11.08.10

What Alfresco and Android Can Teach About Ubuntu

Posted in Apple, Free/Libre Software, GNU/Linux, Google, Microsoft, Ubuntu at 8:05 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Canonical puts its own wheels inside the GNU/Linux system, which in turn it can use to deviate further into a package that’s open but not exactly free (as in freedom)

A LONG discussion in IRC this morning revolved around Canonical. It is important to just keep an eye on what Canonical is doing, not to accuse them (based on mere suspicion) of something which they have not yet done and may never do at all.

Last month Canonical was criticised for its copyright policy in Ubuntu. Now that we deal with Unity and Wayland in future releases of Ubuntu, one might also ask about control which goes beyond copyrights. There is growing concern among us that Ubuntu does to GNU/Linux what Alfresco does right about now by going proprietary with an ‘open’ core-like (dual licensing) structure. Canonical’s current COO came from Alfresco where such a business strategy had been implemented even before he left. Hosted plans are part of it.

“Now that we deal with Unity and Wayland in future releases of Ubuntu, one might also ask about control which goes beyond copyrights.”Canonical desperately needs to hire some Free software advocates, including the likes of developers such as Alan Cox (now in Intel). Canonical adds so-called ‘pragmatists’, especially for the management (there are even hirings from Microsoft), so guidance sometimes misses the point about freedom. Just consider the Yahoo! debacle (Ubuntu sending users to Microsoft), which Canonical eventually withdrew from, only after a lot of backlash.

There is a growing perception that’s difficult to deny about Canonical building its own Android-like environment which embodies GNU/Linux but disregards developers from other companies that use the same software. Android is good at addressing Ubuntu’s #1 bug (market share), but it does very little to actually promote software freedom.

Here is a new example of a key Canonical developer promoting Novell’s Banshee, which is based on Novell’s Mono that contains Microsoft code. We wrote about this troubling subject in:

Ubuntu should not be imitating Apple or emulating Microsoft. Trying to become something they are not will leave almost everyone dissatisfied. Additionally, in order to succeed, Ubuntu should work closely with other companies. Diverging and doing things alone would leave Canonical competing quite weakly against far bigger and more aggressive companies. A lot of developers associate themselves with Free/libre software through the GPL (which Apple hates). Ubuntu should not anger “developers developers developers developers” like Microsoft is doing right now; instead, it ought to consider working more closely with GNOME and with X. It would help everyone. █

“That would be because we believe in Free Software and doing the right thing (a practice you appear to have given up on). Maybe it is time the term ‘open source’ also did the decent thing and died out with you.”

–Alan Cox to Eric Raymond

Share this post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Permalink Mail Send this to a friend

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

Pages that cross-reference this one

3 Comments

vexorian said,

November 8, 2010 at 5:47 pm

[quote]A lot of developers associate themselves with Free/libre software through the GPL (which Apple hates). Ubuntu should not anger “developers developers developers developers” like Microsoft is doing right now; instead, it ought to consider working more closely with GNOME and with X. It would help everyon
[/quote]
Why X? It is not GPL, not unlike Wayland it has a license more like the FreeBSD ones.

In desktops, we had Gnome and KDE, in apps we had plenty of options. It is surprising that until recently we weren’t aware that there are no alternatives in regards to graphics servers. I think it allowed X server to become stagnant. Graphics servers are an area in which GNU/Linux really needs help. So I am actually welcoming the idea of Wayland. Hey, it is not like Canonical is moving towards closed source apps. Unity and Wayland both are still FOSS and I think that overall, this would just increase the options for users. They cannot and won’t force anyone to use their stuff. I foresee staying with ubuntu as a distro but using the gnome desktop, and I can expect that it will be possible just like KDE fans that like Ubuntu use Kubuntu now. If it isn’t, then we can always leave ubuntu, but I think it is too soon to start flaming and spreading rumors against Canonical.

Dr. Roy Schestowitz Reply:
November 8th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Matt Asay told me (later today, after this post) that when it comes to business models they already do fine providing desktop support. He implicitly reassured me that that Bradley’s concerns are not justified.

twitter Reply:
November 9th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
The problem that should be watched for is a lack of commitment to copyleft and software freedom which always leads to wasted effort and problems for everyone. Mark Suttleworth has denied a move towards open core, but without copyleft others will waste their time creating Tivoised or “open core” versions as telcos have done with Android. People should avoid non free versions of otherwise free software but the confusion is best avoided by using copyleft software to begin with. Developers understand this which is why the GNU GPL is one of the most used software licenses and we have such a rich free software world.

