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Comment by windsurfer | Hacker News Reader

But I love Linux. I want some distro, any distro to gain large market share. The linux world is too shattered, too splintered to make a dent in the consumer marketplace, and it needs a large, popular distro like Ubuntu to create focus. Adding this sneaky extension breaks user trust and splinters the linux user base.

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And what does the market share bring you? Have Ubuntu and Canonical got large userbase willing to pay for a support and further development (like redhat), or have they attracted people willing and able to contribute someting (like debian)? Not so much.

They only can (try to) dictate to others and make them do what they want and need. Which is hardly making Linux any better, I think.

About people willing and able to contribute something : Yes Ubuntu has attacted such people. Maybe not everyone is contributing in code but many people contribute to Ubuntu through user forums and other such community avenues. Many many times I have searched for something not working on linux (for example some wifi card) and most of the times I have ended up finding the answer on the ubuntu forums. Similarly Ubuntu has also garnered a dedicated following of people who love to just tell other people about it.

Basically I wanted to say that Ubuntu may or may not have succeeded in getting a large developer following, but it surely has developed a healthy and active community and not just a passive userbase.

Adding this sneaky extension breaks user trust and splinters the linux user base.

Like Microsoft directing all search to Windows Live, or the iPhone using the iTunes Music Store? The difference is that Ubuntu is at least cost-free.

The reality is that nobody cares about this. Those that do should be using Debian. (The only value that Ubuntu has added is a default color scheme and nice desktop background for Gnome. Most Linux users have not gotten much from Ubuntu.)

Mamma and Pappa don't care about this only nerds do. Nerds can move away from linux but I guess cannonical feels Ubuntu has gained traction with Mama and papa and that it doesn't need nerds anymore.

then canonical forgot who installed ubuntu on mamma and pappa in the first place. what was done can be undone.

Yours might, but most Mammas and Pappas still don't know what an operating system is.

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