Ubuntu is so much more than an operating system.

Ubuntu is a philosophy, coming from Africa. I discovered this from a friend's video (french, sorry). There is a wiki page about it as well, but it's not /wiki/Ubuntu.

Well Ubuntu is *also* a linux distro, and they used the word along with its original meaning, and even made promotionnal videos about it.

This at least explains the african nature-looking themes of the early releases:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_vers...se_history

And releases names using animals present in Africa:

- 4.10 (Warty Warthog) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phacochoerus
- 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_African_hedgehog
- 5.10 (Breezy Badger) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_badger
- 6.06 LTS (Dapper Drake) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck#Etymology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_black_duck
- 6.10 (Edgy Eft) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt
- 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_stag
- 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) - NOT IN AFRICA (East Asia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbon
- 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-backed_night_heron
- 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer_goat
- 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) (fictionnal) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackalope#Origins
- 9.10 (Karmic Koala) - Australia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koala
- 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) - Cold northern regions!
- 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) - good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meerkat
- 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) - Cold seas! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhal
- 11.10 (Oneiric Ocelot) - South america! - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocelot
- 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) - good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangolin
- 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) - South america! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzal
- 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-tailed_lemur
- 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) - America and tempered regions! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander
- 14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahr
- 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn) - meh
- 15.04 (Vivid Vervet) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vervet_monkey
- 15.10 (Wily Werewolf) - MEH!
- 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_ground_squirrel
- 16.10 (Yakkety Yak) - Himalaya! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_yak
- 17.04 (Zesty Zapus) - North America! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapus

I loved ubuntu up to version 9.10 roughly. By using it, you could tell there was a message along with the product. Something like "we do not want to dominate the world, but to help people make their way". I saw it in public places, and I wondered what was this thing. It was my first step into Linux, and free software.

I do not mean being technically a free software, I mean having a message that you do not make programs for money, no endless marketting, not doing the impossible to please the custommer, but giving what people need.

Then they drifted away, starting to care about being competitive, adopting marketting strategies, like Windows, like Apple, like Coca Cola: They started to focus on how to market their product... Oh, sure! with the message still present, "computer for human beings" or whatever, but all companies have a catchy slogan.

Canonical, you do not deserve to market a product called Ubuntu anymore. Do you remember what does this word even means? How different are you from Google? You promote your softwares, operating systems, free of charge, and just like any company, you contribute to some free software.

http://ubuntu.com does not even one word on the meaning of "ubuntu", and here is your about page:

Quote:About the Ubuntu project

We believe in fast, effective computing for everyone. Created by the open-source community and Canonical, Ubuntu is free to use and share, at home and in business.

Shame on you. The closest of your original project is:

Quote:Open-source software ›

Ubuntu is created by open-source developers because we believe that everybody should have access to the best possible technologies.

This passionate global community works together to continually evolve the best systems in the world and then make them available to everybody, absolutely free.

"Best possible technologies". I do not care about having "Best possible technologies" if I have no funds to afford an expensive computer. But what you care about is to "evolve [into] the best systems in the world".

https://www.ubuntu.com/about/about-ubunt...philosophy

"Our Philosophy", is only talking about pedantic details about Licences. But this is the "Philosophy" page of Ubuntu.com! People that heard about the Ubuntu philosophy will come to this page.

They even removed the wiki page about the origin of the name (404). The about page used to give the meaning of ubuntu.

The founder, Mark Shuttleworth seems to follow the same evolution. Started out as a Debian developer, but in 2013:

Quote:On 25 October 2013, Shuttleworth and Ubuntu were awarded the Austrian anti-privacy Big Brother Award for sending local Ubuntu Unity Dash searches to Canonical servers by default

He even followed the tax evasion route by taking money to the Isle of Man. And when the South Africa court asked back for the R250 million out of the 2.5 billion he moved, this guy appealed. Only once the court forced him to pay, he announced he will donate all the money to charity organizations, and people thank him for that.

And then this: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1..._name=IAmA

Now he even says "I am the founder of Ubuntu". Take a social and cultural movment people fave faith into, make a company with this name, let it grow until it become famous, and say "I am the founder".

I am not surprised, the world is full of jerks and full of nice people. But today I discovered that Ubuntu from Canonical has nothing common with the ubuntu philosophy anymore.

It used to be: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Exper...ubuntu.ogv