On 30-Jun-07, at 11:46 AM, Shawn Walker wrote:
> If the "open" option is fully functional and supported, sure, it can> be used in place of the other. But as long as there is a better,> redistributable option, that's the one we should be using to give the> user the best experience possible "out-of-the-box." Ok, but then you're handing a key differentiator to Linux, and people will tell each other that OpenSolaris is irrelevant because it's not really open.No, it would not be. It's the same problem that GNU/Linux distributions face.It's the same reason that Ubuntu developed a policy that basically says that they will ship binary blobs to ensure certain functionality work as intended. Ubuntu is wildly successful, yet is smart enough to realise that its best to ship a working system out-of-the-box via "restricted modules" than it is to make excuses about ivory tower ideas and philosophy. Users expect things to just work, and excuses about philosophy, freedom, etc. just don't fly.
While I agree generally with your point, there's a difference between free-like-booze and freely redistributible.
If the end-user can't freely distribute the CD, it's worthless. Other than that, I think that functionality comes first, and a "Freediana" distro can be built around that base that strips closed-source stuff out of it with very little difficulty. And this is coming from someone that can't stand closed-source. It bugs me, hence Project Emancipation.
There are *many* GNU/Linux distributions that care more about users than idealism and ivory tower goals that some distributions focus on.
and they do quite well among certain subsets of the user base, such as debian, which still has users that swear by it. For both ideological and technical reasons.
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