Exactly. Being free doesn't mean the product and company are exempt from any and all criticism. I'm really not sure why "it's free" continues to be considered a legitimate argument.
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Umm, because you get it for free. No one is forcing you to use canonicals products.
Making suggestions to the developers is another thing, and I do believe that is welcomed.
It is the same if you complained you get fish instead of steak when someone is giving you a free meal.
Ubuntpu: the world's first open source toilet!
I think both are equally valid points. Just because something is free, it still can be stupid or wrong and it's ok to utter constructive criticism so that then that aspect can be improved and the developers can learn something if the criticism is valid.
However, at the same time it's ridiculous to demand change or whine endlessly about how something is forced upon you. Nothing about Ubuntu is forced upon you, you can literally change everything you don't like or switch to another distribution completely without having wasted money on Ubuntu.
Yes. Like getting free as in beer, when we want free as in whiskey and a double at that! :)
So, we want quality from the first release of the software but we hate the skunk works idea because it is not open and we won't see what they are working on until it is complete and up to quality standards.
It may be free, but, at least in the case of Ubuntu, we are still customers. Canonical is trying very hard to make a profit out of Ubuntu with paid support plans, Ubuntu One, the Ubuntu Music Store, and the Ubuntu Software Center. Although we dont pay anything for the initial OS, we are still customers and have a right to complain.
Other things that I dont pay anything for:
-Free checking account
-Savings account
-Credit card (as long as I pay off the bills every month)
-Email service
So I have no right to complain about these things either?
Facebook - you pay by clicking on the ads.
Free checking account - I don't know about this, since you can't get checks in my country. (probably paid by the interest rate on your loan or others loan)
Savings account - You pay (and other pay your savings account) when the(y)/you have down payment on loans.
Credit cards - same as above. And if you do not pay it back within a month, you get about 10% interest rate (at least, all depends on the bank)
Email service - If you use gmail or hotmail/outlook then you pay by ads. If it is from the ISP then it is a part of the internet bill.
Google - You pay by clicking on ads or sponsored links.
As you can see, neither of these are free. Maybe checking account, but I highly doubt it. Banks don't give you anything for free, you pay them in some way.
So you have every right to complain about these things, since they are not free.
You do not pay canonical one cent for their services. So I don't see how you can complain about something that is totally free. There are no ads either.
Canonical would have been bankrupt if it weren't for Mark Shuttelworth (I hope I spelled that right). He is the only one that holds this company up financially.
You can't be a customer for something that is free.
Disclaimer: This is my understanding of how things work. I can be wrong, since I am only human.
What you described for the other services that I listed is true and is what Canonical is aiming for. I mentioned Ubuntu Software Center which contains non-free programs. Ubuntu One which is a paid for service. Ubuntu Music Store which is not free. The base OS is free, but they are trying to make it profitable by selling customers services to go along with the OS. I think they are still a very long way away from achieving profitability, but they are making some money out of Ubuntu. You personally may have never given Ubuntu any money, but others have. Same with other online services. Ive never ever clicked on a facebook ad, so does that take away my right to complain if the service isnt as I expected?