yumpin yiminy!
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| tuxchick2 Apr 25, 2006 1:11 PM EDT |
Anyone see the anti-Linspire rant on Groklaw?? Here goes the fine FOSS tradition of eating its own young yet again. Sigh. http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060424164142296 "Freespire: A Linux Distro For When You Couldn't Care Less About Freedom" |
| dcparris Apr 25, 2006 2:47 PM EDT |
Actually, Tuxchick, I think it's an excellent critique of the mindset some in the FOSS community have begun developing. It is one thing to say, "I'll have to use this proprietary driver until a libre driver is released". It is another thing to suggest that proprietary drivers are a good thing. Then again, I've never been a Linspire fan. Even that is because of their apparent affinity for proprietary stuff. Thanks, but no thanks. :-) |
| dinotrac Apr 25, 2006 4:06 PM EDT |
But if you're Linspire, what are you to do? Ask people to pay you to assemble something they could get for free and then NOT put in drivers, etc to make the whole experience palatable to a new class of users? Why the heck would you pay Linspire? Personally, I would prefer good free drivers for my nVidia card. However, I would rather have the fool thing work properly than not. I had enough of that in the bad old days when Linux support for anything was hit and miss. I don't use Linspire, but I appreciate a business (which is what Linspire is) that tries to take care of its customers. |
| jdixon Apr 25, 2006 5:34 PM EDT |
> But if you're Linspire, what are you to do? Well, Linspire has put themselves in a no win situation, I agree. If they make Linux easy to use and/or charge a fee for the software, they upset the free software folks. If they don't, the system doesn't meet the ease of use requirements newbie users require or isn't profitable. They're trying to walk a line where they're bound to upset some people both ways. However, they're the ones who chose the business model and drew the line, so I can't really feel sorry for them. |
| dinotrac Apr 25, 2006 5:50 PM EDT |
> so I can't really feel sorry for them. No, you shouldn't feel sorry for them. What I don't get is all the bile directed their way. Last I looked, Linspire dropped more than a few dollars on Nvu and elsewhere. They want to sell their particular package of Linux to people who might be interested? In what way does that hurt me? I wish them well. |
| jdixon Apr 25, 2006 6:06 PM EDT |
> ...What I don't get is all the bile directed their way. I think I understand it on an intuitive level, but it's rather hard to put into words. Hmm... OK, I think that for most people it's really just an emotional reaction that they haven't thought through carefully. The view Linspire as a sort of mutated, warped version of Linux; an abomination if you will, like a cancer which could grow to kill the host. They don't seem to realize that Linspire has no power to force anyone to use it, and that they only way it can compete with the free distro's is by being better. If it succeeds in being better, then Linux is improved. If it fails, than it will fail as a business, but Linux will still continue. |
| dinotrac Apr 25, 2006 6:11 PM EDT |
>They don't seem to realize that Linspire has no power to force anyone to use it, I think you hit the nail on the head. We spend too much time ( of necessity) looking at the Microsofts and Oracles and IBMs of our world. Linspire's just a little company of people trying to make a living by putting out a product they hope some people will like. It's not the same thing. |
| dcparris Apr 25, 2006 7:01 PM EDT |
My real concern is that Linspire has chosen a path that blurs the already confusing issues. That's not a poorly thought-out concern. The very fact that so many people still can't spell out what Free Software is, or how it contrasts with freeware is ample justification for my concerns about Linspire's business model. It can be misleading with respect to the purpose of Free Software. I have few problems with having a special repository available for those who just have to have their proprietary software. If I understand correctly, Ubuntu's "Restricted" repository serves such a purpose. |
| tuxchick2 Apr 25, 2006 7:55 PM EDT |
dcp, that certainly is a concern. And despite all the rhetoric to the contrary, I'll wager that most FOSS users are attracted by the 'free as in freeloader' aspect. My guess is it's a pretty small minority that really thinks the values represented by the GPL are important. I hope I'm wrong, but that's the way it seems. |
| jimf Apr 25, 2006 8:39 PM EDT |
Quoting:My guess is it's a pretty small minority that really thinks the values represented by the GPL are important. I'd agree with that. The important thing, and the bigger problem, is how to convey to them just how important those values are. Until we can do that, We haven't really made any progress. |
| dinotrac Apr 26, 2006 3:03 AM EDT |
dcp - >My real concern is that Linspire has chosen a path that blurs the already confusing issues. That's the irony of it all, though. To my knowledge, Linspire is not violating the GPL or any of the other free licenses under which software in it's distribution is released. They have chosen a perfectly permissible path. They are exercising the freedom granted to them. Given their contributions to projects like nvu, you can't even claim that they are mere freeloaders. Your concerns are misplaced. Linspire is just one little company trying to make an honest dollar by offering a service that they hope will attract customers. If people don't care about FOSS, there are many more culprits than Linspire. |
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