Ubuntu 13.04 Will Allow Instant Purchasing, Right From the Dash

sfcrazy writes "Ubuntu is becoming a shopping center. Instead of addressing the queries raised by Stallman and the EFF, Canonical is now pushing for making Ubuntu a shopping cart. With Ubuntu 13.04 Canonical is going one step forward, and soon you will be able to purchase software and music right from the Dash without opening the software center or web browser.This is intended to make the whole experience even more interactive and useful for the end user."

Comments

Unity

[Nerdfest]

As the Canonical developer's Unity DE shows, Canonical is not really that interested in the opinions of its current users.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh, current Ubuntu user here. I'm all for this.

Re:Unity

[John Holmes]

It's following the same course as Microsoft. I'll stick with Linux Mint for now.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

It's sad that Ubuntu will probably be the most popular distro, yet it will be a security nightmare and being so Cononical will sell services teaching people how to secure it. Similar to what Microsoft does/or did. Only to my worst enemy would i recommend Ubuntu,

Re:Unity

[lsatenstein]

As the Canonical developer's Unity DE shows, Canonical is not really that interested in the opinions of its current users.

Charity begins at home. Ubuntu needs money to cover the cost of all it's offices, staff, and some reserve for growth and support.

If you are not happy about it, switch to another distribution.

Re:Unity

[the eric conspiracy]

Well, I'm on 12.04 LTE with Gnome Classic for now. I don't see my next upgrade being Ubuntu.

Re:Unity

[sorensenbill]

I've been on Mint for the past 4 versions and haven't looked back.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

AC, you should really try Ubuntu! I highly recommend it. (sometimes I just hate myself)

Re:Unity

[TheGratefulNet]

MINT is going to get a lot of traffic.

ubuntu annoyed me enough over the last year or two that I've moved.

Re:Unity

[Nerdfest]

I didn't actually say I was against it, I only said that Canonical doesn't care what its user base's opinions are. I actually don't mind this, but an very much against a default behaviour that sends all searches to Amazon.

Re:Unity

[InlawBiker]

By making one questionable move after another we begin to believe Ubuntu's business model has failed. Now they seem to be grasping at straws. They're completely turning their back on the open software that got them here. It doesn't bode well for Linux at all.

Re:Unity

[SteveFoerster]

Me too. On the other hand, 12.04 works just fine, and it's going to be supported for five years, so it's not like people like us have to make any abrupt decisions. Come August 2017, who knows what the landscape will look like?

Re:Unity

[cheesybagel]

Dash -> Privacy

Record Activity: OFF
Include Online Search Results: OFF

Re:Unity

[Nerdfest]

Those should be the defaults, in my opinion.

Re:Unity

[Culture20]

Note the wording:
Include Online Search Results =/= Search Online Also
They can still search and give amazon et al your searches, but they just won't show you the results.

Re:Unity

[jez9999]

Why, because the success of Linux rides on the back of Ubuntu?

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Where's your proof that Canonical doesn't care about its user's opinion? Your opinion != to Ubuntu users' opinion.

Re:Unity

[Culture20]

Is Mint still an Ubuntu derivative or has it started to derive directly from Debian finally?

Re:Unity

[Volanin]

Current Ubuntu user here as well.
I'm all for this too... but in a ***separate*** shopping lens.

Even Stallman said so:
"[To protect users' privacy] is easy: all it takes is to have separate buttons for network searches and local searches, as earlier versions of Ubuntu did."

Goddamn, having shopping result when I am searching for local files is not only a privacy issue... it is damnright annoying.

Re:Unity

[ifiwereasculptor]

Both. There are separate editions.

Re:Unity

[Nerdfest]

I'm not sure why you're modded as flamebait. It's a valid opinion, and I could see it being useful. My original post has been marked as 'troll' as well, although I suppose it's closer to that than yours is to flamebait. I still think send search data to Amazon is a poorly thought-out move though.

Re:Unity

[Kjella]

By making one questionable move after another we begin to believe Ubuntu's business model has failed.

No wonder, when they're trying to make money off a user base that froths like a rabid dog whenever they feel they're being monetized. That tend to get furious any time a website uses a workaround to get past their ad blocker without the slightest bit of irony in that they use an ad blocker as a workaround to get content without ads. Or get their panties in a bunch over product placement after advertisers switched to those because everyone was skipping ads on their DVR/PVR. Ubuntu may be free as in beer and in speech, but it's also free as in "There's no such thing as a free lunch". You're not required to say yes to anything of course, but if the "free" lunch never results in any business you're not going to get invited to any more lunches.

Red Hat figured this out long ago when they killed Red Hat Linux, spun off Fedora and bet everything on RHEL that had paying customers, they could offer a damn good desktop distro but they couldn't make any money off it. Now Ubuntu is starting to feel in the same bind, they're spending lots of money building Ubuntu for the desktop but they're not making any money off it so they're aiming for smart TVs and tablets and trying to cash in on their users without them disappearing in a puff of smoke. I wouldn't be surprised if they disappear out, a new company comes in thinking they can become another Facebook or Youtube if only they get enough users but in the end "We lose money on every sale, but we make up for it on volume" is not a good business model, not even for Linux distros.

Re:Unity

[ifiwereasculptor]

I'm sorry to be overly blunt, but that is asnine. Ubuntu is integrating an app store to its DE, that's all. It's a convenience every other major OS already has (Windows, Android, OSX, iOS etc), only made a bit more convenient by not requiring you to open the store app. It's not the end of the world. As long as they stay firmly based on Debian, strenghtening Ubuntu strenghtens Linux and open source as a whole. The more market/mind share it gets, the better driver support we get, more attention from developers and so on.

So I wish Ubuntu lots of success. If I dislike a particular feature, I can either deactivate it in Ubuntu, use a different DE, jump ship to their source, Debian, directly, or a derivative that doesn't implement those functions, like Mint. I can even roll my own flavor of Ubuntu, since the source is public. Such plethora of alternatives is exactly what free/open software is all about and people bitching that Ubuntu is "turning their backs on open software" don't seem to understand it at all.

Re:Unity

[eric_herm]

Sending them in cleartext, and without discussing this first, yes.

Re:Unity

[eric_herm]

> Ubuntu needs money to cover the cost of all it's offices, staff, and some reserve for growth and support.

yeah, maybe they should have thought to that before killing the market for desktop distribution by shipping their own for free ( lycoris, mandrakesoft, suse, all have dropped their desktop ( and most are dead by now ) after Shuttleworth decided to give for free something paid with his wealth ). It has a been a few years since Canonical execs promise us "we will be profitable soon", but this is not gonna happen, and things will only become sour now, since they start more and more to push benefits rather than reducing their spendings ( like a office in the center of London, one of the most expensive towns in Europa, paying luxury hotel for UDS for the staff, etc )

So yeah, cry me a river..

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, here ya go...

Dedicated ‘Amazon Shopping Lens’ Created for Ubuntu

Amongst those who liked the idea of the Shopping Lens, but not the way it works by default, was developer Mark Tully.

But rather than gripe, uninstall, or miss out – he made his own shopping lens, one that lets him ‘search amazon.co.uk (or amazon.com, amazon.fr, etc) via a filter’ so, he said in a Google+ post announcing the project, ’I can finally find what I’m looking for.’

The lenses and scopes are modular by design and anything that Canonical produces can be switched out for something else when someone decides to code it. Eventually lenses will show in the Software Center (if they aren't there already) and you can easily change the defaults that Canonical provides.

You may be interested in this ppa https://launchpad.net/~scopes-packagers/+archive/ppa

Re:Unity

[allo]

and where should they profit from? They search online, to make you buy something. not for the sake of searching itself.

Re:Unity

[PvtVoid]

Note the wording: Include Online Search Results =/= Search Online Also They can still search and give amazon et al your searches, but they just won't show you the results.

Do you have a shred of evidence that this is actually how the privacy settings work?

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Canonical is failing because they aren't hitting the masses. They have no sales outlets. The masses are where the money is. The masses with pay 10x what a product can be had for. Not your average techy. Your average techy will only pay the absolute minimum and then complain that the successful company is a rip over because they have marked it up 50%. Yes- you can get a computer 50% of what we charge. It'll be crap. It won't work right. But yes- you can do it. Anyway.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

A new feature with a ham-fisted implementation by Canonical? What else is new? But it's not the dire invasion of privacy that Stallman describes it as. Nobody complained much about the same privacy issues of the 12.04's Music and Video lenses doing online searches, so I'm assuming that the most vitriolic criticism here is by people who never have used Unity (or even Ubuntu) because if they had, they'd know that this is nothing new. It's just a default FFS. It is pretty easily disabled or can even be replaced by other lenses (there's an alternate Shopping Lens and alternate files/folders lenses.

Re:Unity

[loufoque]

It does somewhat, yes.

Re:Unity

[fredgiblet]

I built my computer for less than 50% of what it would have cost to buy it and it except for when I pushed the under-volting too far it's worked perfectly.

Re:Unity

[Culture20]

I'm sure they can profit purely from the data (noting emerging search trends etc).

Re:Unity

[Culture20]

Note the wording: Include Online Search Results =/= Search Online Also They can still search and give amazon et al your searches, but they just won't show you the results.

Do you have a shred of evidence that this is actually how the privacy settings work?

No, but if you'll note my wording, I don't exactly accuse them of doing so. I'm just pointing out that the phrasing allows for things which people don't expect at first glance. It should be phrased more clearly one way or the other.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

but it's also free as in "There's no such thing as a free lunch".

There actually is such a thing as a free lunch.

Re:Unity

[epyT-R]

uh, why?

Re:Unity

[kangsterizer]

It's the not the technical means that matter here. it's the way it's headed.
It will come a day, if that model keeps getting more support, where your Ubuntu will be far from "free and open" and just another android-like-for-the-desktop with some open source parts such as the kernel, and that's mostly it. (mind you, paid apps are closed source, tracking users is against privacy, etc)

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

My kingdom for a mod point.

I don't know what all this elitist whining about Ubuntu is all about. It's like there's this subset of the tech commnuity that love Linux, but want it to stay obscure, elitist and not contain a single feature that doesn't require several years' worth of experience as a sysadmin to use.

