver. Some people say that i worry too much and that it is just not too important. Maybe; I understand a few things about software, but i really don't claim to understand ALL of the technical implications of non-free drivers and firmware, so one could say that i listen to Richard Stallman's preaching about freedom too zealously; but i believe that this might be important to Ubuntu considering Mark Shuttleworth's announcement of the extra-free Gutsy Gibbon edition. Who will bother to try to install it, if it's too damn hard to find a properly free computer which can run it? I know that this sounds very pretentious and i am not a notable member of the Ubuntu community, but i think that this is a bit of a meta-bug, a bit like the famous "Bug #1". Any ideas how can that be made easier? I though of reporting this as a bug on Launchpad, but i’ll put it here first …

—-

Ubuntu is both a popular distribution and one that is relatively purist about Free Software.

Despite that, i couldn’t find an *easy* way on any Ubuntu-related website to test whether a computer will work with Ubuntu without the need to use restricted drivers *before* i buy the computer.

Until now everything was an afterthought - for years i installed Linux after i bought the computer and all the time i ran into problems because there were no drivers or because there were no free drivers.

Now i want to test that a computer will be completely usable with only Free Software - but i couldn’t find any sane way to do it without being a hardware guru, kernel hacker and master decryptor of lspci output.

I already looked at gNewSense webpage ( http://wiki.gnewsense.org/Main/RecommendedHardware ) and FSF’s Hardware compatibility page ( http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/ ). Still too hard to decypher.

I asked on the forums several times. Some say “buy a Dell/System76″ - well, at least some Dells and System76’s use NVidia drivers, which are either non-Free or technically crippled. Some say “Google is your friend” - but no, in this case it is not: It is damn hard to check every single device and be sure that it has a free driver.

Some people say that i worry too much and that it is just not too important. Maybe; I understand a few things about software, but i really don’t claim to understand ALL of the technical implications of non-free drivers and firmware, so one could say that i listen to Richard Stallman’s preaching about freedom too zealously; but i believe that this might be important to Ubuntu considering Mark Shuttleworth’s announcement of the extra-free Gutsy Gibbon edition. Who will bother to try to install it, if it’s too damn hard to find a properly free computer which can run it?

I know that this sounds very pretentious and i am not a notable member of the Ubuntu community, but i think that this is a bit of a meta-bug, a bit like the famous “Bug #1″.

Any ideas how can that be made easier?

]]> By: Choice Computers » Trans Drumulator Express - part II http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-80608 Choice Computers » Trans Drumulator Express - part II Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:02:57 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-80608 [...] And, educators are pre-disposed to crave professional development.like Linus and his security blanket. If classrooms isn’t where it’s at for learning, then how do I get to wherever that is, and make a living from it? Tom Hoffman’s suggestion to read Mark Shuttleworth is helpful. [...] [...] And, educators are pre-disposed to crave professional development.like Linus and his security blanket. If classrooms isn’t where it’s at for learning, then how do I get to wherever that is, and make a living from it? Tom Hoffman’s suggestion to read Mark Shuttleworth is helpful. [...]

]]> By: Everybody loves Eric Raymond » Taking freedom further http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-79696 Everybody loves Eric Raymond » Taking freedom further Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:58:19 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-79696 [...] Mark Shuttleworth: Taking freedom further [...] [...] Mark Shuttleworth: Taking freedom further [...]

]]> By: Tomer Chachamu http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75980 Tomer Chachamu Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:48:43 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75980 'If we ship a JPG, do we ship the source artwork? If we ship a nicely edited video, do we ship the original, unedited recording so you can really remix it? If we ship music, do we ship the samples and the separated tracks?' Not on the CD, I hope. :-) ‘If we ship a JPG, do we ship the source artwork? If we ship a nicely edited video, do we ship the original, unedited recording so you can really remix it? If we ship music, do we ship the samples and the separated tracks?’

Not on the CD, I hope. :-)

]]> By: Freedom of Collaboration (by Sandro Groganz) http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75899 Freedom of Collaboration (by Sandro Groganz) Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:50:17 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75899 [...] Mark Shuttleworth says: I’ve long believed there’s a general phenomenon that underlies the free software movement. It’s “volunteer-driven, internet-powered collaboration”. [...] [...] Mark Shuttleworth says: I’ve long believed there’s a general phenomenon that underlies the free software movement. It’s “volunteer-driven, internet-powered collaboration”. [...]

