Let's see if I get this straight...

Story: Gobuntu is… goTotal Replies: 10
Author Content
Bob_Robertson

Jul 11, 2007
8:11 AM EDT
Step 1: Debian filters for Libre software through the Debian Free Software Guidelines.

Step 2: Ubuntu takes Debian packages, adds patent/copyright restricted code and content.

Step 3: Gobuntu takes Ubuntu packages, takes away patent/copyright restricted code and content.

Step 4: ???

Step 5: Profit!

Ok, so steps 4 and 5 were added for humor.

Really, WTF? I just don't get it.

The only reason I can think of for Gobuntu to exist is name recognition, to ride on the coattails of all the press and freaky fan-boy weblog traffic.

techiem2

Jul 11, 2007
8:28 AM EDT
ROFL.

My thoughts exactly.

Sander_Marechal

Jul 11, 2007
8:45 AM EDT
Quoting:Step 1: Debian filters for Libre software through the Debian Free Software Guidelines.


There's your error. Even Debian ships a few bits and pieces that are not quite up to snuff according to the DFSG, but without them it's very hard to make a distro work across a range of hardware. [sarcasm]Which is why gNewSense has been such a success :-)[/sarcasm]
Bob_Robertson

Jul 11, 2007
11:32 AM EDT
"Even Debian ships a few bits and pieces that are not quite up to snuff according to the DFSG"

Like the Nvidia graphics driver I'm using right now. Yes, it's true, but it is also rather irrelevant to the situation, since nothing is going to change the fact that the Nvidia driver is not libre.

Just take from the "main" and "contrib" areas of the resposetories, where the DFSG rein supreme. No "stripping" required. But then, I can tell you did already understand that.

Whether it was just Debian or not, _something_ caused the license change for QT. Maybe there are other projects that chose DFSG-compatible licenses because Debian tends to be anal about it. I hope so, it's that "anality" that has kept me coming back to Debian.

Sander_Marechal

Jul 11, 2007
1:40 PM EDT
I'm afraid you're wrong Bob. There are some pieces in Debian's main repository that's not up to snuff. Unfortunately, removing those would leave Debian with a lot less hardware to install on. You can see the October 2006 vote about those non-free firmware bits at http://www.debian.org/vote/2006/vote_007
wjl

Jul 12, 2007
4:06 AM EDT
Right Sander, but at least it's a democratic decision of people who are willing to make things better, and who aren't paid. I still trust them. And for the non-free stuff and repositories - well that's left to the users.

Not a too bad model IMHO.
tuxchick

Jul 12, 2007
8:02 AM EDT
OTOH, Yet Another Libre Distro is a good thing. Better than Yet Another Excuse To Lard Poor Ole Linux With Proprietary Junk.
Bob_Robertson

Jul 12, 2007
1:46 PM EDT
What I was trying to say seems to have been lost.

If the point is to enhance Libre software, why not start with something closer to Libre in the first place?
Sander_Marechal

Jul 12, 2007
2:48 PM EDT
Because it's less work removing the few non-libre packages from Ubuntu than it is to add the free 95% of the Debian-Ubuntu changeset to a cleaned-up Debian.
devnet

Jul 12, 2007
4:04 PM EDT
Bob,

I'm with you on this...this is the department of redundancy department.

It's inefficient and stupid. Why on earth would you not work with the already setup framework instead of making a mess of code and then undo it?

This is silly.
jdixon

Jul 12, 2007
6:49 PM EDT
> If the point is to enhance Libre software, why not start with something closer to Libre in the first place?

Because Ubuntu is the One True Distro (thou shalt have no other distros before it), obviously.

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