[Nottingham] Share your operating system bundling tales with the EU

Jason Irwin jasonirwin73 at gmail.com
Thu Apr 21 08:23:55 UTC 2011


>Aside: We also need an alternative to Linux before it too becomes an
>effective monoculture/monopoly!...
To be honest I don't think we do.  Linux users can't even agree on a window
manager let alone anything else!  And then look at the whole
Canonical-Unity/Gnome-Shell debacle (so much missed opportunity, so much
duplication and wasted effort).

The Linux eco-system is, I think, diversified enough that it is its own
competition.  It's also less commercial and more inclusive that the MS/Apple
eco-systems.  However the rising commercialisation of Linux is one thing
that does concern me.  If one company gains enough (any?) traction with the
people on the street it will be seen as "Linux" and the others as "doing it
wrong".  Then you'll need FreeBSD or Haiku or something to compete.

In much of the tech press Ubuntu is already referred to as if it is the only
Linux in existence.  Great for Canonical marketing, but it should be of
concern the common Linux user.  Lest the Linux world descend into a clone of
the MS and Apple monocultures.

J.




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