Making Free Software easy to use and commonly available

[Besnik Bleta]

Më 11/19/2013 08:57 AM, Otto Kekäläinen shkrojti:
> 2013/11/18 Matthias Kirschner <mk at fsfe.org>:
>> The other problem in this offer is Ubuntu itself. First because of
>> spying on the users by default (see Richard Stallman's "Ubuntu Spyware:
>> What to do?" <https://www.fsf.org/blogs/rms/ubuntu-spyware-what-to-do>
>> or EFF's "Privacy in Ubuntu 12.10: Amazon Ads and Data Leaks"
>> <https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/10/privacy-ubuntu-1210-amazon-ads-and-data-leaks>.
>
> The Dell machine comes pre-installed with Ubuntu 12.04, which does not
> have this Amazon lookup feature, and anyways I run Gnome 3 so pretty
> much everybody I know who used to be Ubuntu fans have switched from
> the Unity crap to something else: Gnome 3, KDE, Xfce, LXDE etc.. but
> that is a different story.
>
>> Second, as I assume you would also be interested to buy a machine with
>> GNU/Linux preinstalled instead of Microsoft Windows, although you will
>> afterwards choose another distribution, it helps to prefer offers with
>> distributions which do not include non-free software like Ubuntu does.
>> If the hardware works one of those distributios, it will also work with
>> another GNU/Linux distribution, which does not include non-free
>> software.
>
> I haven't tried if I can run Trisquel on this, which would be the most
> purest form of freedom, but also I don't think I fully understand the
> issue either and I am not aware of which parts of standard Debian or
> Ubuntu are actually non-free software like fsfe.org and
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisquel claims.
>
> Besides the normal Ubuntu repos, the Dell XPS 13 seems to have the
> following extra repos for drivers
>
> deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu precise partner
> deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu precise partner
> deb http://opensource.dell.com/releases/sputnik/archive precise main
> deb-src http://opensource.dell.com/releases/sputnik/archive precise main
> deb http://dell.archive.canonical.com/updates/ precise-dell public
> deb-src http://dell.archive.canonical.com/updates/ precise-dell public
> deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/canonical-hwe-team/sputnik-kernel/ubuntu
> precise main
> deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/canonical-hwe-team/sputnik-kernel/ubuntu
> precise main
>
> These all have at least deb-src-lines also and nowhere does my system
> say any restricted (non-free) drivers are in use, like it would say on
> Ubuntu computers where Ubuntu detects hardware that needs non-free
> drivers. But I don't have time to investigate this to the roots, but
> feel free to look at the repos above and tell me if you find non-free
> stuff.
>
>
> Anyway I think Dell XPS 13 is great. It might not be perfect, but it
> is still the best thing I've seen so far. It enables me to get a real
> GNU/Linux system without unbearable cost or functional sacrifices. In
> fact, it has functional advantages that makes it in the top range of
> laptops available at the moment. Very cool.
>
> Browsing through sites like http://linuxpreloaded.com/ or the FSF
> directory I can find only one single laptop that is sold pre-installed
> with Trisquel: https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/emperor-penguin-gnu-linux-notebook.
> I am a customer of ThinkPenguin for other hardware and at least the
> Fellow Tobias Platen has bought a laptop from there. They have at
> least Spanish and Swedish(=Finnish) keyboards and ship
> internationally. If their laptop is OK to you then that would be the
> most freedom loving choice.
>
> Unfrotunately the current thinkpenguin.com model isn't an ultrabook.
> In general, the Finnish keyboard requirement alone narrows down the
> options alot (I can't stop using åäö, right?). I guess lot's of you
> need Danish, German etc keyboards and Dell XPS 13 is a model that is
> available in many countries with native keyboards. For me as a Finn I
> can at the moment choose between Mac laptops, Windows laptops, a few
> Ubuntu laptops and some Chrome laptops. Of these, I chose Ubuntu.
>
> 98 out of 100 Linux geeks I know - and also according to the two polls
> I made at FOSDEM 2013 - don't by any kind of pre-installed Linux
> machines, but they buy Windows laptops and Mac laptops and then
> convert them into Linux machines, without supporting the pre-installed
> Linux-industry in any way. This is the real problem we should seek to
> change.
>
> I am proud I've done something about this, advertised it, and helped
> things go in the better direction. We don't live in a perfect world
> yet, but we will eventually get there if we vote with our money and
> persuade our fellow geeks and perhaps even others to vote with their
> money.
>
> Of those reading this thread - how many of you are currently running a
> machine that did not come with any kind of Linux pre-installed?

For the records, my 2006 HP laptop didn't have any GNU/Linux 
pre-installed. My main box has always been a custom built. Both run 
GNU/Linux.

cheers
Besnik

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