Which do you want? Linux in the mainstream or a mainstream feature free geek-toy?

Re:Unity

[mysidia]

By making one questionable move after another we begin to believe Ubuntu's business model has failed.

They're making moves you or someone else find's questionable. But I do not believe a businessperson would find their latest moves questionable; in fact, I think a businessperson might find their latest moves to be brilliant.

The only question will be, if the community tolerates their latest moves. Will you still recommend Ubuntu?

What exactly are your objections to their latest moves, and are they really 'valid' objections; or are they just fears, that Canonical is losing sight of Linux community principals?

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with offering an open source product, that allows users to buy things from you.

As long as the technology and connection standards on client and communication protocols are open source, and i'm free to take the code, and can easily make changes, so my app store is what things will be bought from instead of Canonicals, on my special build of Ubuntu..

Re:Unity

[mysidia]

Ultimately, do you think the end users mind that their apps are closed source?

Most of the world's developer mind share is closed source. If you want your OS to be successful, you have to embrace developers. Which means you have to support both closed source and open source applications.

And you have to make it just as easy for both types of apps to be deployed as well. If unusual or extra steps are required to deploy a closed source app on your platform, most closed source devs will simply ignore it.

Most applications that are professionally designed, and do what users will want will be closed source, due to the cost. It is a minority of projects that are developed as open source -- most of them get funding from large corporations.

Linux itself is the exception to the rule rather than the rule.

Re:Unity

[agiacalone]

Current Ubuntu user also.

I completely agree with Stallman on this issue: Canonical needs to seperate this out for users who don't want this stuff showing up in their dash searches.

But in the mean time, there's always this:

'sudo apt-get remove unity-lens-shopping'

Solves the problem for me rather easily.

Re:Unity

[Roderic9]

Do you have a shred of evidence that this is actually how the privacy settings work?

No, but if you'll note my wording, I don't exactly accuse them of doing so. I'm just pointing out that the phrasing allows for things which people don't expect at first glance. It should be phrased more clearly one way or the other.

When this first came up I checked with Wireshark and confirmed that nothing is sent to cannonical or amazon if on-line search results are turned off.
However, you're right that the wording does not preclude this in the future, so I wouldn't trust them.

Re:Unity

[flyneye]

Well Stallman and the EFF can refocus on Debian which IS closer to being their damn business.
The use of FOSS and OSS and such to make money with, really is the point in the end. This is Canonical business.
If I use a free cad program to design something for money or to make money with, is Stallman going to get the kit shicked out of him for criticizing my efforts? Magic 8 ball says "bet'cher ass!"

Re:Unity

[Darinbob]

Every major OS that has a store is asinine. Customers aren't asking for stores, it's never in the list of requested features, no one ever says "I've got too much money make it easier for me to give it to you."

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Same as with the rest of the Content Mafia they are now part of.

Canonical/Ubuntu is not part of the Linux community anymore. They are now part of the organized crime that propagates the lies of imaginary property, uses artificial scarcity on actually free information, and abuses the makers of that information.

I saw it coming a loong time ago. Ubuntu was always like some Apple/BSA drone, trying to walk around in a Linux skin. Something was not right. It felt deeply utterly wrong when you looked at it. It was was wrong.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

People say "ham fisted", I say that's just how Ubuntu operates. "Oooh shiny, ship it!". And that's part of what some people like about it. Of course there's a balance to be struck, but that will always be argument territory.

There's always the very slow and deliberate alternatives, including upstream debian.

Re:Unity

[BrokenHalo]

Sure Mint seems to be fairly popular at the moment, but given that it is based on Ubuntu, it might not be wise to assume that down the track Mint won't follow the same pattern.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Because Ubuntu is the widest distribution as far as today: it is the distribution of use among the readeres of Linux Journal.

Re:Unity

[geminidomino]

I though LTS Desktop was 3 years, and it was the server that was supported for 5.

Re:Unity

[dririan]

What company controls Mint? Until that happens, there's not going to be stupid things like this where the company in charge (Canonical in this case) pushes things through for no other reason than because they're in charge, and they want money. Not to mention, saying that just because Mint bases its packages on Ubuntu's means they'll follow in the same footsteps is pretty silly.

Re:Unity

[penix1]

They're making moves you or someone else find's questionable. But I do not believe a businessperson would find their latest moves questionable; in fact, I think a businessperson might find their latest moves to be brilliant.

And we all know what is good for businessmen != what is good for the consumer. In fact, I argue just the opposite. It would be excellent for the businessmen if they could get your money without offering anything in return. Doesn't make that option good for the consumer.

The only question will be, if the community tolerates their latest moves. Will you still recommend Ubuntu?

For now yes since this can be uninstalled. The moment they make it that it can't, then no I will not recommend it since it constitutes spyware in my mind.

What exactly are your objections to their latest moves, and are they really 'valid' objections; or are they just fears, that Canonical is losing sight of Linux community principals?

As I said above, I see it as spyware. They are indexing searches and transmitting that to Amazon. That is the very definition of spyware behavior.

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with offering an open source product, that allows users to buy things from you.

As long as the technology and connection standards on client and communication protocols are open source, and i'm free to take the code, and can easily make changes, so my app store is what things will be bought from instead of Canonicals, on my special build of Ubuntu..

And as long as I can remove it I am fine with whatever marketing BS they throw in. The question is why should people have to disable / uninstall crapware that venders throw on? This is getting almost as bad as the Windows world where new machines are loaded with crap nobody wants or uses.

Re:Unity

[timeOday]

Well then, put me down for RedHat's business model (charge money for a product) instead of this other thing - charge me a low price (maybe call it free), then nag and chisel me for the rest of my life. It's sleazy. And yes, I pay the extra $20 for an e-reader without ads. How ad-driven can our culture possibly get? Somebody has to actually buy something at some point.

Re:Unity

[BrokenHalo]

It does somewhat, yes.

You must be very young, then. History is replete with cases where distributions have been marketed on a non-free but freely-downloadable basis. So far, it seems the survivors have been either the One-Man Show or those such as Suse and Redhat who offer enterprise versions.

On the other hand, there are dozens of community-based distros out there that have been going for years, such as Debian, Arch (my preference) or Gentoo.

Ubuntu could disappear off the planet tomorrow (yes, I know that's unlikely) but that doesn't mean Linux will just drop dead.

Also, bear in mind that Linux itself is a kernel, and one could argue that by far the biggest distribution of all is Android, and that has all the clout of Google behind it, so is in no danger of dying.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple users do. (Look at the guy who made that I am rich App for $1000)

Re:Unity

[jedidiah]

> I'm sorry to be overly blunt, but that is asnine. Ubuntu is integrating an app store to its DE,

Except there is no technical or usability justification for such a thing.

Tools don't need to be "integrated". This is Unix where you can have a toolbox full of tools that all work together. You don't need to take the "microsoft office" approach to things.

In truth, the app stores on the other platforms don't need to be any more "integrated" than the Linux tools that they are knockoffs of.

Re:Unity

[Chewbacon]

They're interested in the user's money, right? This is how Linux distros fail. I'll sit back and watch from the comfort of KDE.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

MINT is too crash happy last time I checked. Xubuntu is where it's at, Jack.

Re:Unity

[dbraden]

With 12.04 LTS, it's now five years for both server and desktop.

Re:Unity

[loufoque]

On the contrary, I've been using Linux for a very long time, and Ubuntu is the only distribution that had managed to penetrate the user's base significantly. Unfortunately, due to a number of bad decisions, it's turning people off Linux, even though this is clearly a time of opportunities for Linux.
Windows sucks, Mac sucks, but then, there is no good Linux distribution to offer to mere mortals, so they're gonna stay with that crap.

Re:Unity

[lsatenstein]

> Ubuntu needs money to cover the cost of all it's offices, staff, and some reserve for growth and support.

yeah, maybe they should have thought to that before killing the market for desktop distribution by shipping their own for free ( lycoris, mandrakesoft, suse, all have dropped their desktop ( and most are dead by now ) after Shuttleworth decided to give for free something paid with his wealth ). It has a been a few years since Canonical execs promise us "we will be profitable soon", but this is not gonna happen, and things will only become sour now, since they start more and more to push benefits rather than reducing their spendings ( like a office in the center of London, one of the most expensive towns in Europa, paying luxury hotel for UDS for the staff, etc )

So yeah, cry me a river..

Gee, reminds me of Google.

Re:Unity

[maxwell demon]

Where's your proof that Canonical doesn't care about its user's opinion?

So there's only one user left? :-)

Re:Unity

[TranquilVoid]

Have to agree, also whenever I search for programs and turn up paid software amongst the usal FOSS stuff it feels wrong, and this is the crux of the problem (for you and I); Canonical's focus is on making Ubuntu a non-technical OS with things that are nice for non-technical users, like a free i-Device.

There's nothing wrong with that, but because it's based on Linux many of the existing users are technically inclined and are increasingly being disenfranchised as Canonical moves closer to their target demographic. I'm starting to see the writing on the wall personally.

There's something libre about gratis. This is why I use Linux in the first place - there's a sense of peace in knowing that the software was developed with nothing in mind save solving the problem. As soon as money is introduced trust goes out the window. I don't want to have to watch my OS to catch it herding me into purchases.

Re:Unity

[epyT-R]

1. 'monetizers' need to be much more reliable about protecting privacy and preventing leaks.
2. and the irony of that is that the user with the ad blocker paid for his bandwidth, so why should he have to pay for the 'monetizer's bandwidth too, on top of letting the 'monetizers'' javascript rip through his cookies cache and other private information? the internet isn't cable tv. get over it. we're not obligated to make anyone any money whatsoever. put the content behind a paywall if they want to get paid for it. If it's really 'that' valuable, they'll make money. If not, which is infinitely more likely, then too bad. If they can't figure out how to make money on the internet, they can go get real job making quantifiable property that can actually be sold in the real sense of the word.

Re:Unity

[epyT-R]

I"ve seen plenty of brand/whitebox store bought machines that fail to function.. usually it's because it's loaded with all kinds of trial crapware (again more advertising) which makes the desktop experience all but unusable. I've made a lot of money just formatting new machines for people. whatever 'you' charge, it sure as hell isn't worth it to the end user if this is the typical out of box experience..

