---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gregory Zysk <gmzysk@fedoraproject.org>
Date: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: Ubuntu's not GNU/Linux?
To: Sam Tuke <mail@samtuke.com>




On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 2:11 PM, Sam Tuke <mail@samtuke.com> wrote:
I find it hard to believe that it is a licensing issue - many other commercial distributions mention Linux repeatedly on their websites (Suse, RHEL, Mandriva...), and if it were because of this then why would they be able to put it on other pages, and just not the front page?

It is a licensing issue when they cannot ship their distro and all of its parts under the GNU/GPL. Certain proprietary components are not free to modify and distribute unless cleared through the vendor and in the case of flash that would be Adobe. 

Linux is a trademark (and I've gone through the sub-licensing process of it myself), but there is nothing stopping companies referencing it - "based on Linux", "a version of Linux" etc. are all acceptable references to the term.

I do not see the argument here. Linux as a product is different than that of the GNU philosophy.  

Also GNU's opinion isn't relevant to Ubuntu's ability to refer to Linux as far as I can see - they have no rights to the word or its application; what power could they have to prevent an organisation from using it?

There is nothing preventing Canonical from building an operating system off of the linux kernel. Many companies do that.  

I'm not aware of any good reason for Ubuntu hiding the fact that its based on GNU/Linux.

I do not think that they are trying to hide it personally, I believe that Hugo's comment was right in the fact that they are trying to differentiate themselves in the market rather than being another linux distro. 

Greg 

> Sam,
>
> That is because they can't. It is about licensing. They ship non-free or
> proprietary software with their distribution, such as Flash which prohibits
> them from adhering to the 4 freedoms of the GNU philosophy. You can find
> GNU's own stance on Ubuntu
> here.<http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/common-distros.html>
>
> Gregory



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Title: Fedora Ambassador Netherlands
User Homepage: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Gmzysk

PGP Fingerprint: 4643 E1AE 1AAD 85D4 6276
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