On Monday 13 November 2006 10:08, John Cooper wrote:
> Tim wrote:
> > I was looking through google a google search looking for something when I
> > came across Iceweasel. For those not in the know this is the *GNU version
> > of Firefox. Basicly Firefox come with some non-free software that does
> > not conform to GNU. Debian etch will be getting Iceweasel 1.5.* (which is
> > based on Firefox 1.5.*) sometime in December and not Firefox ver 2.0
> >
> > Surely linux is becoming the car sales lot of operating system, there
> > enough distro and distro version of application software out there to
> > confuse a geek (as the car sales lot confuses the car buyer). At least
> > with windows you have a flat playing field (you several playing fields,
> > 98, me, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista etc.), if you design a web app for windows
> > IE you have a good chance that it will work on all versions of windows.
> > Can you say the same for the various different distro of linux and all
> > their idyosynchrocies(sp) I think by going down the Iceweasel route is
> > just going to confuse the issue further. How many of us use purley true
> > GNU software, I think the percentage is going to be small quite small.
> >
> > Firefox was the first Linux browser that really matched MS IE so why
> > shoot yourself in the foot and build your own copy of it, its not going
> > to be a development gain, its going to be an ethical choice
> >
> > Have fun discussing
> >
> > Tim
>
> Hi Tim, I think you chose the wrong distro to try and break the GPL.
> Perhaps you should move to Freespire (Lindows) :-) . You will just have
> to download firefox direct from their website and agree to the license
> terms. The APT application you love was written by people who believe if
> FLOSS and maintained by the community so you can download for free. It
> is up to Mozilla to align themselves with the open source community.
>
> You have brought up an excellent topic though, thanks. We all need
> reminding now and again why Free, Libre, Open Source software and the
> GPL are so important and this is a real world example. If you want to be
> tied in and pay for your software, even if some of it is crap, well use
> the operating system that comes with you new PC (you don't really have a
> choice, other than to say no to the license agreement and ask for you
> money back, which there is no guarantee you'll get).
>
> John.
Hi John
I'm glad you are enjoying the topic, it seem to have woken everybody up!!
I can understand the philiosophy of Debian, but not everybody that uses debian
plays by those rules. If Debian were that strict on their philosophy then
they would lock the OS so that only genuine debian packages can be installed.
But they don't they allow the user to make the choice, but by allowing user
to install altenative non-free software they are breaking their own ethos,
which in turn weakens their arguements in a situation like this. Debian need
to make a choice of which side of the fence it stands the "GNU side" or
the "free but not really free" side, at the moment they are sitting on the
fence by saying we support GNU and build our software that way but if you
(the user) want to go against our ethos you can we don't care, show little
respect for the philosophy.
Ok from the points raised in this discussion I can see that Mozilla have not
helped the situation by being inflexible but then the whole linux industry
should have gone to Mozilla and argued the point or is Linux really that
fragmented they can not agree on how to tackle Mozilla?
These companies should be working together to compete with MS. While this sort
of infighting carries on then MS can continues to sit back and watch its bank
balance grow.
Tim
I did try linspire once lasted about 3 days!!
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