Re:Unity

[Anne Thwacks]

There probably will be after this change.

I for one will be moving over 20 users to something else - presumably something that does not have Unity in it, since I already have to install gnome-shell on these machines.

Re:Unity

[Anne Thwacks]

You don't need to take the "microsoft office" approach to things.

But look how well it is working for Windows8!

Oh, wait ...

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

I have benefited a lot from Ubuntu over the years as my primary operating system at home. I don't like feeling like a moocher so I bought some merchandise from their website. All good.

Till that point of time two things were working fine: one, their desktop environment was what users liked and wanted. Two, they had and a transparent and explicit way of seeking money - merchandise/CDs/paid support etc.

What has happened during the recent times is that they have stopped listening to their users by forcing decision despite clear and significant protests. Further, they have tried to be sneaky about making money off me, __without explicitly letting me know__.

Business doesn't run on nothing but being ethical doesn't cost a dime.

Re:Unity

[allo]

why should amazon pay for this? IF the search is intended, it would be made on the amazon website, if there was no unity dash. And if its unintended, stuff like "gnome-terminal" is only noise for amazon.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, it's a shame that Linux might become what people want some day. They should stick to writing irrelevant shit that only servers run. Idiot.

Re:Unity

[Culture20]

But they can filter out the noise and see what people are interested in and how that correlates to what the populace in general shops for. Also, there's no such thing as noise to a marketing person. They'll happily measure everything if it gives their marketing an edge.

Re:Unity

[JosephTX]

You're downplaying Ubuntu's huge impact on drawing ordinary, non-tech-savvy people toward Linux. Its influence dwarfs every other distro's. You mention other prominent distros, but when you actually ASK other people (who aren't programmers) who have just adopted a Linux distro what they use, they don't answer "Debian" or "Arch" or "Mint," they answer "Ubuntu." Your own solitary opinion on Ubuntu or the FSF doesn't matter.

Re:Unity

[allo]

but its still nothing, worth paying ubuntu for amazon-searches (which would just take place on the website, if there was no amazon-lense) and noise.

Re:Unity

[the eric conspiracy]

Ah good point. I'm 62 now. August 2017 is likely to be after my retirement date.

YIPPEE I may NEVER have to figure out an answer to this problem.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

I prefer:

'sudo apt-get remove Ubuntu'

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

The only thing that makes FOSS worth using above anything produced by M$ or Apple, ultimately comes down to putting principles before profit. If you can't understand this, I don't really know what you are doing on this website, or bother following Linux in the first place.

Re:Unity

[NoGenius]

where your Ubuntu will be far from "free and open" and just another android-like-for-the-desktop

Been with Ubuntu since 6.04 and I've got everyone I know on it. It would be my dream come true to see it become android-for-the-desktop.

Re:Unity

[Anonymous Coward]

It's normally one of the first things that i remove, that confounded amazon result lens. I like amazon, but I'm not so stupid an end user that I can't point a URL to their website.

well

[Anonymous Coward]

sure am glad I never wasted any time committing code to Ubuntu

Re:well

[Anonymous Coward]

It doesn't matter. The GPL lets them steal your code! That's why I use a CC-No Ubuntu license for all my projects.

Why is this a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

I fail to see the problem.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Anrego]

It's one of those polarizing subjects. Some see absolutely no problem with this kind of thing, whilst others are mortified by it and can't understand why everyone else is ok with it. Both sides call each other idiots who "just don't get it" for whatever reason, no ones opinion changes, and life goes on.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not a problem. The problem is that the Unity interface SUCKS.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Nerdfest]

I actually don't have much of a problem with this, but I really dislike them sending searches to Amazon by default. It should be an opt-in behaviour, not default.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[jones_supa]

By the way, here's how Jono Bacon responded to the criticism from Stallman.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Superdarion]

I read through the whole thing and I can tell you that he said nothing at all. No reason for the decision, no address of the privacy concerns, no nothing. He wrote a huge page of politician dribble.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[nullchar]

What a whiny non-response from Jono Bacon. His counter argument to Stallman is: [summarized] "Privacy is personal, there is only one RMS who cares about privacy in his own way, so we can collect your data. Look at Facebook and Apple: see, we're better!".

The community is fine with new features and trying out new things, but we just want the defaults to be sane. Only turn on Amazon searches or Canonical feedback as an op-in mechanism. A default install of any gnu/linux distro should be privacy-aware and not require disabling any features.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Nerdfest]

It sounds like he's making excuses for their decision. His love of all things Apple does explain a lot as well. Sounds like he's hoping they can develop an OS with an 'ooooh shiny' factor that makes people forget their ideals.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[ifiwereasculptor]

Try reading some comments here, then. They'll explain how allowing people to purchase things more easily, if they choose to, will destroy free software and the whole western civilization.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[guises]

It's the same issue that people have with Windows 8, or Internet Explorer for that matter - a de facto monopoly. It isn't quite to Apple's level, where they forcibly shut out competition, but you can see that's where it's headed.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[VortexCortex]

A default install of any gnu/linux distro should be privacy-aware and not require disabling any features.

Minor nitpick: This should apply to all software, hardware and (web) services not just GNU/Linux distros.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[MichaelSmith]

Why do you use it then? If you don't, why is it so important to you? The following ten thousand lines are the things which I think suck....

Re:Why is this a problem?

[mysidia]

Are you upset that Firefox sends searches to Google by default?

Re:Why is this a problem?

[unixisc]

I fail to see the problem.

Same here. They've seen their Linux business go bust, since the platform never became a profitable one, so they've decided to transform themselves, while there's still time, into a current version of Beyond.com. Can't say I blame them.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[mobets]

A web browser sending web searches to a web search engine is different than a desktop manager sending desktop searches to an online store.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[mysidia]

A web browser sending web searches to a web search engine is different than a desktop manager sending desktop searches to an online store.

It's not different enough.... in modern OSes, the "Desktop" or "Start screen" is becoming just as much an online resource as a web site is; as everything is moving into the cloud, even the desktop.

It is not unreasonable or unexpected for a search initiated from the desktop to be able to expand the search to online resources as well.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[jedidiah]

You wish.

I would love if Ubuntu actually made good on it's empty promises. However, thus far I have been better off with Google if I want to find some way to "spend money on Ubuntu software". This includes thing that are supposed to be in their stupid store.

They do a very poor job of being an Apple wannabe.

If you are expecting them to "be like Apple", then you will be disppointed with Ubuntu on it's own terms. You won't need any rant from RMS.

So they are a big screw-up no matter what your perspective is.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm worried that firefox sends navigation errors from location bar to google by default. If I wanted to search it, I would have typed it into the other box.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[maxwell demon]

"Look at Facebook and Apple: see, we're better!"

Hans Reiser could have used this defence as well: "OK, so I killed my wife. But then, that's only one woman. Jack the Ripper killed six women. Thus I killed less women than Jack the Ripper. So you see, I'm still a good guy!" :-)

Re:Why is this a problem?

[epyT-R]

reading comments like yours also show how shills deliberately misstate the problem with strawman arguments and then attack them with gusto.. you go girl!

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's one of those polarizing subjects

I don't think so, because the desires at both ends of this issue are hardly mutually exclusive for the feature set in question. Case in point is this solution, brought up by more than one person over the last few months: have a home lens that searches at home (aka local machine only, or more accurately local user only since Ubuntu is a multi-user system), and a universe lens that casts a wider net. All functionality is available, without increasing complexity or sacrificing usability. And, because the reality is that the *context* of a search matters, those who love universe lens will still use the home lens sometimes when they want to find a local resource quickly. Similarly, those who have "issues" with the universe lens will likely use it as readily as they do google today. Everyone benefits from a better Ubuntu.

Frankly, I'm scratching my head over why Canonical is actively avoiding what appears to be completely rational design choices that offer all voices in this debate a sound solution to their interests.

Re:Why is this a problem?

[Anne Thwacks]

I hate that too! - at first, I thought it was a bug, now I am sure its a mosquito!

And if you're unhappy...

[skovnymfe]

... you can just download another distro. Because it's Linux and Linux comes in more flavors than ice cream. Heck if you don't like any of the flavors, make your own. No need to log on Slashdot and moan and cry about how terrible Ubuntu is and how much it reminds you of them terrible yanks uppin Micro$oft yonder, because you don't know anyway. You wouldn't come within 1000 feet of it, right? You despise it, you loathe it, yes? Good.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[Anonymous Coward]

I shouldn't have to research my operating system every year to make sure it hasn't changed it's core principles.

Make my own? What's wrong with you. Go build and fly your own plane so you can bypass TSA the next time you want to visit someone on the other side of the country. Not everyone has infinite time as you seem to have.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[Anonymous Coward]

Beggars can't be choosers -- go buy red hat if you want to have a customer-company relationship.

Ubuntu is in a weird place. They have a large population of technically un-savy users. It turns out a bloated, popular distribution is costly to develop, deploy, and support.

You can be part of the community, a customer, part of the product. Pick one.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[Anonymous Coward]

Just use Debian, we don't change our core principles.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[Livius]

... you can just download another distro.

I really liked Ubuntu but that is what's going to happen.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[VortexCortex]

Beggars can't be choosers

Which is precisely why Canonical should stop begging us to like Unity and actually listen to their users; Otherwise us "beggars" will CHOOSE from among all the other options available (sorry didn't mean to obliterate your analogy so completely, it was just bad to begin with). If you're trying to say GNU/Linux community needs Canonical and not the other way around, then you're pretty well confused.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[Anonymous Coward]

Sometimes stupidly so. Iceweasel.

Re:And if you're unhappy...

[mysidia]

I shouldn't have to research my operating system every year to make sure it hasn't changed it's core principles.

Which core principal did they change, or what exactly are they doing that violates one of them, and how does that violate the principal?

Big deal........

[Anonymous Coward]

It's hardly the end of civilisation as we know it..........

Re:Big deal........

[lennier]

It's hardly the end of civilisation as we know it..........

That's not what you'll be saying when our shiny, touch-sensitive, skeuomorphic exterminator overlords stride down the boulevards crushing all non-upgraded human flesh beneath their animated dancing beachball boot heels.

sigh...

