- Launchpad is the distro management tool developed by Canonical, the guys behind Ubuntu
- Launchpad is currently not free software. No public word on whether it will ever be
- Canonical plan to put all other distro's out of business then hold user's metadata to randsom?
- Metakleptomania
- Kleptophilia - sexually aroused by stealing
script 1
synopsis: Mark Shuttleworth is questioned on Launchpad by Richard Stallman. Caught hoarding metadata.
rms: Mark, I notice your distro management system, Launchpad.net, isn't a free software project mark: didn't you get the memo? rms: No. I couldn't find any public statement about it either. mark: now, it's all explained in the faq rms: I checked the faq. Nothing relevant in there. mark: We called you, you weren't in. rms: well it's an obvious concern for a company that purports to support freedom to keep it's meta-data tied up in proprietary software mark: Agh, I'm sick and tired of this argument. rms: zuh?
script 2
eric: so explain Canonical's business model to me again mark: Ok. I use my basically limitless bank account to fund Ubuntu. mark: As users flock to us, all the commercial Linux distros go out of business and die mark: During that time, as all the free distros were using our proprietary launchpad.net service, we have their metadata locked up behind a SOAP interface and our success is guaranteed eric: wow! A free software monopoly! The invisible hand of the market is jerking me off here. What next? mark: Well by that point, I expect the world will have run out of cheap Oil, and we can go to the profit-making phase... mark: My patented hand cranked XML parser! I'll be RICH! Again. eric: Can I work your crank? mark: No, eric.