[Techtalk] I want Tux Racer dangit

[Kai MacTane]

At 11/11/02 01:41 PM , Caitlyn M. Martin wrote:
> > I like RH8 as desktop Linux, it does the boring stuff like email/web/type
> > letters/spreadsheets etc quite ably. However they did break some things:
> > first there was the locale issue, now I'm bumping into problems caused by
> > their removing mp3. The reasons sound good, but it leaves us poor users in
> > a bit of a pickle. http://www.redhat.com/advice/speaks_80mm.html
>
>Don't blame Red Hat for that.  Blame the RIAA and the various patent and
>copyright holders for the problem here.  Red Hat is covering themselves
>legally.  Again, I think they are doing the smart thing.

Given the new licensing on mp3 decoding, I'd agree -- among other things, 
RH's expenses would climb noticeably if they had to pay for every mp3 
decoder shipped.

I find the phrasing and style of the page referenced above quite 
refreshing. I'm still not interested in switching back to Red Hat, because 
I disagree with the direction they're taking their distro in (it seems 
targeted more for "Linux newbies", which is a very valid market segment, 
but *not* one that I'm in!). But, I'm quite pleased to see that they're not 
"going all corporate"; that page explains in nice, plain English where 
they're coming from, why they're doing what they're doing, and what you can 
do if you want something different. It even puts in a plug for Ogg!

So, while they may be targeting folks who don't include me, at least 
they're remembering what their roots are and not going all "grey and 
faceless." That's nice to see.

                                                 --Kai MacTane
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"You wear guilt/Like shackles on your feet;
  Like a halo in reverse..."
                                                 --Depeche Mode,
                                                  "Halo"