]]> By: Matthew Flaschen http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75796 Matthew Flaschen Tue, 17 Apr 2007 04:18:42 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75796 Software freedom is most important to me, but I agree that including only free media is also a gopd idea. Keep in mind, there's no need to ship the media source by default (just like free software source isn't shipped by default). Just offer it in a source package (apt-get source) the same way software source is offered. Software freedom is most important to me, but I agree that including only free media is also a gopd idea. Keep in mind, there’s no need to ship the media source by default (just like free software source isn’t shipped by default). Just offer it in a source package (apt-get source) the same way software source is offered.

]]> By: Jose http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75747 Jose Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:07:41 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75747 >> Honestly - if I am a large firm and am waiting for a critical change to be put into the product - I want ONE throat to choke (even be it Microsoft?). I want to have predictability as to when and how the change will be done. I dont want an adhoc community fix to rectify my problem in the interim - only to be overwritten by the design of the community going foward. This is exactly why you should go with real open source and not Microsoft's sharedsource license. With the GPL, for example, you can always stop following the community. Just take the version that has 95% of what you need (you get this for free, complements of the community), and fork and maintain effectively a proprietary version from then on. The GPL will ensure that the vendor give the source to the client. Further, if you don't distribute any more, the fork can grow however the client wants for all time and the code need not be shared with anyone else. >> Honestly - if I am a large firm and am waiting for a critical change to be put into the product - I want ONE throat to choke (even be it Microsoft?). I want to have predictability as to when and how the change will be done. I dont want an adhoc community fix to rectify my problem in the interim - only to be overwritten by the design of the community going foward.

This is exactly why you should go with real open source and not Microsoft’s sharedsource license. With the GPL, for example, you can always stop following the community. Just take the version that has 95% of what you need (you get this for free, complements of the community), and fork and maintain effectively a proprietary version from then on. The GPL will ensure that the vendor give the source to the client. Further, if you don’t distribute any more, the fork can grow however the client wants for all time and the code need not be shared with anyone else.

]]> By: Steve Parker http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75727 Steve Parker Tue, 17 Apr 2007 01:01:34 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75727 Good man. Well done. I have to respect the GnuSence guys (and, of course, Debian-Free). This is a very good way of dealing with the situation. Well handled. Good man. Well done.

I have to respect the GnuSence guys (and, of course, Debian-Free). This is a very good way of dealing with the situation.

Well handled.

]]> By: Yfrwlf http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75609 Yfrwlf Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:49:59 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75609 Me and my friends have long entertained ideas like these. There is a lot of power in community, and more-so in empowered communities, which is what it's all about. Giving power back to the individual. I think a lot of what makes Free Software special is that it removes vendor lock-in and allows true competition. If you extend this further, allowing companies and ideas to compete unfettered by laws, I think you will get much more rapid technological advances, at least in most areas. OSS proves this theory correct, at least in this realm, as it approaches overtaking other existing industry models. Me and my friends have long entertained ideas like these. There is a lot of power in community, and more-so in empowered communities, which is what it’s all about. Giving power back to the individual. I think a lot of what makes Free Software special is that it removes vendor lock-in and allows true competition. If you extend this further, allowing companies and ideas to compete unfettered by laws, I think you will get much more rapid technological advances, at least in most areas. OSS proves this theory correct, at least in this realm, as it approaches overtaking other existing industry models.

]]> By: GoatTuber http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75608 GoatTuber Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:48:41 +0000 http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/108#comment-75608 I like the sound of the "radical freedom" version, and I suggest the name Nudebuntu for it, as it bares it all. As for shipping images, audo, and video along with their original sources, I think the originals are a bit much to be shipped with the distro. Instead, have a centralized media library where those interested could browse through the different media and download only what they're interested in. I like the sound of the “radical freedom” version, and I suggest the name Nudebuntu for it, as it bares it all. As for shipping images, audo, and video along with their original sources, I think the originals are a bit much to be shipped with the distro. Instead, have a centralized media library where those interested could browse through the different media and download only what they’re interested in.

]]>