Let's not forget a thief

Story: Ubuntu is not a community distributionTotal Replies: 3
Author Content
cmost

Mar 09, 2013
10:11 AM EDT
I think Mark Shuttleworth has forgotten that Canonical got where it is today off the blood sweat and tears of the Debian community, which by the way, is a true community driven distribution. Taking an existing platform and tweaking (translate as making non-standard and proprietary changes) isn't innovating something brand new. Microsoft does this too, except they call it "embrace and extend." The rest of us call it "embrace and exterminate." In fact according to Canonical, Ubuntu isn't even Linux and I notice how they eschew all references to Linux entirely. I think Canonical was friendly to the Linux community early on between 2004 and 2010 in order to entice a talented group of enthusiastic contributers. This was to lull them into a false sense of community in order to take their innovations and hard work so that they can become the next Apple. Now that Ubuntu is what it is and Canonical has what it needs, no more community.
DrGeoffrey

Mar 09, 2013
11:36 AM EDT
Quoting:Now that Ubuntu is what it is and Canonical has what it needs, no more community.


Methinks that's a bit over-the-top. After all, MS would have disappeared into the dust pile of irrelevancy years ago without their fanbois.

And, I suspect Mark is well aware of this.
Steven_Rosenber

Mar 09, 2013
2:45 PM EDT
Canonical is just renegotiating its relationship with the community. Some will be happy with it, others not.

I'm not an active Ubuntu member, though I'm pretty sure I am one.

If Ubuntu was pledging to help more upstream projects, rather than just asking members to contribute apps and leave the desktop inner workings to Canonical employees, I'd be a whole lot happier about the situation.
vainrveenr

Mar 09, 2013
4:14 PM EDT
Quoting:Canonical is just renegotiating its relationship with the community. Some will be happy with it, others not.

I'm not an active Ubuntu member, though I'm pretty sure I am one.


OTOH, other inactive and active Ubuntu members are decidedly unpleased with Canonical's "renegotiating its relationship with the community" from 2010 to the present. There have even been occurrences since 2010 that may likely more adequately reflect Canonical-head Shuttleworth's "relationship renegotiation" with Ubuntu members of all stripes.

A recent case in point of this is Shuttleworth's decision to simply eschew allowing comments in his blog post. As another FOSS advocate from the U.S. West Coast writes in his blogpiece 'Nothing to add here' found at http://larrythefreesoftwareguy.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/nothing-to-add-here/:
Quoting:There has been talk — some of it coming from the higher, orbital echelons of Canonical — that this potential schism is just about the rolling release or some other superficial issue. Let’s put aside for now how dangerous and counterproductive this misperception is, on a leadership level. Rather, let’s take a look at one example, outlined very eloquently by Aaron Seigo on a Google+ post here (I had read this earlier, but did not realize until now there was a link available to it). I’m sorry I am unable to comment on Aaron’s post since the comments are closed, but I would completely agree with his assessment. Oh, and one more thing: What does it say to a community when the project leader turns off comments in a blog post, as Mark Shuttleworth did in today’s offering?


Even more passionate sentiments are expressed by other active and unpaid (by Canonical) contributors to the Ubuntu community, such as the sentiments expressed by noted Ubuntu member Elizabeth Krumbach in the blogpiece 'On the Ubuntu Community', linked to at LXer via http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/181943/index.html. Another such sentiment is expressed by Ubuntu contributor Philip Ballew in his blogpiece 'Confessions of a community member' found at http://philipballew.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/confessions-of-a-community-member:
Quoting:I am concerned with the current status of Ubuntu, not because of the tension on the community or the new software being put out. I am concerned because I feel my time and contributions might go to waste and fall on deaf ears. As leader of a LoCo, how do I know if the work I am putting in is even going to matter in two months when 13.04 comes out? Is my work still relevant because it has nothing to do with a cell phone, nothing to do with a display server, and nothing that in any way is a direct profit source for the Canonical.


Indeed, aside from insufficient "explanations" and obvious attempts to deflect the matter away, one may now well ask what new motivation(s) Canonical even can offer both current and future unpaid and active Ubuntu contributors, given Shuttleworth's current process of "relationship renegotiation" ??







Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]

Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!