[lbo-talk] Ubuntu stuff

Mike Beggs mikejbeggs at gmail.com
Mon Aug 17 16:16:06 PDT 2009


On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 3:40 AM, Dwayne Monroe<dwayne.monroe at gmail.com> wrote:


> Windows Vista as Neoliberal Instrument:
>
> <http://monroelab.net/blog/?p=611>
>
>> The trouble is that closed platforms can, with or without notice,
> become ever more restrictive, limiting the freedom of movement of both
> geek hobbyists and non-geek users.
>>
> Apple's FairPlay DRM infrastructure (DRM = Digital Rights Management)
> works well because it's carefully designed to create the appearance of
> a wide range of freedom within a tightly enclosed operational space.

Yeah you capture exactly what motivated me to switch to Ubuntu a couple of years ago. What's wrong with hatred of Cupertino as a reason anyway? The thing that pisses me off is that though they make some cool stuff, it is deliberately maimed... like they go out of their way to block certain functions.

And I'm no geek. Well, not a computer geek anyway. I can't say Ubuntu's been entirely smooth, especially at the start - but that has to do with all the hassle of getting hardware issues sorted out which are fully optimised for Windows and Macs. I found using the help forum infrastructure great; I've never had a problem I couldn't fix within a couple of hours, and once the initial things were sorted, it's been fine. I don't think it's for everybody yet, but it is getting that way. Aesthetically it's great, I prefer it to Apple, but really, each to their own there.

As for whether it's socialist... I'm not sure. Open source is not something that's that relevant outside software and other IP-heavy sectors. There's something to be said for the large and centralised organisation in the design phase, if only it could be combined with open source. I kind of think along the lines of what Doug wrote in a different context in After the New Economy (I think) - socialise Apple, don't abolish it! But surely that's a reason why Ubuntu has come to dominate end-user Linux - that it's a company and has taken responsibility for maintaining a stable distribution, ironing out bugs etc., and not just leaving it up to the freelance geeks.

Cheers, Mike Beggs scandalum.wordpress.com



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list