Linux Community vs. Canonical

In polite terms there is an intense discussion going on between many people in the wider Linux community and Canonical and hence Ubuntu.

On the one hand many members of the community are claiming that Canonical is acting against the ethos of the FOSS community while Canonical claims to be making vital progress in ensuring widespread acceptance and thus continued viability of Linux.

I have long maintained that for any FOSS 'product' to be viable in the general market there has to be a sustainable underlying business model.

I admire hugely the volunteerism that is the lifeblood of the FOSS movement. Personal satisfaction in doing good and innovative work doesn't pay the rent, buy food or send kids to school. Every volunteer gets to a point, no matter how passionate and dedicated they are to whatever FOSS activity they are involved in, where they have to make some kind of living. If that living is not directly related their FOSS activity they have to deal with a conflict of interest.

The surest way to resolve that conflict of interest is to create a sustainable business around the FOSS activity. Which is exactly what Mark Shuttleworth has been doing with Canonical.

I think one of the major factors in the conflict with Canonical is a misplaced puritanical culture that wants to keep FOSS as some kind of underground movement where it is evil to make a living from FOSS activities. Does Linus live on thin air? Certainly not. He would not be able to continue his role without revenue streams. I can guarantee you that his income is mostly if not totally related to FOSS activities. Does that make him evil and unacceptable to the FOSS community?

Another factor is potentially ego or pride because a particular FOSS piece is not used in Ubuntu, for example GNOME. I think that some people who are heavily invested in GNOME find it hard to accept that GNOME is not used. Don't attack Canonical; look at the pros and cons of GNOME vs. UNITY especially in consideration of the market where Ubuntu is gaining acceptance. Canonical made a business decision and like any business have to live with the consequences of the decision. Considering the growing penetration of Ubuntu the decision can't be all bad.

My bottom line point is that Canonical looks like being sucessful at the absolutley essential challenge of building a sustainable business model that does not compromise the principles of FOSS. Kudos to them.