How OpenSource betrayed OpenSource
Fixes in Fedora aren't backported like those for Debian or Ubuntu. Bugs in Fedora are fixed by upgrading to newer upstream version of product. Is this better than backporting? Well, I'm not the one to judge, yet.
Then Xorg 7.1 happend.
Before I continue, let me just say that I have Nvidia card.
As Fedora did it untill now, they should package Xorg 7.1 and push it to archives. I, as a nvidia and fedora user would expect that. But no, they decided to stay with Xorg 7.0 cause proprietary drivers don't support Xorg 7.1. Fedora, remeber RMS and the GNU movment? Do you recall what OpenSource is? Since when do we care about proprietary drivers?
This Fedora act has more consecuences than they imagine. Fedora was in lose-lose position cause of their patching practice. They have a share of users which use Fedora Cora 5 with nvidia drivers. Upgrading to Xorg 7.1 would result in breaking X on lots of it's users. Not a good choice to do. Not upgrading to Xorg 7.1 would result in breaking patching practice - again, not a good choice (but better than first one).
But, not upgrading to Xorg 7.1 would also mean that OpenSource movment died in Fedora. The thing we fight for, free (as in speech!) software, colapsed when Fedora decided not to upgrade to Xorg 7.1 *cause* of unavailable proprietary drivers for Nvidia and Ati cards. It also shows that practice of backporting fixes, altough much harder to do, is a better way to solve bugs.
I'm very disapointed cause we (OpenSource community that didn't act like it should!) stoped innovation cause of two proprietary modules, that shouldn't be in kernel in the first place.
Example of Ubuntu crashing Xorg on it's users shows us that this isn't so dramatic thing. Users will survive and find a way. They won't wait in the dark. Even if they don't, what would you sacrifice - users or your freedom? Remember, we aren't profitable company, we are OpenSource movement.
Fedora sacrificed Freedom. Freedom is something you can lose only once.
Then Xorg 7.1 happend.
Before I continue, let me just say that I have Nvidia card.
As Fedora did it untill now, they should package Xorg 7.1 and push it to archives. I, as a nvidia and fedora user would expect that. But no, they decided to stay with Xorg 7.0 cause proprietary drivers don't support Xorg 7.1. Fedora, remeber RMS and the GNU movment? Do you recall what OpenSource is? Since when do we care about proprietary drivers?
This Fedora act has more consecuences than they imagine. Fedora was in lose-lose position cause of their patching practice. They have a share of users which use Fedora Cora 5 with nvidia drivers. Upgrading to Xorg 7.1 would result in breaking X on lots of it's users. Not a good choice to do. Not upgrading to Xorg 7.1 would result in breaking patching practice - again, not a good choice (but better than first one).
But, not upgrading to Xorg 7.1 would also mean that OpenSource movment died in Fedora. The thing we fight for, free (as in speech!) software, colapsed when Fedora decided not to upgrade to Xorg 7.1 *cause* of unavailable proprietary drivers for Nvidia and Ati cards. It also shows that practice of backporting fixes, altough much harder to do, is a better way to solve bugs.
I'm very disapointed cause we (OpenSource community that didn't act like it should!) stoped innovation cause of two proprietary modules, that shouldn't be in kernel in the first place.
Example of Ubuntu crashing Xorg on it's users shows us that this isn't so dramatic thing. Users will survive and find a way. They won't wait in the dark. Even if they don't, what would you sacrifice - users or your freedom? Remember, we aren't profitable company, we are OpenSource movement.
Fedora sacrificed Freedom. Freedom is something you can lose only once.
posted by ivoks at
08:20
