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The Business Model of Ubuntu

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the making-it-better dept.

Andareed writes "Open-source software companies, such as Ubuntu (an open-source Linux distribution), are better able to respond to user request and bugs than traditional software companies, such as Microsoft. Simon Law, head of the Quality Assurance department at Ubuntu in a talk given to the UW Computer Science Club, explains why this is, and how Ubuntu is leveraging the open-source model. Simon explains how the QA department at Ubuntu differs from traditional QA departments, through its use of the open-source community at large. Most interesting is Simon's views on what motivates open-source developers to develop software, and how open-source oriented businesses (specifically Ubuntu) are making money."

3 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Sounds Swell... by Millenniumman · · Score: 0, Troll

    Can you back up that there are millions of Windows users and a couple of "hunderts" of OS X users that have that problem? I don't use Windows much, but OS X seems to get the right resolution for everything. And if it doesn't, you can easily change it in system preferences. With Linux, I have to:

    cd etc
    ls
    cd local
    ls
    cd xfreeblahblah
    ls
    nano config
    (spend a century trying to edit it properly in nano)
    (insufficient privileges)
    (lose changes)
    sudo nano config
    type password
    (try to edit it again)
    (enter some arcane command to restart GNOME)
    login
    (same resolution)
    repeat ^
    ???
    profit!!!

    --
    Stupidity is like nuclear power, it can be used for good or evil. And you don't want to get any on you.
  2. Re:Video and no text by giafly · · Score: 0, Troll
    To bad there is no text version. Don't have sound so this video is kinda useless for me.
    Don't worry, they are "better able to respond to user request and bugs than traditional software companies" so there is sure to be a transcript online soon. Just keep checking back every day

    PS: I can't see the transcripts of the earlier talks either. Do I need a different Firefox release or something?
    --
    Reduce, reuse, cycle
  3. Fonts STILL look shit on Linux by onlyjoking · · Score: 0, Troll

    I just don't get it. Everyone takes it for granted that Linux can wow disgruntled Windows users yet the first thing they're going to see is UGLY FONTS and think "What the ****". Still, after all this time. Maybe X or the font rendering engine just isn't up to it and needs something completely fresh but I'm sick of looking at dirty, grubby fonts all over the place in "desktop" Linux. They're simply an embarrassment. Firefox is one of the worst offenders. Yes, you heard me, OSS's flagship product can't render fonts properly. That includes MS TTF fonts as well. I've seen pages which work fine in Firefox/Win/OS X look utterly mangled in Firefox/Linux. Hasn't anyone noticed that on menus and application interfaces you often find characters bumping into one another with variable, arbitrary amounts of random bolding all over the place. Linux is NOWHERE NEAR ready for the desktop while this continues.