Re: The Ubuntu issues

On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 04:48:18PM +1300, Thomi Richards wrote:
> On 31 January 2013 15:44, Chris Bannister <[email protected]> wrote:
> > That's fine, as long as it's an *OPT-IN* feature. (Would you like me to
> > hassle you to buy double glazing, and then get you to jump through hoops so
> > that you don't get bothered anymore? HINT, if someone wants double
> > glazing they will certailnly hunt a supplier out themselves.)
> 
> 
> I see your point, but surely if everyone followed this pattern you'd
> end up in the state where user action was required for any sort of
> innovation? The default installation would be something like debian
> 1.0, and the user would have to install ("opt-in") for everything they
> wanted, including kernel drivers, better tools, window managers... and
> the shopping lens.

In Debian, only the base system is considered essential, and would
make no sense being opt-in (the system wouldn't work.) For all else
*you* choose the option in the Debian Installer for the software *you*
want. Sure, if you don't install certain drivers you lose the use of
some of your hardware, this can be extra to the standard kernel Debian
supplies with the installer, and even extra to the tasksel option.


But we digress, we are talking about software which may appear
controversal and is not involved in the technical functioning of
the system (if you removed shopping lens, I presume the user wouldn't
even notice.) The only package which I know of in Debian which may 
appear controversal is popularity-contest¹, but even that is opt-in
at install time. 

(Oooops, there's a bug -- the typo in the description.)

> Clearly that's a ridiculous example, ...

Umm, no, but not pertinent :) 

¹ The popularity-contest package sets up a cron job that will
 periodically anonymously submit to the Debian developers
 statistics about the most used Debian packages on this system.
 
This information helps Debian making decisions such as which packages
should go on the first CD. It also lets Debian improve future versions
of the distribution so that the most popular packages are the ones which
are installed automatically for new users.

-- 
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people
who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the 
oppressing." --- Malcolm X

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