There is, actually, a lot of choice when it comes to free software graphics. There are a lot of SVGA libraries for terminal users and portable graphics libraries used by things like Oppie, a QT environment for palm computers. There is also choice in the world of X11 with various versions of Xfree86 and X.org. X.org uses an X11 license which is free and GPL compatible. Wayland, according to Wikipedia, uses a “MIT License”, but this is meaningless because there have been many MIT licenses. The lack of attention to this detail on the Wayland site is troubling. Canonical should work to explain this issue, but I don’t see any mention of it on the ubuntu.org website.

I think that X11 is a mature framework that people should continue to use. GPE and others have made it work on ARM and it performed very well there. This should be expected because X was made in the early 80s when computing resources were much more expensive. By the time you add network support and all of the other goodies people expect from X11 to any other framework, you end up with the same set of problems people like to complain about when they FUD free software desktops. Free software is powerful enough to make multiple desktops frameworks, so Ubuntu’s move is interesting and may work out well. X11, however, is not the root cause of bug #1.

What Else is New

Links 7/1/2018: New Latte Dock and 4MLinux Releases

Links for the day
Patent 'Industry' Settles on Use of Buzzwords for Bypassing § 101/Alice Rules in the United States

Facing a tough reality wherein software patents get repeatedly rejected by courts, the patent lawyers reach out to low-importance precedence in low courts (rocket dockets) and pretty meaningless buzzwords that make computer code sound both innovative and physical
In US District Courts Patent Litigation Fell by a Whopping 17% Last Year

The push for broader patent scope is met with growing resistance not only from the public but also from courts; patently false statements are being made in an effort to frame this as devastation to science and technology rather than devastation to patent law firms
China's Self-Destructive Patent Policy Will Replace Assembly Lines of Products With Assembly Lines of Low-Quality Patents and Lawsuits

China's vision, as put forth by Xi Jinping (the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and paramount leader of China), includes an unprecedented number of patents of notoriously low quality, missing the whole point of patents and neglecting to properly account for economic theories behind patents
Anonymous “Kluwer Patent Blogger” is Probably Just Bristows LLP Hiding Its Identity While It Publicly Lies or Distorts Facts About UPC

In an effort to ram the Unified Patent Court (UPC) down Europe's throat (for Bristows profits) staff of Bristows appears to be writing misleading pieces anonymously and maybe choosing time of publication so as to limit response/correction
The Mystery and Secrecy of the Decision to Disband the EPO's Auditory Function After Battistelli Became President

The EPO‘s descent to tyranny was preceded by removal of the very pillars whose function could help prevent tyranny or at least react to it
Shortly After His EPO Appointment Benoît Battistelli Already Ignored the Judicial System of the EPO

The EPO‘s lack of an effective judiciary goes a long way back and demonstrates that Battistelli had suffered utter disregard for justice long before the social conflict or the feud with the union began
Patent Maximalists' Utopia: INPI-Like Patent Systems Where Every Application is Blessed and WIPO-Inspired Assumption That the More, the Merrier

The distortion of the patent system at the hands of the patent 'industry', which leads to granting of millions of patents that oughtn't be granted due to duplication, prior art, and/or lack of merit
When All That's Left is a Bunch of Patents: Stories of IBM, Finjan, Ericsson, and Citrix

Companies on the decline, where the number of products already verges (or is) zero, decide to just sue the entire industry, thereby reinforcing the cautionary tale about patents as 'insurance policy' taking its toll on real (operating) companies
The Federal Circuit (High Patent Court) is Still No Friend of Patent Maximalists and Microsoft Cases Are Belatedly Recalled by Them

The highest patent court (bar the US Supreme Court) has given no hope to those who pursue patents on virtually anything; Microsoft's disputes with Mastermine and Biscotti are recalled by them, albeit these cases too offer little hope (unless they emphasise the dissenting, i.e. in the minority, judges)
Staff of the EPO Has Had No Concrete Participatory Role at the EPO for at Least 7 Years

Battistelli acts as though the GAC (General Advisory Committee) has absolutely no importance and impact. "This is the first time that we can recall this happening," write the members nominated by the staff committee after no less than 234 meetings
President Battistelli Has Acted Like a King Since His Early Days at the EPO

