[clug] Has Ubuntu resulted in a decline of Linux distribution innovation

[Andrew Janke]

On Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 11:14, Alex Satrapa<alexsatrapa at mac.com> wrote:
> How much work is involved with preparing a Debian package, that doesn't
> directly contribute to the utility of the upstream for non-Debian users? How
> much work is involved with hosting a repository that doesn't directly
> contribute to the Debian or upstream projects?
>
> There's more to Linux, GNU or Debian than just lines of code.

+1

I am at a loss to understand the vendor angst here. Sadly this sort of
thing has been discussed before:

   https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2008-May/004348.html

Leading to needless (but interesting!) look how good I am pages like this:

   https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Website/Content/UbuntuContributions

You could of course just look here for things that Ubuntu pushes
upstream to debian

   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/pkgreport.cgi?tag=ubuntu-patch;users=ubuntu-devel@lists.ubuntu.com

Still, this is all pointless as to me the single greatest thing that
Ubuntu/Canonical/Launchpad/Shuttleworth/etc has done is lower the bar
for people to contribute and I am not alone:

    https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel-discuss/2008-May/004398.html

The amount of novice user participation on launchpad/ubuntu
bug-tracker sites is (to me) at times incredible. It is obvious for
new users of Ubuntu as to where to go for help and where they should
submit their bug. The bar has also been lowered with the ubuntu
translations project, it is dead easy for non-technical users to
contribute. Yes there has been angst about upstream vs ubuntu
translations but to me this is not the point.

   http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/item/125/

The point is that canonical/ubuntu has made it easier for novice users
(unlike us lot who have spend many hours figuring out just how to
submit our patch/package to debian/etc) to contribute.

Would the GNU/Linux world be different without Ubuntu/Canonical? Yes.
Would it be a better place? Unsure, but I don't think so.

The bottom line is there are scant few individuals who have put
industrial sums of their own cash into GNU/Linux with no apparent want
of a return.

(Erk! the above makes me look like a Ubuntu groupie!).


--
Andrew Janke
(a.janke at gmail.com || http://a.janke.googlepages.com/)
Canberra->Australia    +61 (402) 700 883