4 ms·

I don't think Ubuntu has really thought this through. Besides the privacy problems, making your software into adware is incredibly destructive to its image. U

I don't think Ubuntu has really thought this through. Besides the privacy problems, making your software into adware is incredibly destructive to its image. Ubuntu can no longer be used by any self-respecting or privacy-conscious company or individual. Imagine the CTO of IBM - "So, this Ubuntu is adware? And it sends all our searches to Amazon? Are you kidding me? Get out of my office and get me a list of real OSes, you know, business-class operating systems." I mean what I say when I say, "can't". The image of adware is too low to be considered business class. Would you buy a bottle of wine that had an ad for hemorrhoid medication on the side? You might for yourself, maybe, if you're a wino, but would you buy it as a gift? Would you buy it for a restaurant? Would you buy it for a dinner party? Ubuntu has just classified itself in with the Netzeros of the world, as bottom-of-the-barrel software. It marked itself on the forehead with a big tattoo that says "substandard software" - they set the brand on fire. That change is going to hurt more than any extra revenue is going to help.

takluyver 14y ago
I have opened a bug report about the privacy concerns and the negative PR, suggesting a simple fix: put the shopping lens in a separate pane, so users have to opt in. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shopping/+bug/1054776 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shoppin...
w1ntermute 14y ago
This is pure hyperbole. It would take one of IBM's Linux IT people half an hour to modify the Ubuntu disc image to remove the offending package.
- nilved 14y ago
  Time that nobody wants to or should need to spend, and time that isn't necessary with other distros.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    I'm not saying that it's OK. I'm saying that this isn't the sort of showstopper for corporate Ubuntu adoption that the OP seems to be suggesting.
    - keithpeter 14y ago
      Business Desktop Remix 12.04 LTS http://www.ubuntu.com/business/desktop/remix http://www.ubuntu.com/business/desktop/remix has Java, flash, vmware installed, and has had social clients removed. I imagine that the next version of this would omit the 'enhanced' Dash search 'feature' as well. Enterprise is not the issue, the issue is the consumer tablet/netbook/TV space with crapware added.
- jellicle 14y ago
  The technical situation has NOTHING to do with this problem. It is a social problem, an image problem, a branding problem. Ubuntu is now low-class software, and high-class people use high-class software.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    Meh, I think that applies more to the consumer market than it does to the corporate market. If the corporate market were concerned only about branding, everyone would be using a Mac. And although there has been a trend in that direction, the overwhelming majority of corporate computers are running Windows to this day.
    - saurik 14y ago
      Your example is confusing, as Mac is branded as a consumer product: if a corporate market "were concerned only about branding" it would choose Windows, not Mac, as Windows is branded as an office workstation. The word "branding" in this context does not mean "trending", it means something closer to "typecasting".
  - xaa 14y ago
    I know a few people who still use Kindle and Google Search, despite their infection with ads. Maybe Ubuntu will survive as well?
  - btian 14y ago
    I use what suits me the best. TBH this is the first time I hear about class-warfare in software. "High-class" people can use Windows Server for all they want (if they define pricy as "high-class"), while the rest use what is the best for ourselves. Is Google going to abandon Ubuntu base as their main OS? Very unlikely as they can just strip out the package. Does Google give a damn about "class"? No!
- rubinelli 14y ago
  Or you can run an Ubuntu-derived distribution. In my experience, Linux Mint is already much more corporate user-friendly. It's Ubuntu with all the opiniated stuff taken out and replaced with conservative, sensible alternatives.
jiggy2011 14y ago
Yep, one of my favourite things about the Linux desktop has always been it's relative lack of adware/spyware/whatever. Thing is , I imagine most of Ubuntu's current users are savvy enough to just remove this and get on with their lives therefor grossly reducing the affiliate revenue they would get. I actually wouldn't necessarily be against some amazon integration into the OS, for example having a 'shopping' lens might be convenient, especially if it let me manage my cart and track shipping etc all from inside my OS. I don't even understand how this is especially useful to amazon anyway. I usually use the home lens to search for programs, what use is knowing that I typed in 'sublime text' to amazon?
nazgulnarsil 14y ago
I don't think Ubuntu is really thought through.

takluyver 14y ago

I have opened a bug report about the privacy concerns and the negative PR, suggesting a simple fix: put the shopping lens in a separate pane, so users have to opt in. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shopping/+bug/1054776 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-shoppin...

w1ntermute 14y ago

This is pure hyperbole. It would take one of IBM's Linux IT people half an hour to modify the Ubuntu disc image to remove the offending package.

nilved 14y ago
Time that nobody wants to or should need to spend, and time that isn't necessary with other distros.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  I'm not saying that it's OK. I'm saying that this isn't the sort of showstopper for corporate Ubuntu adoption that the OP seems to be suggesting.
  - keithpeter 14y ago
    Business Desktop Remix 12.04 LTS http://www.ubuntu.com/business/desktop/remix http://www.ubuntu.com/business/desktop/remix has Java, flash, vmware installed, and has had social clients removed. I imagine that the next version of this would omit the 'enhanced' Dash search 'feature' as well. Enterprise is not the issue, the issue is the consumer tablet/netbook/TV space with crapware added.
jellicle 14y ago
The technical situation has NOTHING to do with this problem. It is a social problem, an image problem, a branding problem. Ubuntu is now low-class software, and high-class people use high-class software.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  Meh, I think that applies more to the consumer market than it does to the corporate market. If the corporate market were concerned only about branding, everyone would be using a Mac. And although there has been a trend in that direction, the overwhelming majority of corporate computers are running Windows to this day.
  - saurik 14y ago
    Your example is confusing, as Mac is branded as a consumer product: if a corporate market "were concerned only about branding" it would choose Windows, not Mac, as Windows is branded as an office workstation. The word "branding" in this context does not mean "trending", it means something closer to "typecasting".
- xaa 14y ago
  I know a few people who still use Kindle and Google Search, despite their infection with ads. Maybe Ubuntu will survive as well?
- btian 14y ago
  I use what suits me the best. TBH this is the first time I hear about class-warfare in software. "High-class" people can use Windows Server for all they want (if they define pricy as "high-class"), while the rest use what is the best for ourselves. Is Google going to abandon Ubuntu base as their main OS? Very unlikely as they can just strip out the package. Does Google give a damn about "class"? No!
rubinelli 14y ago
Or you can run an Ubuntu-derived distribution. In my experience, Linux Mint is already much more corporate user-friendly. It's Ubuntu with all the opiniated stuff taken out and replaced with conservative, sensible alternatives.

jiggy2011 14y ago

Yep, one of my favourite things about the Linux desktop has always been it's relative lack of adware/spyware/whatever. Thing is , I imagine most of Ubuntu's current users are savvy enough to just remove this and get on with their lives therefor grossly reducing the affiliate revenue they would get. I actually wouldn't necessarily be against some amazon integration into the OS, for example having a 'shopping' lens might be convenient, especially if it let me manage my cart and track shipping etc all from inside my OS. I don't even understand how this is especially useful to amazon anyway. I usually use the home lens to search for programs, what use is knowing that I typed in 'sublime text' to amazon?

nazgulnarsil 14y ago

I don't think Ubuntu is really thought through.