Where is linux going...

[Jenda]

Have you tried Ubuntu 7.04? Linux just isn't what it used to be

3D acceleration... out of the box with OSS radeon driver - fglrx can be installed with a few clicks
proprietary codecs... asks about them when installed
graphical installer from live session
wifi, ootb
everything else I need with a few apt-get commands...





(now just to fix my burner, and I'm the happiest PC user in the world )

[Ice9]

I wanted to try kubuntu but couldn't get it installed on my new system.
And I don't get it, you actually regret that it gets easier to install and use - hence the sad smiley?

Have you tried Ubuntu 7.04? Linux just isn't what it used to be

3D acceleration... out of the box with OSS radeon driver - fglrx can be installed with a few clicks
proprietary codecs... asks about them when installed
graphical installer from live session
wifi, ootb
everything else I need with a few apt-get commands...

[Master of Reality]

You didnt even mention how there is also a completely free version as well, with only the free stuff and all that jazz.

[Void Main]

That may be where "Ubuntu" is going but certainly not where "Linux" is going. Like m0r suggested I would much rather see you touting the completely free (as in freedom) version rather than an encumbered version:

http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1447

But, more interestingly, Shuttleworth also talked of a new ultra-free version of Ubuntu that can be expected alongside Gutsy Gibbon.

The new "flavour" of Ubuntu will take "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 ... for those who demand a super-strict interpretation of the 'free' in free software," said Shuttleworth.

The move follows prolonged discussion on the Ubuntu developers' lists over the past year in which the inclusion of non-free components, particularly video drivers, has been raised as problematic.

That is a much better goal. In my opinion it is a mistake for Ubuntu to embrace proprietary bits.

This guy has the proper vision:
http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/43541-1.html
[quote]
Free software is not about the price of software or even about the quality or practicality of it, according to Stallman. It is much more important than that. “This is about ethics,â€

[Calum]

i agree with void main. if the community starts to be lax about open source/Free software then how can we expect such software to have any real future? i have actually ditched ubuntu recently and gone back to fedora (which i always seem to do). Not for this reason directly, but it adds smugness points to my decision.

[Lord C]

First time I've read about this new flavour.

Sounds great tbh.

It's just, how many forks does one Distro need, lol.

But, more interestingly, Shuttleworth also talked of a new ultra-free version of Ubuntu that can be expected alongside Gutsy Gibbon.

The new "flavour" of Ubuntu will take "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 ... for those who demand a super-strict interpretation of the 'free' in free software," said Shuttleworth.

The move follows prolonged discussion on the Ubuntu developers' lists over the past year in which the inclusion of non-free components, particularly video drivers, has been raised as problematic.

[Void Main]

It's just, how many forks does one Distro need, lol.

I couldn't agree more. I mean Debian by itself is better than just about anything out there.

[Master of Reality]

My only problem with debian is that the program versions are fairly old unless you use unstable and then there's no security updates. Even testing is behind Fedora in a lot of places, but Fedora doesnt have as many packages in the repos.

I use Debian testing on my laptop and Fedora 7 on my desktop.

[Lord C]

This is the reason Ubuntu is so popular, even with old skool Debian users.

The releases are every 6 months, and the updates are very regular.

[Calum]

it's kind of like religions. i like a lot of religions, but there's always something that i really disagree with. For example, i'm just whacking through Exodus at the moment and it has two chapters purely about the proper way to behave regarding slaves and livestock (one line begins with the worrying line "when a father sells his daughter into slavery...", which turns out not to be a sin, but a perfectly normal circumstance.

Anyway, i digress, i was just saying that, when trying to choose one religion to go with, there's always some things you won't agree with in that religion, and linux distros are exactly the same. The best thing would be to make your own distro, probably using some nice easy instructions like those from "Linux From Scratch" (or Integrational Polytheism, if we're still talking religions!). I suppose most people just go for the religion they are most used to and just find some sort of compromise regarding which doctrines they will actively support or ignore or whatever. (did i say religions and doctrines? I think i may have meant distros and software)