Linux is ready for the desktop!

[Tzafrir Cohen]

On Sun, Sep 18, 2011 at 11:41:01PM +0300, Nadav Har'El wrote:

> To "uncripple" the packages, I basically had to add two new repositories
> (rpmfusion for most things, livna for just the decss package), and then
> to install about a dozen packages. I don't remember the details (I obviously
> looked them up on the web), but they are not really important - my point was
> just that 1. It's possible (and you end up with a powerful multimedia desktop),
> and 2. It's not something a newbie can really do himself, and a newbie would
> really want someone else to do it for him.

As I mentioned, there are quite a few distributions that don't really
care about this issue. Typically for every "strict" major distribution
you'll find a derivative that includes all the non-free stuff.
Surprisingly enough, almost no major distribution does. But then again,
why do they choose so (see e.g. OpenSUSE's switch to free software
only).

The reason they don't is because it gets in the way of the second thing
you were after: getting the distribution pre-installed from a computer
shop, or generally: commercial usage. If you install Debian or Fedora
for your business you know you're pretty well covered license-wise. But
if you start adding all of those "other" programs, you're on your own.
One of them may actually forbid commercial use (or some other specific
types of usage).

-- 
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