Ubuntu Software Center Criticized For Mixing Free and Non-Free Software

An anonymous reader writes: Tony Mobily has been watching the evolution of the Ubuntu Software Center for quite a while now. He had doubts about its interface and its speed, but liked the fact that it offered an easy, down-to-earth interface that allowed users to install software conveniently. However, the evolution of USC is worrying him a lot. Mobily is against confusing proprietary software with non-proprietary software, which USC seems to be doing. USC plays an important role — especially for newbie users, who can use it to discover new software more readily than via the package management system. But is there room for improvement?

Comments

Re:Tony

[CronoCloud]

just some Aussie who apparently was the editor and founder of some Free Software Magazine

https://au.linkedin.com/in/ton...

And what is it with all these UK/AU FSF zealots. Does "free software" remind them of all the amiga games they pirated or something? Is that why it seems every town in the UK has a LUG that meets at a pub? And what's with UK LUG's and pubs? Is pub culture that engrained in the UK that a fucking LUG has to meet there.

I don't care if software is non-free...

[Wee]

If it suits my needs, I honestly don't care even a little if software is non-free. All I care about is if it lets me get done what I need to get done. That's it, end of story. So yes, I think the USC should have free and non-free software in it. It gives users more choices, and that's a good thing. Which is why crusading against removing non-free software is a bad thing: It removes choices for users.

Let users decide what they want to use and why. Let them care if they want to. Let others not care if they don't. It's presumptuous in the extreme to try and think for others and make choices for them.

-B