[Anonymous Coward]

And so it begins.

HI bsd!

Re:sigh...

[jones_supa]

HI bsd!

In other news...

I don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure that I understand how this makes the whole experience more "interactive." The level of interactivity seems to stay about the same.

Wrong Approach

[GeneralTurgidson]

Ubuntu would make more money by moving towards Red Hats model of licensing instead of their (outrageous) support hours. Their cost model for enterprise support is a huge reason my workplace won't use them.

Re:Wrong Approach

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you have any stats showing this won't make them enough money?

If they go with support then they actually have to provide support and make sure their software works well enough to gain enterprise users. If they go with skimming off normal online purchases, then they only need to get as many random people as possible to buy things through their software. To me, that sounds much easier as people are often fooled by pretty pictures, what they think everyone else is doing, and marketing.

Re:Wrong Approach

[rgbrenner]

Ubuntu has been selling support for years, and it's cheaper than Red Hat:
http://www.canonical.com/enterprise-services/ubuntu-advantage/overview

Re:Wrong Approach

[philipmather]

Yeah, except until Red Hat spots Canonical making in-roads on their business model and then squishes them...

http://www.trendcaller.com/2009/02/canonical-half-as-revenue-efficient-as.html ...bit out of date but it'd still be suicide for Canonical to compete against Red Hat too directly, too soon, hence the cloud/service strategy (http://www.thevarguy.com/2010/04/29/ubuntu-matt-asay-discusses-canonical-revenue-strategy/) they seem to be heading for I suppose? Unfortunately that's going to get holed below the water-line to an extent by Red Hat's OpenShift (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenShift) and I just don't believe there's enough revenue in "Linux Desktop as a Service" to make it viable.

To be fair I'm probably a Red Hat fan-boi, I respect what Canonical are doing but... I just can't see how their going to make it work in the long run. :^/

Re:Wrong Approach

[Anonymous Coward]

They're.

For fuck's sake, geeks seem to be able to fluently code in 20 programming languages, but can't grasp the syntax of the first language they learned, and spent the most time learning.

Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"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.)" from -> http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/12/07/1527225/rms-speaks-out-against-ubuntu

* Says all I needed to see... & though Mr. Stallman MAY be a wee bit "odd" in some things he does or has done or said? He's not "off" here... no way.

APK

P.S.=> Thus, I suppose the next time I try Linux, it will be MINT vs. KUbuntu (my former favorite)...

... apk

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, his best point is this:
"free software won't spy on you, unless it's Ubuntu,"

Ubuntu's actions make all free software look bad.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[thereitis]

This is an absolutely unacceptable spyware 'feature' from Canonical. I'm sad to say they've obviously lost the plot. Thankfully there are other Linux distros that behave much better.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

It's hardly spyware, though, since the Dash delineates between local and online results. Users know that their search has been submitted online when they get results from online sources like Amazon, etc. This is how it works with the Music and Video Lenses in 12.04 Unity, so this is really nothing new to Ubuntu users. You may not want to perform an online search all the time when looking for a particular document stored on you system--that's a legitimate preference-- but it's not being done surreptitiously like Stallman alleges.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

Which proves the "money men" used devs for free, only to reveal their true plans later (now). Getting a lot of good intentioned people creating the Operating System for them to profit by, and screw those that did the actual work.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[YurB]

I agree with you. All these ads, "for purchase" software, give-us-money-with-one-click stuff just takes away the spirit that was always important to me: it used to make me feel like they (the individual developers) really want the software to be useful because they do it for themselves and/or their close people, and because they just love doing it. Now Ubuntu is showing an example of doing free software the way proprietary software is done: for some abstract success of some corpocation. But luckily it's still free software every one can fork. P.S. Actually, I've newer used Ubuntu, because this extra-user-friendliness was looking like too much for me. Despite this, they've undoubtely made a significant contribution to development of desktop gnu/linux (and now we have Mint, xubuntu, kubuntu which are built on foundations provided by Ubuntu).

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

I installed Cinnamon on Ubuntu 12.10 after tiring of Unity. I did it before all this came out but it takes care of the spyware issue without having to go all the way to Mint (which I might do on the next pulse anyway).

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

Get on topic troll.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Kelzar]

Yeah, I think I'll ditch Ubuntu soon. I used to upgrade every six months, but that stopped after 10.04. Between GNOME 3 and Unity, I've just decided to stay where I am - until now. Upgrading to 12.04 as we speak, but I wouldn't be surprised if I migrate to another distro soon. I figure I'll give 12.04 a chance before I commit to something else. The direction that Ubuntu has been going for the past couple of years just isn't a direction I'm comfortable with. That has become very clear with this whole Amazon deal. Even if you can opt-out, the very fact it exists demonstrates Canonical's priorities. Ubuntu set me free from Microsoft in 2008 and I hate to disavow it now, but there's no sense in being loyal to a product for the sake of what it used to be.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[flyingfsck]

Yup, the spying problem also made Ubuntu a total no-no for government use.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[kernelpanicked]

Nope. Actually he's wrong there too. Super+f to go to "Files & Folders" view. In that part of the dash, all searches are all local and nothing is sent to Canonical or anyone else. Of course, if RMS like so many obnoxious Mint users, had actually used Unity instead of ranting about things they don't understand......

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm. Do other OS's that come with web browsers, instant message apps, email clients, IRC chat software, or just any software that's capable of network communication make it a no-no for government use? Cuz, those apps and even internal OS processes send more user's data out onto the 'net far more that the occasional search term like "3rd quarter 2012 expenses report" do.

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[mysidia]

You know... the versions of Ubuntu I used had no 'desktop search feature'. Are we complaining that a new search tool actually uses online resources to search?

Have you ever used Google desktop? I believe you might well find that other desktop search tools submit queries to remote sites as well.....

Re:Stallman has 1 point that's important... apk

[maxwell demon]

Those web browsers, instant message apps, email clients, IRC chat software etc. are dedicated programs you have to explicitly start, and of which you know beforehand that they will send information to the internet, and with the unfortunate exception of web browsers you also have a pretty good idea of what information they send out. For web browsers, the unintentionally sent information can be minimized by using mandatory proxies which filter certain information out. And anyway, the sort of information unintentionally leaked is mostly confined to the things you do on the web, where you are aware that you are communicating with the internet, and can easily keep your confidential data separate (you just don't do a web search for confidential terms). On the other hand, when searching local files, it is highly likely that you will sometimes look for some confidential information in it. If you have activated the internet search option (either because you didn't know about it, or because you accidentally activated it, or maybe you even intentionally activated it for doing an explicit internet search, and then forgot to deactivate it again afterwards), the confidential data has escaped, and you'll only notice it after the fact (or maybe even not at all if the internet search didn't give any results for it).

However, in a bizarre decision

[Anonymous Coward]

All purchases will require the use of BitCoin.

Time for a change....

[Anonymous Coward]

All good things come to an end. Time to move on. I think I'll give Slackware another spin. I read Slackware will run on the Raspberry Pi as well.

E17 has a big day on 12/21... and not because of the Mayans. Looks like it is time to shop around. Plenty of options.

It's their binary.

[Jartan]

How they want to compile it is their choice. That's the entire point of open source.

Re:It's their binary.

[ohnocitizen]

Its certainly part of the point of open source. We are free to criticize it, fork it, and move away from it. That too is part of the point of open source. Its a bazaar (though sometimes it feels like competing open air cathedrals).

Re:It's their binary.

[Anonymous Coward]

Which is why rms prefers the term, "Free Software" instead of Open Source Software. OSS does not imply freedom whereas Free Software necessitates that freedom.

Read about the movement. I feel like you are assuming the publicly held notions of everything are accurate. Rarely is that the case.

reminds me of the late '80s

[Anonymous Coward]

When two tech companies were battling for control of the personal computer (no, Apple wasn't one of them.. they were stuck in their 5 percent niche for decades), people said, well we should go with the hip upstart instead of the greedy monopolist. Let's give the new guy on the block a chance to make the world a better place!

That upstart was Microsoft.

Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[ninetyninebottles]

From the Canonical Blog Post on the new feature:

Privacy is extremely important to Canonical. The data we collect is not user-identifiable (we automatically anonymize user logs and that information is never available to the teams delivering services to end users), we make users aware of what data will be collected and which third party services will be queried through a notice right in the Dash, and we only collect data that allows us to deliver a great search experience to Ubuntu users. We also recognize that there is always a minority of users who prefer complete data protection, often choosing to avoid services like Google, Facebook or Twitter for those reasons – and for those users, we have made it dead easy to switch the online search tools off with a simple toggle in settings.

So while I think the privacy concerns with sending data to Canonical when you'e doing searches is significant, so long as the user is aware and has the option, more power to them. I don't think I want to integrate my desktop and network search, but I certainly see a mass market that may want this. Depending upon how easy it is to create and configure these "scopes" to plug into this system it might be a great way to build customized searching without the need for Google to know everything about me.

I think people are too reactionary when it comes to both privacy and commercialism. From the previous posts you'd think this was a mandatory feature and Canonical was selling user data or something. They seem to be responsible players here creating cool tech that some of us may not want. I see nothing for me to get upset about.

Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[Kelzar]

I think 'opt-in' would be better than 'opt-out'. When you radically change the way something works, you should do your best to make sure that the user understands what changes are being implemented. I think there would be much less backlash if there was, for instance, an option during installation/upgrade with an info bubble explaining the feature.

Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[Anonymous Coward]

But it isn't radical. The Music and Video lenses worked exactly the same way in Unity since 11.10. Unity users already know their searches are online. Stallman is way late to this non-issue.

Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[RocketRabbit]

Just because Shittleworth says that your info is anonymized, this doesn't mean you have to believe him.

Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[Kelzar]

I had new users in mind. I don't think my grandma would assume her searches would be online.

Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[http]

"Significant" is a charitable understatement. Anonymizing information is hard. No, really, you think it's hard? It's harder than that.

Re:Good for Ubuntu and Some Users

[RobbieCrash]

Do you not think that Amazon will attempt to link queries to individual users? Were I them, I know I would.

