[Fedora-packaging] Re: supporting closed source operating systems?

[Axel Thimm]

On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 09:10:46PM +0100, Richard W.M. Jones wrote:
> On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 07:30:12PM +0300, Axel Thimm wrote:
> > So, when Joe Random starts preparing to use Fedora as a platform for
> > building gimp or some other interesting F/LOSS bits for a proprietary
> > system that is harming Fedora *Linux* are we really open to this?
> 
> It's not at all clear that being able to build Gimp (as an example) is
> harming Fedora.
> 
> There are at least three cases:
> 
> (1) User switches from Photoshop to Gimp (and other free apps) and
> eventually, much later asks themselves 'why am I bothering to pay for
> this Windows stuff when Linux runs all the same apps I'm now using?'
> and they are then able to easily switch to Linux.

Does this include the typical user that had a proprietary OS
preinstalled (and prepaid whether he liked it or not) on his system,
or does he propably not care now to make the switch since his needs
are fulfilled? And any other user that had a legitimate Windows
license is in great pain to even sell it if he's allowed to at all.

> (2) User switches from Photoshop to Gimp, but continues using Windows
> forever because they simply prefer the 'Start' menu and other Windows
> desktop features.
> 
> (3) Because the fedora-packaging mailing list has successfully
> prevented any free apps from being available for Windows, user is
> forced to switch their entire system (all their apps, operating
> system, document formats) all at once from proprietary to free.

I thought the libvirt on Windows project was there to create a
middle-step for this, or not?

> Which is likely to happen?  No idea.  You could, I guess, devise a
> study to see what typical users do.

Please check my full post, it actually contained a recent real life
example from a school that was about to switch to Fedora until it was
discovered that one can use gimp and other free software on Windows
XP. And if it counts as a study, I certainly did have the argument of
Windows vs Linux about a million times, and I'm sure everyone on this
list and his cat had it as well. We don't really need a study on the
oldest question in the Computer Age. ;)

Very few people run Windows for the pleasure of it - applications, be
that an Office suite, graphics, internet, and even games define the
true stack.
-- 
Axel.Thimm at ATrpms.net