[kwlug disc.] All of you Ubuntu people

[Rick]

Paul Nijjar <pnijjar at sdf.lonestar.org> writes:
> ... Debian's strictness often annoys me but I am glad they
> are careful about their licensing.
> ...
> I do think that Linux and open source is losing (or has
> lost) the free codec war. That makes me sad, and the DRM
> that is all-too-often associated with those proprietary codecs
> makes me sadder. I cannot say with confidence that the masses
> will come to their senses and revolt, however.

I see Ubuntu's inclusivity as just as important for
preserving/extending freedom as is Debian's licensing purity.
So my remaining concern with Ubuntu is how readily
they will slide into proprietary material.

Is this a permissive or even enthusiastic slide?
Or is proprietary material a short-term tactic
in a long-term strategy of building up critical mass?
If seen as a tactic, then Paul's comment may be overly pessimistic.
However, if Ubuntu is enthusiastic about pulling in
"lots of proprietary goodness", then Paul's comment is bang on.

The link in the original posting in this email
theme seems a tad too celebratory about all
the proprietary goodies that will be immediately available.
Some people do have a desire to turn Linux a revenue stream
by wedging "intellectual property" into Linux rather using
Linux as a vehicle to provide income-generating services.

So, Ubuntu would need to recognize Paul and Debian's valid concern
over proprietary codecs/DRM/etc. Given that many Ubuntu
package managers are in Debian as well, many in the Ubuntu
community must already share Paul's attitude.

Indeed, Adobe's recent opening up PDF seems to represent
one step in the right direction of openness.

So here is the _real_ answer to my concern and Paul's concern:
I should join the Ubuntu community myself so as to argue
for a continuous pressure towards freedom.
Then, at the same time, exploit proprietary material
as a short-term tactic to grow the community to a critical mass.

With this critical mass, Linux will have the muscle to exert pressure
for non-proprietary codecs and against DRM. If nothing else,
there will be more programmers to write FLOSS apps and libraries

As in politics, the casual users won't be the people who drive Ubuntu
but, rather, those who choose to become engaged.
Then, (hopefully) the engaged developers of Ubuntu will have
a platform to explain these concerns to the average user.