Not only that, but what if I like the feature generally so I leave it enabled, does anyone really want their searches for "herpes medication schedule" or "Erectile dysfunction log" to be sent upstream?

Ubuntu is done.

[Anonymous Coward]

I was thinking of switching away from Windows via either Ubuntu or PC-BSD this upcoming year. Thanks for making my choice easy.
Yes people are free to switch to a different linux distro, and I'll do that within the BSD jail system.

Re:Ubuntu is done.

[jones_supa]

Heh. I wonder if BSDs are taking the crown of "alternative operating system" from Linux, while Linux becomes an actual mainstream thing.

Ubuntu News Ubuntu 13.04

[Anonymous Coward]

how about making a version where all its features actually work? no massive vpn problems for instance, its features actually work for the end user straight from the box

This is a good thing

[GPLHost-Thomas]

For each of such change we're seeing in Ubuntu, people are coming back to Debian. Welcome back!

Re:This is a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, welcome back to the nightmare known as Gnome3! Bwhahahahaha!

Re:This is a good thing

[DoofusOfDeath]

Actually, my discontent with recent Ubuntu releases has driven me not to Debian, but to Mint.

When I was recently frustrated with Ubuntu, I did attempt OSS purity by installing Debian. But the relative complexity of the installation process, including lack of closed-source drivers, reminded me of the rough edges that Ubuntu smooths over.

Fortunately, Mint smooths over what I consider to be the rough edges that Ubuntu introduces.

Re:This is a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty much the same here. Why would I punish myself by installing Debian, a long and painful process without a lot of the software and drivers I want? Instead I can just use Kubuntu or Mint and get everything I want in one nice, easy package.

Re:This is a good thing

[loufoque]

Debian actually changed the default desktop.
I think it's either LXDE or XFCE, don't remember.

Re:This is a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

"But the relative complexity of the installation process, including lack of closed-source drivers, reminded me of the rough edges that Ubuntu smooths over."

Ubuntu: Ancient African word for "Can't install Debian".

Re:This is a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

This hasn't happened. It might happen for the release after next.

Re:This is a good thing

[LateArthurDent]

Actually, my discontent with recent Ubuntu releases has driven me not to Debian, but to Mint.

Eh. I have a serious moral problems with mint, starting with their stance that search engines should "share the revenue Linux Mint users generate for them" with Mint, and stunts like editing code to make them amazon affiliates in banshee's music store instead of the original developers or the ubuntu packagers, ie, the people who actually did all the hard work.

Granted, this shopping lens bullshit from Ubuntu is making me having severe moral problems with them as well, but that's definitely a reason to switch back to Debian, not Mint.

Re:This is a good thing

[sgage]

You have issues with some aspects of Ubuntu, so you use Mint which simply parasitizes off of Ubuntu.

Re:This is a good thing

[mverwijs]

> But the relative complexity of the installation process,....

Funny story.

My first job in IT was for Cistron Internet Services in the Netherlands. They were one of the first ISP's in NL. And had a few Debian developers working there. They had built this CD-Rom that, when inserted into your Windows 9x PC would autorun some installer that would setup your dial-in modem and stuff. Since the diskspace on the CD-rom was about 99% unused, they also included a complete copy of the first disc of Debian. Which was worth it's weight in gold at the time. I think it was Slink-1-and-a-half, but it could be Potato.

Now, this was a bootable CD, for obvious reasons.

I was on the helpdesk at the time. I had 2 new customers a year that would phone up and ask how they should proceed onto the internet now that they had finished the installer. After talking to them a few minutes I realized that they had actually managed to fully install Debian. They had rebooted their PC for some reason, with the bootable CD in it. They had managed to re-partition their drives, enter root passwords, enter user details, completely installing the whole shebang. They were looking at a Debian login screen and wondering how to proceed now. And then, and only then, did they bother to call the helpdesk as they couldn't figure out what to do next.

These were not tech-savvy people. These were small business owners that wanted to see what was up with that whole internet thing. And yet they managed that in 2001 and

Every time I hear someone say 'the $Distro installer is complicated', it brings back a fond memory of great times at Cistron. So thanks for that.

Kindly,

mverwijs

Ps: Cistron ADSL will come to YOUR area within two weeks! Really!

Re:This is a good thing

[DoofusOfDeath]

You have issues with some aspects of Ubuntu, so you use Mint which simply parasitizes off of Ubuntu.

Well yeah, but why shouldn't I?

Re:This is a good thing

[DoofusOfDeath]

"But the relative complexity of the installation process, including lack of closed-source drivers, reminded me of the rough edges that Ubuntu smooths over."

Ubuntu: Ancient African word for "Can't install Debian".

There's a big difference between "can't" and "don't feel like taking the time to when another option exists". Some of us have a lot of things to get done, and that puts a premium on our time. As long as the downsides to using Mint (vs. Debian) don't outweigh the benefits of a simple and quick installation, I'm going with Mint.

Re:This is a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

If the old people go back to Debian but new people start using Ubuntu, the market share of Linux is going to grow.

Re:This is a good thing

[Anonymous Coward]

You have issues with some aspects of Ubuntu, so you use Mint which simply parasitizes off of Ubuntu.

Well yeah, but why shouldn't I?

Too many parasites kill off the host.

Re:This is a good thing

[lister king of smeg]

Can and have installed debian still use ubuntu due to not having to track down propriety drivers, and other "patent encumbered" software. I just purged unity from the system and use a sensible DE, mate, instead.

Re:This is a good thing

[GPLHost-Thomas]

RMS wrote and said multiple times that freedom might have a cost. Well, that's exactly the case here! In Debian, we don't have non-free binary blobs on the "main" section, and as a consequence, on our CDs. For this, you should be complaining to your hardware vendor that he's not providing the source code. You shouldn't be complaining to Debian the fact that there are some non-free drivers. Also, I shall remind you that these drivers are (almost always) available from the (well named) non-free repositories.

I guess it all depends how much you care about freedom and privacy. Here you care more about your privacy than about your freedom, obviously.

Re:This is a good thing

[GPLHost-Thomas]

Maybe because you care about your freedom, and you understand Debian's position about non-free blobs? The punishment is made by OEM vendors, not Debian. MiNT is just yet another non-free distro...

Re:This is a good thing

[GPLHost-Thomas]

Probably, you might be interested in the long threads about MATE in Debian, and the reasons why we don't have it yet. To make it short, MATE guys have forked many, many libraries, which they admit wont have the time to maintain. So many people inside the Debian community pushed them to use upstream libraries, and limit the number of forked projects.

I wouldn't use MATE just yet, it just feels too unsafe, even though it seems to work very well (I tried it too, but on plain Debian Wheezy, not with Mint).

Obvious correction needed

[dkleinsc]

"This is intended to make the whole experience even more interactive and useful for Canonical and their online retailer partners."

What's pretty clear is that Canonical is now trying to cash in. The good news is that it's easy to switch to another distro.

Because if there's one thing I need from an OS...

[Zadaz]

... It's for the ability to east the separation of me from my money. I constantly think about it, every time I use a computer. "The one thing lacking in this OS, the one fault of the developer, is that not once did they think about my pocketbook and how it's too full. They really should divert development time from other features to make it easier to spend money. I really don't do enough of that, and there are so few ways for me to do it."

Dammit, and I was just getting to like Ubuntu as a mature competitor to the commercial offerings. I had even convinced a few friends to try it. Now I'll look like a fucking shill.

ubotnet.

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux, apart from a few extremist distros like Gnewsense and Trisquel are all part of the same botnet that Apple and Microsoft are in. This post sponsored by GNU/Goatse foundation.

Posted from my Windows 8 Pro PC.

rofl

[Anonymous Coward]

This is hilarious. It took me like 2 hours to switch from OS-X to ubuntu. It would take me probably only one hour to switch to any other linux distibution of my choice.

I switched to Mint 14 Cinnamon...

[Anonymous Coward]

...and didn't let the door hit me in the arse on the way out either. True, most versions of Mint are based off Ubuntu, but once they iron out some of the wrinkles I'll make the transition to Mint Debian and bid a permanent farewell to those sellout pricks at Canonical.

Re:purchase burfgort

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you have some kind of need to show up like a clown?

It's a shame

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a shame Canonical is going this way. I'm using Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and find I like Unity. At least I like Unity 2-D, the 3-D version doesn't work properly on any of my machines. In the past few months Canonical has introduced spyware to new versions and dropped Unity 2-D (the one that works). This effectively kills Ubuntu has a possible upgrade path for me. My next upgrade, while possibly Ubuntu-base, will not run Unity or its Dash.

Countermeasures

[Framboise]

If Canonical becomes that much unfriendly, some users will be encouraged to setup a light daemon generating a multiple of random queries for each real ones. Then Canonical will try to filter out the noise, and the escalation with more clever scripts inundating their servers with trash will continue :)

Re:Countermeasures

[Anonymous Coward]

Jesus, you're a sociopathic fuck. Why not just use a different distro? Nobody's holding a gun to your head to use Ubuntu.

Embarrassing

[Anonymous Coward]

This almost seems like a sick joke at this point. Not only are they loading up the system with advertising, but it's so poorly implemented at this point that Canonical is slowly becoming a caricature of modern software companies. What does anyone have to gain from this? When did opening a web browser and typing "amazon.com" become too much work? Have we reached the point where the only thing people want out of their computers is a shopping/advertising hub?

Seriously, this fails on so many levels that I'm completely baffled. This is supposed to be a major new feature, but it obviously will become completely non-functional when you get disconnected from the net. Ignoring all the other problems, why is there a major OS-level feature that works COMPLETELY differently depending on whether or not you are connected to the internet? I'm trying but I can't find any way to stretch this so that it actually makes sense.

Use xfce

[AliasMarlowe]

Uh, current Ubuntu user here. I'm all for this.

Current Xubuntu user here (2 desktops, 2 laptops). I don't particularly care how Unity is distorted, other than remarking that this sort of thing ensures I stay away from it. We had Gnome 2 on all the PCs, but switched every one of them to xfce when both Unity and Gnome 3 showed their differing ugliness while testing them in a VM.

Re:Use xfce

[Pinhedd]

xUbuntu 12.10 is solid. I run it in VMs on both my desktop and my laptop and do all my work on it.

