[GNUz] GNU developments in ubuntu

[Timothy Musson]

Nick Rout, 2007-06-20 20:21:43:
> "Ubuntu 7.10 will feature a new flavour - as yet unnamed - which takes
> an ultra-orthodox view of licensing: no firmware, drivers, imagery,
> sounds, applications, or other content which do not include full
> source materials and come with full rights of modification, remixing
> and redistribution. There should be no more conservative home, for
> those who demand a super-strict interpretation of the "free" in free
> software.  This work will be done in collaboration with the folks
> behind Gnewsense."

> The announcement is here: 
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-announce/2007-April/000276.html 

The reaction over on the gNewSense mailing list was mixed:

  http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnewsense-users/2007-04/threads.html#00056

I haven't seen much discussion about it since. My bet is that it'll turn
out something like the situation with Debian: the FSF won't go so far as
recommending it, because the parent project as a whole will still be
pushing non-free software.

One cynical chap on the gNewSense list pointed out that having a free
version of Ubuntu will give Canonical extra weasel-room when it comes to
adding more non-free software to the other versions.

Personally though, I'm really excited about the possibility of a
professionally packaged and free version of Ubuntu. I'm very
uncomfortable about giving people Ubuntu CDs containing non-free
software, and the look of home-burnt gNewSense CDs can only scare new
folks off :^)


> and the parodies are in already: 
> http://geekz.co.uk/lovesraymond/archive/taking-freedom-further

Cool :^)

It's bass ackwards for gNewSense to be based on Ubuntu, too, IMO.

-- 
Timothy Musson                FSF Associate Member #1262
http://www.russsoc.org.nz/           http://www.fsf.org/