[sf-lug] "Educating Tux: case studies of Linux...and "Purity"

[Asheesh Laroia]

On Tue, 11 Mar 2008, Rick Moen wrote:

> Notably absent is Gobuntu, reportedly because (a/o 7.10 "Gutsy Gibbon"),
> it still includes trademark-encumbered versions of Firefox and
> Thunderbird, which will be fixed with Hardy Heron.

Note that the issues with Firefox and Thunderbird are not trademark 
issues, which are widely considered not a problem, but instead copyright 
issues.  Mark Pilgrim, whose rants I love to love, writes about this at 
http://diveintomark.org/archives/2007/10/18/gobuntu-has-already-failed . 
I'll quote one essential portion:

> The issue is so simple, I can explain it in 12 words: the copyright
> license governing these files
> <http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/other-licenses/branding/firefox/>
> does not permit modification or redistribution. That’s it. Really.

Rick further wrote:

> There are also patent-related issues, about which see: 
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Gobuntu/pkg-non-free

I personally think that the software patent issues are not very important; 
so does Gobuntu, it seems.  Quoting 
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Gobuntu/pkg-non-free :

"Gobuntu does not have or need a separate attitude to software patents to 
that of the Ubuntu project.

In the current software world it is common to see accusations of patent 
violation which do not specify what patents are affected or how the 
software violates them. While Ubuntu is prepared to take evidenced and 
specified allegations of patent infringement seriously, without proof of 
the patent infringement such accusations are worthless."

-- Asheesh.

-- 
<awkward> anyone around?
<Flav> no, we're all irregular polygons