Re:Use xfce

[BrokenHalo]

I'm not sure that Gnome 3 is actually ugly, as such. I just found it totally unusable. Given that I had been a more or less loyal Gnome user since pre-1.0 days, I thought that was a bit sad, but since the developers knew what was best for me, I too went to xfce before I finally got to like KDE.

Re:Use xfce

[tattood]

I use Fluxbox. It's lightweight, fast and does everything I need it to.

Money

[jones_supa]

It simply seems that Ubuntu has seriously started to look into ways for collecting more money. Remember, it started with the donation page being shown when you download the ISO. What do you think, will more robust money backing make better open source software?

Re:Money

[Anonymous Coward]

will more robust money backing make better open source software?

Like sending your file search strings to Amazon? That's not better software, that's worse software.

Re:Money

[jones_supa]

I agree. Specifically, that makes Ubuntu less free software, by the definition of RMS, as a program having malicious features.

CentOS

[Anonymous Coward]

Switched to CentOS 6 as my desktop environment. Haven't looked back.

/. says differently (per article I used)... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"the Dash delineates between local and online results. Users know that their search has been submitted online when they get results from online sources like Amazon, etc." - by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 09, @12:52PM (#42234561)

That's not what the article implied that I quoted from here -> http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3304601&cid=42234351 in fact? It was MORE THAN IMPLIED - it was stated, verbatim!

* Did the article submitter OR the editors here make a mistake then, here -> http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/12/07/1527225/rms-speaks-out-against-ubuntu

?

(Thanks for answering...)

APK

P.S.=> Once more - Taking the quote from the source I used ( a /. article ) here into account (the post you replied to) -> http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3304601&cid=42234351 :

When they start using what you do locally? That's (to myself @ least) like putting a surveillance camera into your home - principle's the same imo!

... apk

All negative here

[Anonymous Coward]

The aim of Canonical (Ubuntu) is to go mainstream. Create a painless OS. They'll need money for that.
I'm using the software center, the music store, and I think the sync and DE are great. The dash.. well, I did not found the Amazon search so good, but I think the entire dash search could use some improvement, so it's getting there, slowly.
I'm personally not typing my diary into the dash, so I don't really care if it's transmitted to Ubuntu and then processed by some computer program.
I don't do so much for Gmail either, though they'd have much more information on me.
Truth is, if you have to say something: It's most likely noone cares. If you don't actually have to say something, much less.

Come on folks, most Android applications want to know all your information, including your contacts, your personal info, your location and the preferred color of your underwear.
That's why I don't want to buy a smartphone, all of them want to do this, some to exploit you in ways that harm you.
Some anonymous processing of my desktop search (which I actually do rarely - I'm a geek, mostly in the terminal, if anything), which I can disable easily in the system configuration - there is worse.

Internet connection is not a problem

[roguegramma]

see http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1149.txt

Goodbye Ubuntu

[Nimless]

Ubuntu it's officially now a Kindle with flickering videos and no games. Ubuntu, Linux for human beings turned into Linux for consumer beings.

How the Dash already works

[David Gerard]

"I wanted to update/install my nvidia drivers, so I opened the dash and typed "drivers". IT DISPLAYED GOLF CLUBS on sale at Amazon!"

Presumably the new version will buy them for you as well.

Re:How the Dash already works

[Jedi Alec]

Hell, you're lucky. Next time you may find yourself with a limousine parked outside.

Available Unity Lenses to Try out

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe people should try out some other lenses to see how the Dash is supposed to work

What Lens for Untiy are available?
Ask Ubuntu (actually this lens also allows search everything on StackExchange)

YouTube Scope & Lens

Dash-based Calculator

Google Books

Ubuntu Cities Scope (time, temperature, map, wind speed)

Wikipedia Lens

Google Docs Lens

Pirate Bay Scope & Torrent Lens

Adult Lens & YouPorn Scope

Web Sources Lens

Recoll Lens (Recoll is a full text search desktop tool which indexes the contents of many file formats including OpenOffice, MS Office, PostScript, MP3 and other audio files, JPEG and more. Besides regular searches, Recoll also lets you perform some advanced operations like searching for the author, file size, file format as well as operators like "AND" or "OR".)

Tomboy Lens

Gwibber Lens for Unity

Reddit Lens

Unity Graphic Design lens (Unity Graphic Design lens is a specialized tool, aimed towards designers, acting as a global place that can easily offer various resources needed for design, all in the comfort of the Dash.)

SSHSearch-Lens (his lens parses the ~/.ssh/config and ~/.ssh/known_hosts file to simple start the gnome-terminal and open a ssh connection with the fitting host-name and/or user.)

Unity Calendar Lens

Cooking Lens

Grooveshark Lens

Unity Dictionary Lens

Unity DuckDuckGo

Unity Web History lens: Firefox and Chrome History in Unity Dash

Unity Bliss Lens (This lens puts applications into category folders in the dash, similar to the old GNOME 2 Applications menu categories.)

Unity News Lens

Unity Binary Clock

Spotify scope

Pidgin Lens

Find The Perfect Time to Stargaze

There's more, but that should give a good idea that the Dash and Unity are more than just commercialized software to make money for Canonical.

Re:Available Unity Lenses to Try out

[eric_herm]

> Adult Lens & YouPorn Scope

I can perfectly imagine the one click buying integration with this one...

Re:Available Unity Lenses to Try out

[Anonymous Coward]

Except those are not installed and enabled by default. They are opt-IN, whereas Amazon is opt-OUT. That's the problem.

Re:Available Unity Lenses to Try out

[Anonymous Coward]

But the default is very easy to change and you have the option of using alternates or turning it off altogether. It's not a problem.

Canonical current users?

[dgharmon]

> Canonical is not really that interested in the opinions of its current users ..

If not satisfied, then why not ask for your money back ..

Re:Canonical current users?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or your private data?

Re:Canonical current users?

[Nerdfest]

They actually do have a 'send us money' option when downloading now, and many of us have paid for it. I like this approach a lot better than having a privacy invading default setup. I think it would get them a lot more money from their users in the end as well.

Re:Canonical current users?

[Anonymous Coward]

I doubt that you'll have much luck with that. I've currently got submissions filed with Google, Facebook, Microsoft, a host of different ad providers, the US government, the Illuminati, etc, about getting my private data back, but so far I haven't heard back from any of them. Bastards.

Re:Canonical current users?

[kangsterizer]

When I first saw the donate button on Ubuntu download page, I went to archlinux and donated there, and used their iso instead.
Simply because their whole model switched to "we really need to make money now" instead of caring for the users, open source, ideals, etc.

Re:Canonical current users?

[gtall]

And Ubuntu is created by elves, they cost nothing to employ, singing joyous songs of open source and ideals while they work tirelessly just to satisfy you and your bunny world.

Re:Canonical current users?

[Anonymous Coward]

No. Ubuntu is created by Debian, mostly.

Re:Canonical current users?

[jedidiah]

It's funny that you should mention that because I do have paid for copies of Redhat (or at least I used to).

Never did I see Ubuntu even attempt this approach.

So they are at the end of their rope and they have tried nothing. They sound like the Flander's parents whining about Ned.

On the other hand, Ubuntu has happily leeched from the rest of the community. Leeching would be the right way to describe it based on the way you want to frame things.

Re:Canonical current users?

[X.25]

If not satisfied, then why not ask for your money back ..

You think they'll give me back the $25 I donated when I downloaded 12.04 few weeks ago?

Re:Canonical current users?

[readnotpost]

I swore I'd use this account solely for reading, but I must reply...

If not satisfied, then why not ask for your money back ..

I know you're trying to be snarky but this is ridiculous. Not only are you suggesting that Ubuntu/Canonical cannot be criticized due to Ubuntu being free, you're ignoring the fact that the success of Ubuntu lies solely on its USERS by virtue of them, well, using it and pushing and advocating Ubuntu in the first place. Without these (free) users, Ubuntu and hence Canonical wouldn't have reached the level of success in the Linux market that they have (which relative to other operating systems is not much of course, but relative to Linux's traditional mainstream footprint, is a fair bit). Canonical grew solely because its users were fanatical about its Linux distro. Now it's changing in a way that those users are horrified with... and you have the balls to be smug?

Re:Canonical current users?

[Anne Thwacks]

For those who need to know: Debian is a Leprechaun, and definitely not an elf!

you know what would be cool

[Osgeld]

if Ubuntu and all its variants could detect a fucking 1280x1024 @ 60hz monitor without having to hand edit a depreciated text file that does not exist like it did in ubuntu 9

ya know, before you went all retarded?

Re:you know what would be cool

[Anonymous Coward]

depreciated

The word you're looking for is "deprecated". Notice the lack of the "i" and the different pronunciation (hard c instead of soft c, no i sound).

Who uses Ubuntu anyway? Explanation:

[blind biker]

The boneheaded decisions of Canonical, plus the existence of Mint Linux, have all but decimated the Ubuntu userbase. Yes, I know there must be some Ubuntu users out there still, but they're somewhere at the fringe of society: you know nobody in your circle of friends, colleagues, family or acquaintances who uses Ubuntu.

It's like IE: who the fuck uses Internet Explorer at this stage? Yeah, there must be people using it, according to various webstats... but nobody know those characters.

IOW, Ubuntu has become the IE of the Linux distro world: they exist somewhere out there, but nobody gives a shit about them, except malware writers.

Re:Who uses Ubuntu anyway? Explanation:

[loufoque]

I literally see hundreds of people using Ubuntu every day.
And that's in a computer science research laboratory.

Re:Who uses Ubuntu anyway? Explanation:

[NoGenius]

I love Ubuntu and will continue to use it. It is stable and runs great on all the machines around here. Unity serves both our high-end experienced developers and our newbie business-type users. Unlike so many Slashdot posters, I was able to locate the OFF button that disables online searches. Its tucked away in the most unlikely place: "Settings->Privacy". I've never seen so much FUD about a new feature that comes with an off button. Sheesh.. I have no plans to ever buy anything from the Dash...to me its the wrong place to do online shopping...but I am happy to see Canonical doing things to make money because it makes me more comfortable that they will be there for me in the future.

