As I stated in the other thread it isn't my idea, it was mentioned in the last show of Linux radio show - LugRadio. I does not even support it, but reading seems to be for geeks only I think.

Canonical does not earn money with the single user but with providing support for companies, a big company within the US using these "illegal" codecs would face a lawsuit within weeks.

RMS actually likes the Idea as he opposes every nonfree software and he tells people to use vorbis and theora. Additionally he suggests not breaking laws but fighting against, in his opinion, stupid laws.

OK, so you just reposted this awful idea rather than inventing it.

Yes, but the community provide some neat free advertising and can be extremely nasty when wronged. Bear in mind that many of the single users work for the companies and can just recommend something other than Ubuntu to their bosses. Linux is all about people power.

But you're missing that freedom #0 of free software is that there must absolutely no restrictions on usage. A firewall to prevent the downloading of certain packages to users in a certain geographic range would certainly violate at least the spirit of freedom #0.

This does not apply to the freedom of the FSF or the GPL as these codecs are not free software, they are proprietary.

So you are suggesting using closed software instead of the FLOSS alternatives to it?

Advocating the use of these codecs does only harm the FLOSS-movement and brings people to invent stupid solutions like fluendo.

If you don't like a law, change it and don't break it.

"Hey Boss, I'm using illegal software at home, we should totally use it here!"



Nice logic dude. So someone posting news is an idiot, this is a discussion forum, there have to be topics besides gun law or creationism...

After I read the forum rules, calling people an idiot and in such a way for no reason would break 2 in my opinion...

1. "hate" speech is unacceptable. Such posts will be edited or deleted and users may find their accounts banned.

2. Posts that attack individuals using vulgar, derogatory, obscene, racists or sexist remarks will be deleted. No personal attacks.


That is at least 3 times they called someone an idiot for no reason and seems to specifically do so , just to do it.

wow...it's a shame to see people take things waay too seriously.

Yep, I agree. If everyone was an idiot for their views, we'd all be idiots for sure.


OMIF

I never called him an idiot, I posed the passive question if in his opinion someone posting a topic which he found interesting to discuss (me) to be an idiot.

So is asking someone to clarify why he's calling me an idiot a personal attack? Oo

Welcome to America, where any man may become a monopolist simply by filing at the patent office!

That's the cost of being legitimate.

Uh, I was referring to THEM calling YOU an idiot.

OMIF

I couldn't have said it better.

OMIF

Oh, sorry I think it did get it wrong then. Calling one person "they" confused me.

sorry

NP. I should have stated Rhapsody.

OMIF

Yawn.... many reasons here to stay clear of Ubuntu

Freedom #0: Freedom to use software for any purpose.

If you want to install a non-free or even illegal app on your free OS, then that's your right. Canonical isn't the party being wronged here, they have no right to interfere.

There are no FLOSS ways to play RealMedia or WMV, that's the point of Medibuntu. We don't live in a perfect world, I wish we did, because then I wouldn't be here arguing with you.

Fluendo is a company based in Spain. Are you referring to one of their products?

That's your philosophy, but I see no reasons to abide by immoral laws, especially ones that carry a minimal to zero chance of prosecution.

Where the hell are you getting this from? Ubuntu includes no illegal software by default, and does not come set-up to download any. Medibuntu must be manually added, and even the universe/multiverse repositories must be manually enabled. A stock Ubuntu install comes with absolutely no legal danger above and beyond something like Debian or Fedora.

This a time and place where Time magazine has picked "You" as Person of the Year. Ordinary people are now the prime medium by which we get news and information, and dumb ideas like this one only get propagated because ordinary people like you repost them as 'talking points'.

Great. The rules of every single forum seems to have a silly and unnecessary quirk somewhere in them, and I've found this forum's quirk. I'm not sure I can deal with this one. If you want to enforce civility, then I'll either bottle up my irritation until it ferments into hatred, or start blurring the line between content and insult. Either way, you're probably going to have to ban me at some point.

Serious? This is the internet! I just tapped him on the bloody shoulder!

This is who I called an idiot and I'm the one that gets moderated? Truly there is no justice in this world.

I know that there is no particular way to decode these proprietary codecs with FLOSS. So what? Don't use them.

It's legal where I live (The Netherlands), but if I was in the US, then fuck the rules. I won't bother using them.

how much would it cost to make it legal...
wait isn't it against the ubuntu promise?

The use of the word "illegal" is inflammatory or at least misunderstood in this context.

To most people, illegal means a bunch of men will kick down your door in the middle of the night and drag you off. Where here I think it means a bunch of lawyers arguing the finer points of copyright law.

This has more to do with the linux purists getting hung up on the word "Free"

In a world where most of the computers on the planet are using pirated copies of Windows, who gives a monkeys about a handful of codex? In the grand scheme of things a bunch of lawyers can talk up a storm, but i will be a storm in a tea cup...

Free as in speech is a lofty goal, Free as in beer is more than most of us should expect, but Linux delivers.