Slashdot Mirror
Canonical Developer Warns About Banking With Linux Mint
sfcrazy writes "Ubuntu developer Oliver Grawert does not prefer to do online banking with Linux Mint. In the official mailing list of the distribution, Ubuntu developers stated that the popular Ubuntu derivative is a vulnerable system and people shouldn't go for online banking on it. One of the Ubuntu developers, Oliver Grawert, originally pointed out that it is not necessary that security updates from Ubuntu get down to Linux Mint users since changes from X.Org, the kernel, Firefox, the boot-loader, and other core components are blocked from being automatically upgraded." Clement Lefebvre, the Linux Mint project founder, has since made a statement and confirmed that Oliver Grawert seems "more opinionated than knowledgeable" adding "the press blew what he said out of proportion."
Nice job Oliver - we really needed more ammunition in the Everyone vs Canonical battle.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
if you can't say how good your product is. tell everyone how shitty everyone elses product is.
... I don't want anything more to do with Canonical, or Ubuntu, or Mint, or any of that lot. I'm sticking with Debian. I'm sure it has its problems and all, but at least the politics seem to remain mostly internal. These public pissing matches between distros just seem so counter-productive. But since I've been using Linux (1998), it seems to be a constant. Ego issues? I don't know. I don't particularly care. It's just so boring and off-putting.
Why would you want to use a different distro where you don't know what could happen to your personal info;Here at Canonical we build the selling of your private info right into the menu!
It is a pretty fucking good point too, that list of rules contains update exclusions that certainly would affect security.
It's not surprising he'd try to bash Mint, considering they ate part of Ubuntu's marketshare when Ubuntu made stupid design decisions. That's what happens when you try to cram weird GUI changes down peoples throats in open source.
Don't move my Close, Minimize, and Maximize buttons to the left side by default unless you're going provide some spectacular improvements in return. I tried using it that way for a couple days and was still reflexively clicking on the empty right side to close the window. Eventually I found a config mod that fixed it, but then they went to the stupid Ubuntu mobile desktop and I couldn't be assed to work around it any longer so I switched.
It's worth mentioning that if you don't like Ubuntu repos, Mint also has a version based directly on Debian.
Good!
May they suffer.
Where on its websites and -pages does Ubuntu ever mention the word Linux?
The problem is these are labeled Unsafe Packages and Dangerous Packages, now with those descriptions what user is going to say "yes I want those"? It states that these can affect stability, which is true, but leaves out that they could be critical security patches, which is also true.
The real beneficial fix to end users here would be to state the whole truth about these updates.
Compare this with the Slashdot article title:
Whether he is technically right, or not, I find it disgusting that such a side note becomes news on Slashdot.
By the way, the subject was another new distribution based on Ubuntu, similar to Mint, therefore the Ubuntu developer actually encouraged an Ubuntu derivative.
At what point is Ubuntu going to transition into a community driven OS?
I'd say it already is transitioning to a community-driven setup, called "Mint". One of the key things that makes the open-source world different from the commercial world is that when an organization starts getting stupid and greedy, someone forks the project, and if they do a better job the user-base just switches to the new project and loses nothing of any great value.
I am officially gone from
I warn people away from Ubuntu and towards Debian or another reputable distro that is not selling your info and loading your os with AD's and spyware. Yes if you are sending info for targeted ad's you are bundling SPYWARE.
Ubuntu has tainted the water. It's not a safe OS.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
"Crucial to Linux components working with one another. Do not install unless you are experiencing a problem which you believe the upgrade will solve"
Sounds sensible actually.
yeah real sensible: only install security updates if you are actually being attacked. great idea dumbass.
By inferring that Linux in any form or shape might be not worthy of "online banking",
I think this has hurt Linux an immense amount.
He probably just now blocked tens of thousands of people of trying *Canonical*,
because the article reads "*Linux* is not good to do online banking with".
Smooth.
I wonder if he can do anything to repair the damage. :(