RMS Speaks Out Against Ubuntu

An anonymous reader writes "In a post at the Free Software Foundation website, Richard Stallman has spoken out against Ubuntu because of Canonical's decision to integrate Amazon search results in the distribution's Dash search. He says, 'Ubuntu, a widely used and influential GNU/Linux distribution, has installed surveillance code. When the user searches her own local files for a string using the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu sends that string to one of Canonical's servers. (Canonical is the company that develops Ubuntu.) This is just like the first surveillance practice I learned about in Windows. ... What's at stake is whether our community can effectively use the argument based on proprietary spyware. If we can only say, "free software won't spy on you, unless it's Ubuntu," that's much less powerful than saying, "free software won't spy on you." It behooves us to give Canonical whatever rebuff is needed to make it stop this. ... If you ever recommend or redistribute GNU/Linux, please remove Ubuntu from the distros you recommend or redistribute.'"

Comments

I'm usually hard for privacy but you know what

[Pop'nShop]

I've stopped caring. People like to get their social fix and I've noticed that too. Now I'm active on Facebook, I buy from Amazon and Steam and you know what.. being social is better!

I've stopped caring. And btw? I wouldn't change it. Socializing means giving your privacy up for the experiement. It means being vulnerably and if you cannot let yourself be social then what hope is there in the world? We have laws against the most outrageous abuses and that works.

This applies because RMS is against the lens only because how it technically works. I rather be myself than RMS. He has completely lost his touch on reality. In the world WE ALL live in, together.

I'm proud to say I'm more social than ever before in my life and I enjoy it! The change came after I got a mac! And even if I really hate to admit it, Google CEO had correct words when he said "if there's something you don't want anyone to know, don't do it in the first place."

Re:I'm usually hard for privacy but you know what

[Pop'nShop]

But the reality is that we cant have all the db's on your own computer, so you have to send some tidbits out for it to work. I'm not even talking just this case, but the reality of what web has become from the early bbs days. Lots of geeks hate it but twitter, facebook and amazon social are how it is now. I used to hate it too but after having change to meet lots of fantastic people I don't anymore!

Re:I'm usually hard for privacy but you know what

[bluefoxlucid]

The point is that everybody should be an anti-social hermit and that businesses are evil. Privacy issues stem from businesses that used to flash lights and banners at you screaming 'HERE ARE ENGAGEMENT RINGS!" changing to a model where they predict if you're male, decide if you're likely to be in a relationship, if you're probably married or not, and then go, "Hey we saw you looking at paternity things, looks like you're a single guy, hey look, engagement rings!" and if not they show you truck tires because you spend 80% of your time on a fucking truck forum. Your wife is angry because people are trying to sell her things for baby instead of truck tires.

Re:I'm usually hard for privacy but you know what

[geek]

This is one of the best posts on RMS I have ever seen. Nearly as good as the one below that shows RMS's defense of pedophilia. http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3301707&cid=42216619

Why we still listen to this guy, exactly?

[Pop'nShop]

RMS doesn't live in this world. He resembles only the anti-social geeks. Not the kind of guy we want to show the world and hope we make good impressions! Seriously!

Re:Ugh

[theshowmecanuck]

Only a retard would draw the conclusion you just made.