I would assume that he's referring to the fact that some people wouldn't want to have or care about MP3 playback because it's a patented format. I've seen Ubuntu users whose entire music library exists in non-patented formats like Vorbis and FLAC.
Guthro <gut...@earthlink.net> wrote: >Travis, > >>I understand that for many, "wouldn't play mp3s" is considered a >>feature, not a bug. > >Could you explain why anyone thinks that? hanks. > >PB > >----- > >On 6/9/2010 4:59 PM, Travis Beaty wrote: >> Hello. I'm usually a lurker on the list, but I feel a bit compelled to >> jump into the fray here. >> >> On Wed, 2010-06-09 at 16:49 -0400, John King wrote: >> >> >>> Ubuntu is targeted at a more mainstream user; that user more than likely >>> wants his computer to >>> just work, even if that means proprietary software and/or binary blobs. One >>> of those driver >>> blobs could mean the difference between 'Happy Ubuntu Convert' and 'Failed >>> Ubuntu Convert'. >>> Trisquel is aimed at a user who is uncompromising in his/her pursuit of >>> complete software >>> freedom; IMO a great goal and one that we should all work towards, but not >>> one that really >>> encompasses the average computer user at this point. >>> >> I'm the guy he's talking about here. Although I've now been using Linux >> long enough that I feel myself to be somewhere on the low side of >> intermediate in terms of what goes on under the hood, I feel that I'm a >> bit rare in that I didn't come to Linux because it was "open source >> software," but rather because it was "free as in beer." And actually, >> believe it or not, it wasn't technically free from a wallet perspective. >> I bought a copy of Mandrake from the clearance rack at Walmart for, I >> want to say, US$10 for something like that. >> >> In fact, I didn't even know (or care at the time) about open source >> software, GPL, Richard Stallman, Linus Torvalds, or anything else about >> the open source or Linux world. But what I did know was the Windows ME >> on the machine I had bought was an epic fail, and I couldn't find >> Windows 98 anywhere. So, to be blunt, I said "what the hell," grabbed >> the box with the penguin on it, and the rest is history. >> >> UNTIL I found Ubuntu, I had a love/hate relationship with Linux, where I >> would use it, go back to Windows, back to another distro, back to >> Windows, lather, rinse, and repeat. Ninety percent of the time, each of >> these iterations in the cycle was caused by something that just didn't >> work. Graphics didn't work right. Network card wouldn't be seen. And >> it wouldn't play mp3s. >> >> Now, I understand that for many, "wouldn't play mp3s" is considered a >> feature, not a bug. But ... for the mainstream user just coming over >> from the Windows world, not being able to play mp3s, or not being able >> to play DVDs equals *broke*. After all, they worked in Windows, but not >> Linux. To them, it is not a matter of free vs. proprietary, nor is it a >> matter of closed source vs. open source. >> >> It's a matter of works vs. broke. And as a mainstream user, I went >> through a ton of "broke" distros. I was even more frustrated with SuSE, >> when, in order to listen to mp3s, I had to add another independently >> maintained repo to yast, which completely hosed yast. And so, I went >> back to Windows. >> >> Now then. Having been involved in the Linux society and culture, I >> understand why closed-source software is shunned. However, I also see >> that, at this juncture, it is often necessary to make things work. >> Right now, I've got a wireless driver and a graphics driver that are >> proprietary. I know this because the Device Manager told me. I also >> have the restricted extras package installed. >> >> But Ubuntu works, and I've stuck with it ever since. It works. I can't >> repeat that enough. IT. WORKS. In my experience with Linux, I've >> noticed that over time, open source solutions to close sourced problems >> pop up, given enough eyeballs. Perhaps those are eyeballs like mine, >> the folks that see Ubuntu as a shining star because it works, and are >> coaxed into realizing the advantages of open source software. I believe >> you attract a lot more people if you give them something that works, but >> say "We believe this is a problem because it works, but it's closed >> source. Can you help?" >> >> It's better to walk along the fence line with folks who are new to >> Linux, as opposed to pelting them with rocks from fifty feet away and >> saying "If you want this to work, throw rocks with us." And honestly, I >> think one of the greatest issues that Linux, as an operating system, is >> struggling with right now is not the proprietary developers in front of >> it, but the wild fanatics behind it shooting it in the back of the head, >> yelling "Give me free or give me death." >> >> So, yes, I am committed to free software. But I also know the carrot >> works better than the stick, and the better it works out of the gate, >> the more eyeballs you have to open things up even more. >> >> Just my twelve cents. Your mileage may vary. And so forth. >> >> - Travis. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 8.5.437 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2927 - Release Date: 06/09/10 >> 06:35:00 >> >> > > >-- >Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list >Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com >Modify settings or unsubscribe at: >https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss
