Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 6th Jan 2009 13:48 UTC
"The developers behind the Debian Linux distribution are preparing for the upcoming release of Debian 5, which is codenamed Lenny. The decision to move forward with the release follows a contentious vote over whether to permit the inclusion of binary blobs in the new version of the distribution. Consensus coalesced around a controversial proposal to "assume blobs comply with the GPL unless proven otherwise."
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Member since:2008-08-19
They were asked by the Mozilla community to change the name as it's part of the Firefox license. If you build Firefox from source you have to name it otherwise.
More specifically, I think, you can only use the Firefox branding if you're shipping a browser built from unmodified upstream source code. Being open-source, you can change the code as much as you like - but as soon as you do, you can't call it Firefox anymore.
It's a matter of maintaining a brand image - if some distro-specific patch causes a problem like the OpenSSL fiasco last year, the policy ensures it's not a problem that will harm the Firefox brand itself.
Member since:2006-01-01
More specifically, I think, you can only use the Firefox branding if you're shipping a browser built from unmodified upstream source code. Being open-source, you can change the code as much as you like - but as soon as you do, you can't call it Firefox anymore.
Debian and Ubuntu added the same patches to their Firefox builds but Mozilla allowed only Ubuntu to call their package "Firefox". That's because Ubuntu agreed to distribute the web browser with the original non-free Firefox artwork (icons and logos). So the actual disagreement between Mozilla and Debian was finally about distributing the Firefox icons and logos that have a restrictive copyright. Mozilla people said: If you don't ship Firefox with the original artwork, you don't get to call it "Firefox". So Debian calls it Iceweasel.
Wikipedia has a page about this controversy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation_software_rebranded...
It's a matter of maintaining a brand image - if some distro-specific patch causes a problem like the OpenSSL fiasco last year, the policy ensures it's not a problem that will harm the Firefox brand itself.
Again, you should compare Debian to Ubuntu to get a clearer picture. Ubuntu had the exact same OpenSSL problem and still they are allowed to call their patched build of Mozilla's web browser "Firefox".
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.More Features »
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Member since:
2005-08-06
They were asked by the Mozilla community to change the name as it's part of the Firefox license. If you build Firefox from source you have to name it otherwise. Last time I've seen Gentoo Firefox build, it was called Bon Echo (code name for beta of firefox builds). It's the same principle for Thunderbird btw.