How I’ve learnt Canonical isn’t the wrong :)

An open letter to Mark Shuttleworth.

Hi Mark!
This is the very first time I’m writing to you, and I would like to share with you some of my thoughts about Ubuntu and Canonical’s future.

As spokeswoman of Italian LoCo team Community Council, I had interesting experiences about Ubuntu and Ubuntu users, and I suppose that Ubuntu and Canonical have many challenges to face, in the next months, inside and outside our community.

Ubuntu is growing and Ubuntu-related world is growing faster and faster: needs, dialogues, ideas that was very easy to exchange and to spread when we all were a few hundred of people, seem today find obstacles to free running.

I know that Canonical has always point as an honour the openness to dialogue, the sense of participation that has built in years, but now I feel there is the need of something more.

As Ubuntu member, sometimes I found very difficult to explain what is happening and where Canonical is leading.

Of course I’m not judging Canonical plans, but only the way Canonical explains its choices, both to Community and people.

Let me tell you, for example, what has been my very own experience.

I was disappointed by Unity shipped with 11.04, so I tried GNOME Shell, checking if it would be better for my personal habits.  I spent the past months very close to GNOME Community, giving my little help testing GNOME Shell and providing feedback.

Meanwhile I was wondering why Canonical hadn’t dedicated some more resources directly in GNOME 3 development, instead of forking in Unity. But reading discussions on desktop-devel mailing list and staying in touch  on IRC with some people from GNOME upstream, I realized it’s not so  simple for Canonical or any other individuals to be helpful to upstream  and in mean time try to follow a personal path or point of view. There  are strong ideas, other leading companies and, sometimes, a lack of collaboration wish.

Now I agree with political, marketing and technological reasons that lie under the choice of Unity, it’s a legitimate and appropriate change offered by Canonical (and Ubuntu), but it was an hard job
Maybe these choices has been discussed at UDS, maybe there are some wiki pages or some blueprints, but even an Ubuntu member like me has to have a direct experience before comprehend.

I’m not suggesting Canonical reveal its strategies, technical or political, but only giving a correct and complete information about its roadmap, to preserve the imagine Canonical would like to offer about itself avoiding misunderstanding.

During last months I have often heard Canonical be addressed as the worst company whithin opensource ecosystem, while everyone else is the good, and the motivations were very odd, something like “Canonical is not-ethical, ’cause Ubuntu is a mix and match of our product (i.e. GNOME) and their ugly patches”. I’m sure we can try to disprove this habit, expecially considering the “mix and match” is GPL approved, and there isn’t any ethical or not-ethical purposes  in patches. I believe it could be done with a better communication marketing.

Canonical has brought a deep renovation in the very idea of open source, a revolution built upon rocks and breaks, upon dreams and concrete. But now I believe we all need a bit more. Reading the rants and the questions across the web, I strictly believe Ubuntu users want to exercise their critical judgement, and sometimes new for the new’s sake isn’t enough.

It seems to me we are in the dawn of a  new course of Ubuntu. I realize there isn’t still a mascot nor a name for -P cycle and I’m quite sure that is a symptom of some deep changing, landing with LTS. (Maybe a rolling distro? I don’t know…) I feel there is the need to build a new trust between Canonical and Ubuntu community.

And what will happen in case of decision as dual licensing that deeply touch the sense of the Ubuntu promises…?

I believe it’s time for Canonical to define some issues about what she wants to appear to the rest of the world, elaborate a strong communication strategy: Ubuntu is the third OS in the world. Isn’t it?

Here the second issue. Ubuntu communities aren’t fan-boys communities. I’ve always intended my role as a bridge, especially when I’ve talked about Ubuntu in tech-fairs or in Universities. I strictly believe we do need a line, a channel between Canonical and LoCos. We are in the same part of the barricade, and I deeply believe community needs to get more trust in Canonical: I believe every member of Ubuntu Community, as well as anyone in Canonical, has to feel that she/he is working for Ubuntu, and not to feel that our community is working for Canonical through Ubuntu, even if nobody can or wants deny the work that Canonical daily makes for Ubuntu.

I’d have many other things to say, to tell, and I’d have like very much talking face by face, but I’m very glad to have wrote you and to have exchanged some of my thoughts with you.

Cheers
Flavia

GNOME is dead, long life to Gnome.

GNOME is dead. OK, not yet, really but it’s walking through a narrow street that is leading there.

Why? No, not exactly, the problem isn’t GNOME/Gnome OS. Someone wants ape Android with a new OS? Welcome! I hear the laughs out a mile, but it is free software, or it should be so.
Welcome. That is the question. I consider myself a relatively new born in FLOSS, but the most important lesson I’ve learned is collaboration. And coopetition too, why not. We’re different from each other, we think, talk, have different opinions, visions, ideas. But we respect. We DO respect.

