[clug] Is this FOSS? Do we care? Google Chromebooks (Samsung & Acer) available in Oz: JB Hi-Fi & Harvey Norman

[Scott Ferguson]

On 19/03/13 12:24, steve jenkin wrote:

<snipped>

> Is this FOSS?

No. And not FLOSS either.  :)

But it's *nix based which some posters seem to believe qualifies Android
and Apple for posts to this list.

NOTE: very little of the posts about "linux" (GNU/Linux and Other/Linux)
are FLOSS (Free *Libre* Open Source Software) either.


> Do we care?

We in the plural? ;)

I care because it means:-
;more contributions to Linux (the kernel)
;more contributions to userland packages
;it decreases the amount of influence Apple and Microsoft have
;more devices that will run the OS of my choice (more is known about the
hardware, better drivers support etc, it wasn't built to the mandates of
MS or Apple)
;more cheap devices available for re-purposing (MS forced EEEs to
increase storage and pushed the prices accordingly)
;more consumers possibly learning to prefer usability over branding (or
at least break their existing fanboi allegiance)
;means Google will continue to employ people who work with an OS based
on the Linux kernel (Chromium/Linux)[*1], and probably continue the
Summer of Code and other things that will promote alternatives to
Apple/MS for people learning and thinking of learning computing[*2].
;means Google will likely continue to support Open Web standards and
provide opportunities for people that develop (and learn to) Web
applications based on Open Standards
;creates opportunities as it's less difficult to port Chrome apps and
support to GNU/Linux than to other OS
;it may motivate MS and Apple to rethink their marketing (and pricing)


Kind regards

[*1]
http://dev.chromium.org/chromium-os

[*2]
Prior to Chrome most 17 year olds worked with MS
http://chromeos.hexxeh.net/