One of the major advantages of free software is that the community protects users from malicious software. Now Ubuntu GNU/Linux has become a counterexample. What should we do?

Proprietary software is associated with malicious treatment of the user: surveillance code, digital handcuffs (DRM or Digital Restrictions Management) to restrict users, and back doors that can do nasty things under remote control. Programs that do any of these things are malware and should be treated as such. Widely used examples include Windows, the iThings, and the Amazon “Kindle” product for virtual book burning, which do all three; Macintosh and the Playstation III which impose DRM; most portable phones, which do spying and have back doors; Adobe Flash Player, which does spying and enforces DRM; and plenty of apps for iThings and Android, which are guilty of one or more of these nasty practices.

Free software gives users a chance to protect themselves from malicious software behaviors.

Ubuntu, a widely used and influential GNU/Linux distribution, has installed surveillance code. When the user searches her own local files for a string using the Ubuntu desktop, Ubuntu sends that string to one of Canonical’s servers. (Canonical is the company that develops Ubuntu.)

This is just like the first surveillance practice I learned about in Windows.

Ubuntu uses the information about searches to show the user ads to buy various things from Amazon.

However, the ads are not the core of the problem. The main issue is the spying. Canonical says it does not tell Amazon who searched for what. However, it is just as bad for Canonical to collect your personal information as it would have been for Amazon to collect it.

However, the ads are not the core of the problem. The main issue is the spying. Canonical says it does not tell Amazon who searched for what. However, it is just as bad for Canonical to collect your personal information as it would have been for Amazon to collect it.

“The NVIDIA Linux driver across multiple GeForce graphics cards can compete with Microsoft Windows 7 on Ubuntu, but only when using the KDE desktop and not the default Unity/Compiz.”

“Ubuntu’s Unity desktop is now noticeably slower than GNOME/KDE/Xfce/LXDE with multiple GPUs/drivers.”

Get Ubuntu GNOME Remix 12.10 ReleaseNotes
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuGNOME/ReleaseNotes
This release is for developers only. The Ubuntu Desktop images are now bigger than a standard CD, and you should use a USB or DVD for installation.
Images have been produced for 32-bit and 64-bit PCs.

First Images Of Ubuntu Gnome Remix 12.10 Arrive For Testing
http://www.muktware.com/4267/first-images-ubuntu-gnome-remix-1210-arrive-testing
The first ISO (alpha) images of Gnome Shell edition of Ubuntu is now available for download and testing, Jeremy Bicha just told me on Google+.
According to the project page, “The Ubuntu GNOME Remix is a mostly pure GNOME desktop experience built from the Ubuntu repositories. The Quantal Quetzal Alpha Release of Ubuntu GNOME Remix 12.10 is a developer snapshot to give you a very early glance at the next version of Ubuntu GNOME Remix.”

The Ubuntu GNOME Remix offers a mix of packages. The team has tried its best to offer the pure Gnome experience but due to bugs some ‘important’ Gnome applications have been dropped.

But you can easily install applications like LibreOffice (and thus Documents), Firefox or Chromimum easily from the Software (manager).

Since it’s alpha and the first release of Ubuntu GNOME Remix 12.10 it’s only going to get better with time.

Hacked “onboard” kb, for the brave..
http://henris42.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/hacked-onboard-for-the-brave/