The importance of a code of conduct.

The existence of a GNOME Code of Conduct Anti Signature page,  shows without the needing of other words what some (a few I hope) GNOME people think about code of conduct.
That should be probably trivial,  but it reflects a misbehavior that is coming every day more usual and could be summarized in: I have right, you are wrong, whoever you could be. In Italy we call that “celodurismo” (“I have it hard”-ism) maybe the ground grade of a machism frustrated and powerless.

Now a simple question for everyone.
I’m talking to developer and maintainers: how long and why a developer should swallow that her/his work has to be submitted to someone who decides what is right and what is wrong refusing every suggestions only because he is right?
I think that we in Ubuntu should learn this lesson well. We have a code of conduct, we have an anti-harassment code, we are people first. To grow again we have to maintain our inclusive way to be. That is our, Ubuntu strength, our respect for everyone. Distro are useless? Distro only make packages and pretend to contribute to FLOSS? I smile. Please, please, remain there, laughing alone.

I will not use Unity because…

Ubuntu 11.04 has been released, and I’m very happy about it. I gave the news to many (Italian) media, I wrote the (Italian) press releases, I did several talks (Ubuntu parties, Universities, simple events) about the Unity allure. I said it’s new and fantastic. What else should a good promoter do?

Probably use it. But I’m sorry i will not use Unity. For many reason.

I’ll try to tell you some of them.

1 – I find Unity colours really uncomfortable to my sight.

Since from the very first time I’ve known Ubuntu and the GNOME desktop, I’ve been really excited by the opportunity to fine tuning my desktop, my theme, my spaces, a large part of my life, since I pass about 10 hours a day in front of my PC, for work and pleasure.

I’ve chosen a pink ambient, with glass window decorator, a large use of transparencies everywhere.

I hate brown tonalities, but I hate more black environments, so male ones, too much testosterone for my tastes.

Besides, I found the appearance of Launcher buttons (and Laucher itself really) so 70′s old fashioned…

Ok someone could tell me that I can use old gnome-panel but why should I use old stuff when the new could be so much finer? Why someone shouldn’t let me change my DE tones, only because I find pink/purple more comfortable then dark/brown?

2 – I find some difficulties in using an applications based dock.

I’m asking how people normally use PC: I have many windows (at least 15) and 3 or 4 applications open. When I’m looking for a specific minimized window in the taskbar, I find it immediately among many similar others, and I can call it with a single click. Otherwise I find an extreme waste of time find the application on the launcher and chose among windows. I click a Firefox/Libreoffice/Thunderbid icons once in a day, an then I have dozen of widows on my desktop.

I had a dock. I removed it. Please let me have a taksbar again, if I need.

3 – I found a lateral launcher a bit claustrophobic.

I have a normal panoramic screen, but the presence the a launcher in the exactly areas my eyes naturally goes (ask to Gestalt psychology or simply to art critic) give me a sense of occlusion and closure.

There are many other considerations, but these are probably enough. I know some some ideas (as Launcher based approach) will be kept and I accept it and really appreciate the effort to give users something new, but I ask: in a user experience desktop guided by designers where is the freedom of users? How can I call again Unity’s desktop mine?

Awakening

I am slain.
TIC TAC. TIC TAC TOC.

As purple bloom
my blood drips:
drop to drop
it flourish on the icy
floor.

And one and two and three
and four
And one and two and three
and four
And one and two and three
and now
again
and more
com-passion

And slowly
the piano vanishes
from hit and sin
by white and
black,
you wink and sneer
glad in the broken
mirror, proud
to be deep down
deep-ly
man.

Hash liar
you tear me in pounds
but heart beats

TIC TAC. TIC TAC TOC.

Again.

Wasserratten

I cry for the screech
of the keys,
for the darkness of the vice
for the emperors’ lies.

Rats rapt by black
of the eyes
they are wide open mouths
cum dirty lips
of rouge.

Hush.

Dw-arf d-arf
arf is the noise
and the size
of whom has lost
the shame,
the grace of the
rotten worms
infecting the rooms
of the law.

Ground/zero

The rubble can’t sleep
they are too busy in scream.

From the ground floor
what really counts is number,
that isn’t really ground
and even at least one:
is less then a few
it’s the zero
the round and perfect o
of a lidless eye.

Where the heartbeats beat
now there is only still,
the hushed crying
of the shovel,
the mournful rustle
of the broom
which moves dust apart
from the roots of time.

On the sly
nightmares laugh.

Eden

When the mist claims
a bloodshed for her
I’ll do flee from
the dreamt garden.

We’re all swearwords
upon salty lips
we’re all relieved
from the enchanted mess.