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Story: Acer: 'No UK demand' for Linux laptops
Maybe They Want Choice! Maybe They Don't Want Ubuntu!
Perhaps They Want Choice! Maybe They Don't Want Ubuntu!
As much as the current popularity of Unbuntu is making it the flavor of the day, many of us in the Free Software community don't want a commercial core distro. Mark Shuttleworth is a monopoly want-to-be. He has designs on gaining effective ownership and control of the GNU/Linux desktop through the mechanism of market momentum. Apparently, he aspires to be the first OSS Pope. The very name Canonical gives you a hint that this is what he had planned from the get go. Canon means standard, or core, as in the canon of the catholic church or the canon of scripture. His CD give away program was simply leveraging his considerable wealth to buy market share.
The community has been warned about the "market share, effective ownership and control vulnerability" of the GPL and ways to avoid it for years. The GPL can only guarantee actual ownership. Along with a standardized community core distro, they all should share the hardware vendors.
War Installing GNU/Linux: Do We Share The Hardware or Raise A Bridge?
http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2006020702526OPHW
Should Hardware OEM's Be Picking Linux Distribution Winners?
http://www.linuxtoday.com/infrastructure/2004100900226OPCYHW
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