Re: [Hampshire] Hampshire Digest, Vol 28, Issue 21

john lewis wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:39:24 +0000
> Stephen Davies <stephen.davies@???> wrote:
>
>
>> Unfortunately it is not my choice.......It is the customers who
>> (bangs head against a brickwall) thinks that LINUX == Ubuntu and only
>> Ubuntu
>>
>
> b****y h**l - what is the world coming to?
>
> first off people would only consider M$ W****** now they are taking the
> same attitude with U*****
>
> we need a "Kill Shuttleworth" campaign
>
> </rant>
>
>

And why would we want that John? It's a deeply unpleasant thing to say
in all but the most extreme circumstances, and even then it's very
questionable.

Surely what we really want is choice, whether it is to use Windows,
MacOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora or whatever else takes our fancy.

Microsoft, through their illegal business practices eroded that choice,
and I can't see any evidence of that where Ubuntu is concerned. Clever,
businesslike marketing of a good product, yes, but not monopolies and
underhand tricks to the best of my knowledge. No, people choose Ubuntu
because it is good, and if it is becoming synonymous with Linux it is
because a /lot/ of people acknowledge that, not through a lack of choice
or dodgy business practices on the part of Mark Shuttleworth.

Debian is still there if people want it, as indeed are numerous other
Linux variations and alternative operating systems. Linux is all about
reusing and improving existing code, and I am sure Mr Shuttleworth would
be the first to acknowledge his debt to Debian and all who contributed
towards it.

Distros rise and fall on their merits, and if Ubuntu's star is waxing
then people need to analyse why that is so and build upon it, discarding
the weaker aspects and keeping the stronger ones. Don't like it? Pick an
alternative or even roll your own - the choices are abundant.

Sean

--
The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows.
Frank Zappa