Ubuntu sucks...

[Anonymous Coward]

I`m Ubuntu user since few years. Now I see that Linux idea, starting to be shitty part of global shopping business.
Time to change distro. I think Linux Mint is a good candidate for Linux Desktop.

Ubuntu sucks...

There is no problem

[guitarMan666]

This is just the direction that Ubuntu wants to go in which is good for them if they want to create a consumer operating system to compete with the likes of Android, OS X and Windows. I personally don't find the new interface all that offensive, but nor do I use it (I'm an E17 guy). I do, however, recommend it to others looking for an alternative to Windows and they seem to like it more often than not. In the case of "not" I generally point them to KDE or XFCE. The beauty of Linux operating systems is that there are hundreds (thousands?) out there to pick from and they're customizable. You can always uninstall this feature. I must state though that Ubuntu should have made it "opt in" instead of a default behavior.

So if you don't like what Ubuntu is doing, go with something else. Now, I understand RMS's complaints here and would say that using this is tantamount to using something like a mainstream OS, but I have to argue that is what Ubuntu is going for and people like RMS and other Free Software advocates are no longer its target demographic. It is now an OS for the average Joe (or at least trying to be) and the Linux people who are so offended by this have the many derivatives of Ubuntu as well as a dazzling array of other distros to choose from and to direct others to.

Canonical, home of Linux vaporware.

[Animats]

Remember "Canonical, the sponsor of the Ubuntu project, today announces that Ubuntu is now available pre-loaded on the new ASUS Eee PC series". Never shipped.

"Canonical and Dell have teamed up to offer an extensive range of Dell desktop and notebook configurations, certified and suitable for home use, business use or software development." No mention of such products on Dell's site. Do they just make this stuff up?

Re:Canonical, home of Linux vaporware.

[loufoque]

They did ship, but:

1) the products were not made available from the main site. They were hidden so that you couldn't find them unless you knew exactly where they were.
2) after some time, they dropped them.

How internet searches work

[Anonymous Coward]

Since you already had a specific set of driver in mind, why didn't you type "nvidia drivers" in the dash? Or is this the first time you've used software to perform an internet search?

Linux Mint

[davydagger]

I'll say this before and I'll say it again, if you haven't ditched Ubuntu for Mint, now is the time
http://linuxmint.com/

Its also funny to note that install base of Ubuntu has taken a nose dive in the last year(two?). with mint taking up the slack.

I wonder why.

Re:Linux Mint

[Osgeld]

and if you havent ditched mint for all of its half baked widgets breaking constantly, now is the time

Re:Linux Mint

[sgage]

Because Mint just re-badges Ubuntu, throws in a few extensions, and calls it "Mint".

Parasites.

Re:Linux Mint

[Rob Simpson]

If Ubuntu didn't insist on sabotaging itself, Mint wouldn't have a business model.

Re:Linux Mint

[davydagger]

they developed a whole new desktop called "Cinamon", and help maintain "MATE", in response to both gnome-shell and unity.

If Ubuntu didn't spend the last 2 years making piss poor decisions, and Mint cleaning up the mess, you'd have a point.

If Ubuntu didn't fuck up, no one, self included, would give a damn about mint.

Re:Linux Mint

[NoGenius]

Its also funny to note that install base of Ubuntu has taken a nose dive in the last year(two?).

Got any data to support this?

Didn't think so.

Time to switch to Debian

[epp_b]

It's essentially the same to use as Ubuntu 10 -- the last version before all the Unity crap, crippled Gnome and spyware commercializing -- plus, the software and updates are carefully vetted and upgrades are not so annoyingly frequent. And, of course, there's none of this commercialization BS.

I've been running it in a VM to prepare for the switch and it will be soon.

Re:Time to switch to Debian

[Guruprasad L]

I have been using Debian Wheezy with GNOME 3 and definitely it isn't worse than Ubuntu

I'd like to point out something "odd"... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

1st of all - Thank you to whoever upward modded this post of mine, TODAY & to a +5 level -> http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3304601&cid=42234351 that I replied to noe.

However - The funniest part? I posted nearly EXACTLY the same thing yesterday here:

http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3301707&cid=42218221

And got a -1 down moderation - in the very thread THIS one is about leading to this article today... no valid technical computing based justification behind the bogus downmod either!

(Will wonders NEVER cease?)

APK

P.S.=> Just thought I'd point that little 'tidbit' out here, since I suspect it's the same little ac troll who *tried* to "impersonate me" in this very thread, here -> http://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3304601&cid=42235249 (that's my reply to his post, done as ac on HIS part no less - which only tells me I have gotten to him, SO BADLY, he has no other "outs" or outlets for his mania regarding myself... I suspect it's "revenge-driven obsession" for lack of a better expression here)!

Yes - he clearly has "issues" of a "mental" nature...

... apk

Has it now?

[westlake]

The boneheaded decisions of Canonical, plus the existence of Mint Linux, have all but decimated the Ubuntu userbase. Yes, I know there must be some Ubuntu users out there still, but they're somewhere at the fringe of society: you know nobody in your circle of friends, colleagues, family or acquaintances who uses Ubuntu.

The geek's circle of friends must be smaller than most.

Dell Ubuntu Laptop Developer Speaks About Future Plans

Splashtop introduces remote Ubuntu to Android and iPhone

10 reasons to choose Ubuntu 12.10 over Windows 8

The point being that Ubuntu remains a remarkably successful distribution --- particularly in markets where Linux can seem all but invisible.

Re:Has it now?

[NoGenius]

Don't forget https://www.system76.com/

Got a new Ubuntu laptop from them recently...its terrific.

Re:Attempting to impersonate me now, troll?

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice try troll, but no one is fooled by your attempts to impersonate me.

APK

P.S.=> I don't use the goatse image. I have a poster of it on my wall for that.

... apk

Their Real Customer is GCHQ/NSA

[Anonymous Coward]

..and that's why they need ALL YOUR QUERIES.

I do

[Anonymous Coward]

Ubuntu 10 LTS. But sure as hell I will not use any later version. Fuck you, Mr Shuttleworth.

And

[Anonymous Coward]

..Thanks for Ubuntu 10 LTS, Mr Shuttleworth.

Re:And

[Anonymous Coward]

Thanks for all versions of Ubuntu, Mr. Shuttleworth. Well, thanks for all except for Edgy Eft (6.10), Intrepid Ibex (8.10), and Natty Narwhal (11.04). Those kinda sucked.

Ubuntu really showing some strong competition

[Anonymous Coward]

Ubuntu's really giving Microsoft a run for their money in the race to the bottom. Finally, an OS that can go toe-to-toe with Redmond's offerings!

Next up, grep and find

[Culture20]

Can't wait until Ubuntu starts altering grep and find to start using libcurl to report search terms to amazon. Maybe even return ads to a new IO stream: stdadvert.

Re:Next up, grep and find

[cabraverde]

Can't wait until Ubuntu starts altering grep and find to start using libcurl to report search terms to amazon. Maybe even return ads to a new IO stream: stdadvert.

Then keep your eye on Bug #1055766

Re:Next up, grep and find

[Culture20]

grep -R doesn't automatically search amazon

I laughed out loud. Then I grew sorely afraid since the ticket keeps vacillating between confirmed and invalid. Plus there are some posts that seem to take it seriously.

Re:Next up, grep and find

[readnotpost]

Plus there are some posts that seem to take it seriously

In my experience a lot of Linux fans (basically the ones dedicated enough to register and post on bug trackers) to be somewhat weird and detached, and do not understand sarcasm and parody. Perhaps it's the nature of the Internet, but it's clearly to me that the "bug" was intended as a joke. Supposedly smart geeks though are often unable to deduce such things though, which amuses me greatly.

Re:Next up, grep and find

[Anonymous Coward]

somewhat weird and detached, and do not understand sarcasm and parody. Perhaps it's the nature of the Internet, but it's clearly to me that the "bug" was intended as a joke. Supposedly smart geeks though are often unable to deduce such things though, which amuses me greatly.

That may be clear to you, but some people have great difficulties detecting these things, not only in posts, but also in verbal conversation.

Re:Next up, grep and find

[readnotpost]

Sure, I agree. Not to paint a wide brush on the Linux community (which I'm probably going to now), but it wouldn't surprise me if a LOT of Linux users have Asperger syndrome. There's something about Linux which seems to attract such folks. Which is good, if not for the fact that it's sufficiently notable enough to affect the posting style of such users and can put off non-Asperger people if they aren't aware of this fact.

Phoronix, which is a very pro-Linux site, has quite a lot of posters who really can't handle difference of opinion and take trivial (in my mind) things way way too seriously and out of hand. It's pointless posting there unless you also think Linux is all about a war against the world.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish...

[Anonymous Coward]

Canonical must be completely nuts, this does not make any sense.

Users with some linux experience will (or have already) move on to another distro, just the way it always has been when a distro screws up or something better comes along. There are just too many debian based distros so canonical has nothing to offer to keep people around. Everybody I know who does not have enough Linux experience to handle this sooner or later switched back to Windows anyway.

That leaves us with the business customers that canonical has been chasing all those years, they will be very happy to see it shipped with malware.
I have a bunch (maybe 20) of 12.04 LTS installations at work, guess we will make a switch sooner than later (planned to switch to Debian because of other crap anyway as soon as support runs out).

It'd make /. editors + article submitter wrong

[Anonymous Coward]

"Nope. Actually he's wrong there too. Super+f to go to "Files & Folders" view. In that part of the dash, all searches are all local and nothing is sent to Canonical or anyone else. Of course, if RMS like so many obnoxious Mint users, had actually used Unity instead of ranting about things they don't understand......" - by kernelpanicked (882802) on Sunday December 09, @04:04PM (#42236241)

For posting it then per my subject-line above, vs. what you stated & I quoted above...

I don't USE "Unity" or Ubuntu lately (haven't since I used it ALL of Summer 2010 while I toured Europe, & that was KUbuntu 10.04).

* I'd like to get a STRAIGHT ANSWER @ this point - wouldn't you all?

APK

P.S.=> I don't know WHAT to *think* now - can anyone "shed any light" on this now for us reading please? Thanks...

