"Linspire announced plans to standardize software installation across Linux distributions by expanding its popular CNR digital download and software management service to support several of the most popular desktop Linux distributions in 2007. Previously available only for Linspire and Freespire desktop Linux users, the CNR Service will begin providing users of other desktop Linux distributions a free and easy way to access over 20000 desktop Linux products, packages and libraries."
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Member since:2005-07-08
I made sure to mention that the CNR client plugin is OSS, but the server is not. I knew someone would bring that up if I didn't. So I tried to spell it out. I guess you just didn't read the one sentence I purposefully set off from the rest as its own paragraph.
Let me say it again... the server part of CNR is NOT OSS. It doesn't really matter if the client is OSS. There are many situations where we have to connect to proprietary services to get on with our lives, and it doesn't matter one lick if the client we use to connect to it is free software. It still sucks. If anything, I'd rather use a fancy proprietary client to connect to a free service than the other way around.
Member since:2005-11-10
Since the Client is OSS, someone could just as easy create a backend for a modified version of the client.
And as I said, as it does not actually change your OS in anyway you can always go back to what you had. It's not like they are taking over all OSS software.
Me, I am more like Linus, you have to have something to make money, if you never make money then people will get tired of doing the work. Not every project has a billionare owner like Ubuntu, who can spend lots of his own money.
Sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot. I don't mind allowing Linspire to make money providing me with a service that makes it easy for me to admin my computer.
Sorry but I would rather have a proprietary system that works then a OSS one that doesn't.
Member since:
2005-11-10
But click and run doesn't change the package manager or repositories that come by default with your system, so CNR goes away you go back to what you had, no harm no foul.
On top of that its supposed to go Open Source when this new version comes out.
From the CNR site FAQ:
"Is the code for the CNR Plugin open source?
Yes. We encourage you to use this code, and the published CNR web services, to enhance the application, or even write your own from the ground up. We hope to see dozens of variations on the CNR Plugin as users get creative with the CNR Service."
People just want to have something to gripe about. It's good and it's not proprietary! Only thing that will keep people using the standard CNR service is the backend which is 100's of servers and lots of bandwidth.