Ubuntu Will Now Have Amazon Ads Pre-Installed

An anonymous reader writes "Scheduled to be released next month, Ubuntu 12.10 now includes both Amazon ads in the user's dash and by default an Amazon store in the user's launcher. The reason for these 'features'? Affiliate revenue. Despite previous controversies with Banshee and Yahoo, Canonical is 'confident it will be an interesting and useful feature for our 12.10 users.' But are the 'users' becoming products?" Update: 09/22 19:35 GMT by T : Reader bkerensa scoffs, calling the Amazon integration unobtrusive, and says objections to its inclusion in the OS should be ignored, "because in reality ads will not be found in 12.10 unless you are seeing them on a third party website you go to in a web browser." He's got screenshots.

Comments

Apple does this

[Anonymous Coward]

At least they did from my brief exposure to them. Built right into the main file menu. Microsoft probably will also but XP is good enough so I don't know if they already do. Blame users who put up with it and remember the good old days. It looks like normal people will eventually leave pc entirely for appliances so hopefully that comes before they are destroyed entirely.

Re:Honestly not that bad

[Cinder6]

A few years ago, there were rumors Apple was going to have ads on OS X. There was huge amounts of ridicule and scorn on this site (and rightfully so!). With this article, there's a surprising amount of ambivalence and even acceptance. Whither the complaints, Slashdot? Or is this not a case of hypocrisy and merely the reflection of changing attitudes?