As far back as 7 years ago, the EPO‘s President (only a year on the job) stopped accepting any input from the GAC (General Advisory Committee) and just went along with the so-called 'roadmap' set forth by Élodie Bergot
Élodie Bergot's HR Roadmap Explained by EPO Staff Representatives

Best known for appointment/promotion by nepotism at the EPO, Élodie Bergot’s document is politely being criticised based on lack of technical merit
The European Patent Office Suffers an Unprecedented Patent Quality Crisis Reminiscent of the World's Worst Offices

The very fact that the European Patent Office (EPO) has, in some domains, become more lax/lenient in its granting practices than the US patent office should be a cause for alarm; this typically means an increase in litigation, from which law firms benefit at the expense of productive companies
Sane Responses to the Latest Pressure From Team UPC Amid Brexit Negotiations

Paid-for lies regarding the Unified Patent Court (UPC) continue to circulate; nevertheless, readers/commenters are not gullible enough to accept/swallow these lies
Links 5/1/2018: Elive 2.9.22 Beta, Ubuntu 17.10 Re-Released Next Week

Links for the day
The EPO's Attack on the Boards of Appeal Dooms the Unitary Patent (UPC) and Team UPC Alters Its Tactics

The crisis of the Battistelli regime means that credibility of patent justice is significantly lowered and Team UPC finds itself scrambling for ways to salvage what's left of the UPC (even if that means mocking the complainants)
Links 5/1/2018: Mesa 17.3.2 RC, Meltdown/Spectre

Links for the day
Software Patents Are Still Being Rejected in the United States (New Examples), But the Anti-Alice Lobby Goes on

The situation in the US is becoming unbearable for those who put all their eggs in the software patents basket; in the meantime, however, more attempts are being made to change the law
Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Makes Precedential a Decision on Patent Troll Skky LLC

Last year's decision in Facebook v Skky has become precedential and patent maximalists continue their effort to undermine PTAB, which generally stops a lot of patent trolls
Links 3/1/2018: BuildStream 1.0.0, Fuchsia OS Surfacing

Links for the day
IBM Has Become Almost Indistinguishable From the Patent Trolls It Passes Patents to (Finjan for Example)

IBM and Microsoft have adopted a similar patent strategy which involves threatening a lot of companies for 'protection' money and passing patents to patent trolls that threaten these same companies some more
Translation Shows That Carl Josefsson and Christoph Ernst Refuse to Comment on EPO Injustice as It Might Embarrass Battistelli

An investigative article/journalism from Mathieu Klos and Christina Schulze, which contains few unknown details, did attempt to get a comment from heads of the Administrative Council and the Boards of Appeal, but both acted as though they are afraid of Benoît Battistelli and Željko Topić (Battistelli did play a role in appointment of a President at the Boards of Appeal, as well as his own successor's, Campinos)
Battistelli's Attacks on Judge Corcoran Threaten Not Only the EPC But Also UPC

Lack of independence, or judges' 'bondage' to Battistelli, isn't just a violation of the most fundamental rules (and spirit) of the institution but also a clear barrier to a system which extends breadth of impact to enforcement/litigation
Job Applicants at the EPO Disappointed, Reference Made in Interview to Slavery

Working conditions at the EPO, as well as recruitment standards, have taken a plunge under Battistelli and Bergot as head of Human Resources (HR)
Microsoft-Connected Trolls Like Finjan Are Still Blackmailing Companies That Compete With Microsoft

Finjan, a patent troll which pretends to be a legitimate company, continues to shake down legitimate companies for their cash and TC Heartland is currently the best available legal instrument for curtailing patent trolls (litigious tourism)
2017 a Good Year for the US Appeal Board Dealing With Patents (PTAB): Another All-Time Record, Invalidating Low-Quality US Patents

Some good news for the start of the year as the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) receives a record number of petitions in spite of the fees going up
EPO Management Claims “Higher Quality Patents” and Everyone at the EPO Knows That It's a Face-Saving Lie

Structures and procedures that helped ensure high patent quality (e.g. the Boards of Appeal) are under unprecedented attacks and a new statement -- with Benoît Battistelli's fingerprints all over it -- is this year's first example of lies as the norm at the European Patent Organisation
Links 2/1/2018: Arcan 0.5.4, Cutelyst 1.12.0, Jolla Update

Links for the day
2018 Starts at the EPO and Both EPC and UPC Are in State of Crisis

The situation at the EPO is becoming worse than untenable and the end of Battistelli's tenure within less than half a year won't be the end of it all