... apk

I wanted to like Debian

[Rob Simpson]

But they insisted on going to GNOME 3 and won't allow MATE in the repos - just the same arrogant "get used to it" attitude as Ubuntu.

Re:I wanted to like Debian

[LateArthurDent]

But they insisted on going to GNOME 3 and won't allow MATE in the repos - just the same arrogant "get used to it" attitude as Ubuntu.

Have you actually followed the MATE thread in Debian? The objections were of a technical nature, concerning dependencies on obsoleted packages and unnecessary forks, it wasn't a philosophical one.

The MATE developer in the forum agreed with the suggestions from the Debian guys and implied they intended to move in that direction. In the end, you're going to get better code. In the meantime, you can download the .deb packages from unofficial repositories. What's the problem?

How has Ubuntu lost it's way?

[gorehog]

I just don't understand what Canonical has planned. They created the most user friendly distro going and things were great. Then they decided to make Ubuntu tablet-centric. Okay...but there are no tablets running Ubuntu out there. Maybe they'll get together with Gabe Newell to create a SteamBox. I just don't get the overall plan. Is it to become attractive to tablet makers as an alternative? That's about the only route left right now and it's not a bad idea. In the meantime the general community is left looking for something a little more hacker-friendly. Debian and Mint are the obvious options.

You'd best talk to Mr. Stallman then... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"You know... the versions of Ubuntu I used had no 'desktop search feature'." - by mysidia (191772) on Sunday December 09, @04:14PM (#42236363)

I don't recall one in the last version of KUbuntu I used, but I only used it for the summer of 2010 while I toured Europe (was pretty good on a laptop, version 10.04)...

---

"Are we complaining that a new search tool actually uses online resources to search?" - by mysidia (191772) on Sunday December 09, @04:14PM (#42236363)

I'm not the one "complaining" - Mr. Stallman is, and from what was said in the article I pointed to (from this site)? I would complain about it as well...

---

"Have you ever used Google desktop? " - by mysidia (191772) on Sunday December 09, @04:14PM (#42236363)

NO reason to - Windows 7 64-bit does the job for me, just fine...

---

"I believe you might well find that other desktop search tools submit queries to remote sites as well....." - by mysidia (191772) on Sunday December 09, @04:14PM (#42236363)

From your LOCAL diskdrives? No thanks...

* That 'point' of Mr. Stallman's, IF IT IS CORRECT?? Is pretty valid on that basis alone...

(I.E. -> Why on EARTH would a search string that targets my LOCAL DISK be sent to a REMOTE SERVER??)

APK

P.S.=> I feel it is the SAME THING as installing a camera into your home that monitors you from remote sources, personally... what I search for on MY DISK DRIVES? Shouldn't be ANYONE's BUSINESS - so, thus??

I see Mr. Stallman's point (assuming it IS accurate that is)...

... apk

Kinda proud of this

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering masses are now brainwashed into buying good and not-goods from vendors, this isn't necessarily a bad idea at all. Think about people who want to comsume and buy, buy, buy music and apps on amazon. Ubuntu has made that quick and dirty for better or worse.

Quoting RMS from "The Register"... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"First introduced in Ubuntu 12.10, the "Home Lens" unified search feature inserts product recommendations from Amazon into the search results, irrespective of whether the user intended to search the web or local files.

This is just like the first surveillance practice I learned about in Windows," Stallman says, recalling how a friend first noticed the Microsoft OS phoning home with search queries.

That type of behavior is a strict no-no to the free software maven, who lumps it in with DRM and hidden back doors as malicious practices that should result in the offending code being treated as malware.

"The ads are not the core of the problem," Stallman writes. "The main issue is the spying. Canonical says it does not tell Amazon who searched for what. However, it is just as bad for Canonical to collect your personal information as it would have been for Amazon to collect it." - RMS from -> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/07/stallman_on_ubuntu_spyware/

---

* NOW, either YOU are full of it, or the editors of /., the editors of 'El Reg', & RMS are wrong...

APK

P.S.=> Right now, as it stands? I am leaning THEIR way, not yours unfortunately, unless YOU can PROVE THEM WRONG, & it is possible you can (not that it matters to me, I am a "Windows man" here)...

... apk

Re:Quoting RMS from "The Register"... apk

[kernelpanicked]

I could care less what you, RMS, or anyone else believes, ya self important jagoff. The fact is, I USE Unity, and I know better. Those who don't have first hand experience really don't need to be running their uninformed mouths. Period.

re linux business model

[Anonymous Coward]

linux business model has failed. too many distros, to many forks, too much chaos and spagetty... when linux has 2-5 distros that everyone tries to compete to be the best, then linux will take over the desktop. until then it will only be a hobby..

find the linux

[ninja59]

As long as you can turn it off (and on) which out too much work, I have no problem with this. In fact it might have some other benefits.

It may give a voice to certain sector of the population that is not usually well represented; I always forget to put change my user agent info back after I have to access some specific page. I think Linux users, on average, take care of their privacy a little better maybe just because they have an inkling of how and have the tools readily available. Does this mean they are under-represented in the marketplace? Are they invisible to the extrapolation algorithms that help decide how to set up pages, how much to stock of certain products, and what might be the next fad?

As a simple example: Does Amazon know that Linux compatibility is a defining feature when X% of the population looks for a video card? Those kind of compatibility questions are rarely addressed on the product page in a useful way; I always have to look it up elsewhere.

If Ubuntu does not identify me specifically but it sends a lot of queries, they are showing that a lot of people want Linux oriented stuff. I personally would be ok with that.

Might even help in nerd oriented materials like dice and sci-fi/fantasy stuff. At least that is what I mostly search for locally and online.

Oh boy here we go again...

[ikaruga]

Ubuntu, just like their slogan says, is the linux for human beings. And by human beings read average Joe.
The easier and more intuitive they make the OS for the av. Joe the higher is going to be the probability for them to be widely adopted and to be supported by OEMs, thus also increasing third party software development interest by everything between FOSS and closed developers. The interest of hardware makers in making drivers available for Ubuntu will also increase. And higher will be the probability of having open hardware instead the crap Microsoft and Apple are trying to push down in our throats. Plus 95%+ of the benefits Ubuntu get can be transfered to any other Linux distro, so everybody wins.

While from the point of view of an advanced user Ubuntu may be going to the dark side, its "corruption" will benefit the linux community indirectly in many ways.

gave up on ubunto 12.10

[Anonymous Coward]

After two hours trying to get hardware accellerated video ati hd3450.

What exactly are the neck beards going to buy?

[Anonymous Coward]

Think about it, if they didn't have the money to buy a proper operating system (especially given all of the deals on Windows 8 right now), why would they be tempted to buy crap that Canonical wants to sell them?

Stay away from Ubuntu

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been an Ubuntu user for idk how many years and I'm totally disappointed with this project, and keep using it just because for me it's still better than Windows or OS X. I tried to convert to Ubuntu umm over 25-30 people so far, and they all ended going back to Windows and I'm not surprised at all. Canonical is making Ubuntu less and less usable (and not only Canonical as a matter of fact.) With no default taskbar that I could use to quickly view and switch all open windows with one click, a complicated and hard to use alt+tab switcher, a menu to access apps that is such a hassle to browse even for one that know the names of most the apps (I don't know how Canonical thinks a beginner user can find a photo editor or any other app using that strange menu,) drivers that don't work or don't work right like graphics, scanner (having to type my login credentials in dark just so I can get the screen working after login,) and not to mention the many errors that pop up ever now and then, or system freezes, or losing the entire hard drive just because BTRFS is buggy and there is no way to recover a broken drive.

Stay away from Ubuntu unless it's what you really need. Use Chrome OS, Android, Windows or whatever else. Ubuntu is not usable nor stable. If you need encryption or things like running a server seems cool, but when it comes to basic things like GUI and stability, it's just awful.

Amazon doesn't even have global presence

[Guruprasad L]

Amazon doesn't sell stuff in India like it does in the US. There isn't even an option for a user like me to buy anything. So what is the sense in saying "We make it convenient for the user to search and buy stuff right from the dash"? And are advertisements and shopping the only ways to make Ubuntu convenient for the user?

This makes me extremely happy.

[Arancaytar]

About my decision to dump it.

Cliched but...

[TractorBarry]

-> Ubuntu

-> Shark

Calm down already/take your meds... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting - but, there wasn't any need to get bent about it, ala this from you:

"I could care less what you, RMS, or anyone else believes, ya self important jagoff." - by kernelpanicked (882802) on Monday December 10, @01:19AM (#42239683)

Calling me names/performing an illogical ad hominem attack on MYSELF wasn't necessary - you COULD have just PROVED YOUR POINT instead!

(Apparently, you can't, & throw a tantrum instead!)

---

"The fact is, I USE Unity, and I know better." - by kernelpanicked (882802) on Monday December 10, @01:19AM (#42239683)

Ahem: USING a program & UNDERSTANDING ITS INTERNALS can be 2 different worlds...

For example, did you WRITE it? If not, I doubt you absolutely fully understand it.

(However, you do have the opportunity to PROVE YOUR POINT... so, why don't you? You can make a liar out of RMS, The Register, & /. too if you wish!)

---

"Those who don't have first hand experience really don't need to be running their uninformed mouths. Period." - by kernelpanicked (882802) on Monday December 10, @01:19AM (#42239683)

Your mouth? It doesn't sound informed at this point based on your name tossing... it sounds like that of a petulant child.

APK

P.S.=> Prove your point - "put up or shut up", but do it with class, not illogical ad hominem attack attempts...

... apk

Linux is way too mainstream

[cod3r_]

Hipsters took it over. I'm going to windows.

You say this based on what?

[INowRegretThesePosts]

Its also funny to note that install base of Ubuntu has taken a nose dive in the last year(two?). with mint taking up the slack.

You say this based on what?
Out of all my colleagues using Linux, one uses Debian, one uses Fedora, and all the rest use Ubuntu.
What makes you think Ubuntu's install base has "taken a nose dive"? Distrowatch click rates? Those are just interesting numbers, with poor correlation with actual install base.

i don't understand

[Anonymous Coward]

people pay money for software and music?