Microsoft - Canonical deal

[BrokeBody]

I know that there is a poll like this already, but I didn't like the questions. :p

So, would you stay on Ubuntu if Microsoft and Canonical would sign a deal... any deal, or it depends what kind of deal they are making?

http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/125#comment-112738

[hellmet]

The answer is simple. NO. I came to ubuntu to be free as in speech. I don't want to go back to monopoly.

[bobbocanfly]

Exactly the same as Hellmet. I converted to Ubuntu to get away from Microsoft for as long as possible. I would also feel cheated by Mark Shuttleworth if he signed a deal as he has publicly said he wouldnt.

[dptxp]

I do not think that Mr. Mark Shuttleworth shall sign any deal with Microsoft, neither does his philosophy (as I see it) permit it, nor do I see why he should do it after bringing Linux to such a level.

Quite a few others are likely to be bought by Microsoft.

If Ubuntu (and Debian) sticks to its ground, it shall be a formidable force.

[Spr0k3t]

I'd switch to Debian the same day the deal was cut if it happens. I'd even stay home from work "sick" to make the change. I believe Mark was right... Novell and Microsoft don't know their own deal... so why would Mark even think about it?

[BrokeBody]

The answer is simple. NO. I came to ubuntu to be free as in speech. I don't want to go back to monopoly.

And what if Microsoft would sign a deal (just a dummy example) about buying LTS LAMP server 6.06 with support? Would you still leave Ubuntu? ;)

[ynnhoj]

i think my opinion would depend on the terms of the deal made. but i don't use ubuntu, so even if i didn't like the deal i wouldn't be forced to switch distros or anything -- i've been with arch for a while now. it would be a shame, though, if things went bad with ubuntu and everybody decied to go elsewhere.

[iceportal]

Honestly, I doubt Ubuntu would make a deal with Microsoft due to this whole "patent violation" BS.

However, if Ubuntu were to make any kinds of M$ deals, my loyalty would depend in part on the deal they were striking and how it would affect Ubuntu and Linux/FLOSS as a whole, and partly on WHY the deal was made.

I don't see Mark Shuttleworth becoming a slave to M$. However, if his support of a completely free (both meanings) operating system were to change, I'm not sure how I'd feel about it.

I believe in FLOSS, which is why I believe in Ubuntu. I also believe in the community that surrounds Ubuntu. These things are my biggest reasons for supporting Ubuntu. If these two foundations are comprimized, I'd probably end up supporting some other distro. (Maybe its base, Debian, which now and always has supported FLOSS to the extreme.

[smoker]

no deal with ms, ever:-)

[Bachstelze]

Given that I'm not on Ubuntu, it would be difficult for me to stay with it, deal or not deal :p

Assuming I was using Ubuntu, I think I would just "wait and see". Mark has made it clear enough that he will not do anything with Microsoft until mentalities have changed there. Trust me, there are very nice and worthy people at Microsoft. When those will have taken over all the ***holes we know, Microsoft will be a very nice company to work with.

[blah blah blah]

Sense the chose-mindedness of the dark side in this thread, I do.

[juxtaposed]

It depends mostly on what the deal is.

It would have to be really good for linux (not just getting some fonts and codecs and patent protection) for me to be fine with it though.

[macogw]

I'd switch to Debian the same day the deal was cut if it happens.
Agreed. I already dual-boot the two. I'll format my Ubuntu partition if they do that.

What would be neat, though, is if the FSF lawyers could say "these are the obvious, easy to overturn ones" after picking through the patents. Then they could challenge the obvious patents (and leave the rest for after patent-reform), and perhaps cut the number of infringements in half. It's expensive to go to court and do that, though, and I don't know how the FSF's financial situation is. Mark's financial situation could probably handle that if he wanted to pursue it, though overall waiting for patent reform may still be best as a LOT of the patents would be null fairly quickly.

Also, I suggest that everyone read "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" by Stephen Levy. It's about the history of how computers became popular and the early hackers (meaning the RMS/Linus type of hacker, not the break-into-your-stuff crackers) and the Hacker Ethic. I just got to the part about the Homebrew Computer Club. No mention of the Homebrewers is complete without Gates's Open Letter to Hobbyists (http://www.blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/gateswhine.html). The folks at Microsoft did eventually make it obvious that he put his foot in his mouth on that one when [utl=http://opensource.feratech.com/halloween/]The Halloween Documents[/url] leaked and it became apparent that Gates was wrong when he asserted that unpaid hackers couldn't or wouldn't work on projects, freely distribute them, and allow them to be copied, edited, and distributed royalty-free...and still end up with a very good program.

[corney91]

For me, it would depend on what kind of deal. If it affected the software then I'd change. If not, I wouldn't mind because it wouldn't compromise Ubuntu's useability.

[ubuntu-mike022465]

If something like that happened, I would drop Ubuntu quicker than a fart in a hurricane.


Mark S: Please stay the HELL away from M$!, because they will screw you over so quick that you will regret ever taking up Linux and starting up Ubuntu! They cannot, and should NOT be trusted in any shape or form, especially with Balllmer at the helm.

You and Canonical are doing good work, you don't need their fingers in anything Ubuntu or Linux for that matter.

Please stay away from them. Don't kill an excellent distro because of a bad decision, because it will happen.


Just my two cents, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with the same feelings.

M.

Just as a side note: I don't use, or will ever use Evolution or anything else from Novell, for the simple matter of that agreement with M$. I dont' care how good Evolution is, I won't use something tainted.

[BoyOfDestiny]

I really do dislike MS and their practices, but if the deal was unrelated to patents, and was somehow genuinely helpful (unlikely I know) it wouldn't bug me.

What I'm more curious now is how Canonical will deal with Linspire. In countries where software patents are not honored, it's a no brainer (just keep doing what they are doing...). The patent indemnification extends to Linspire in the MS and Linspire deal (as well as MS dumping cash in their pocket as it did with Novell...). So can code changes in pidgin and other software be considered tainted now? Will it end up in multiverse? Will CNR even be integrated?
I'm of the opinion it's unneeded as Add/Remove is so amazing now, and a restricted pack + multiverse should handle the rest...

Anyway, I trust Ubuntu (and Canonical), I've seen it improve so much since '04, so I know Mr. Shuttleworth is no dummy. Am I saying Linspire, Xandros, and Novell are run by dummies/ Well they aren't Einsteins, that's for sure...

[Tundro Walker]

Certainly. I would totally support Microsoft signing over all of their source code, and working with Canonical to switch Windows over to an Ubuntu foundation that was 100% free for the public.

Wait, were you talking about some OTHER kind of deal?

[adzik]

Since I am in business myself, it would indeed depend on what type of deal is happening, since business is about benefiting your earnings, and that is always a good thing.
What kind of deal it would have to be is difficult to say. Maybe if the Canonical crew figured out how to inadvertently make MS an unsuspecting "Linux distributor" and lock them in, that would work. ;)