Its a simple idea. Take the Linspire Debian-based Linux distribution and bundle it with every proprietary driver and program thats available for Linux.
Ta-da, an instant Linux thats compatible with far more hardware and applications.
The problem, of course, is that by combining proprietary software with Linux, youre also legitimatizing the use of proprietary programs with open-source.
To paraphrase Pamela Jones, editor of Groklaw, Linspires mangling of the language of Free Software can only pervert and confuse the open-source community and audience.
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This could, according to some open-source developers, lead to a situation where the proprietary developers would call the shots. Eventually, this could cause Linux to recede into being just another minor, fragmented operating system.
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In short, welcoming proprietary software into Linux is like being a little-bit pregnant. You either are, or youre not.
Others dont see it that way, though. Gordon Haff, senior analyst for research house Illuminata Inc., said, “Sometimes the folks over at Groklaw just need to take a deep breath and pop open a cold one. Youd have thought Linspire was making fur coats out of little kittens or something.”
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