Re: Fedora proposing to remove X11 Gnome

On 2025-04-26, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Sat, 26 Apr 2025 11:02:12 -0000 (UTC), Borax Man wrote:
>

This idea that "market forces" just fixes things runs contrary to
observed experience. Many companies still turn a profit DESPITE
massive ineff[icen]cies and avoidable errors.

>
That’s true in the proprietary software world because of “vendor lock-in”
which inhibits effective competition.
>
Open Source helps remedy that problem, by removing the lock-in effect.
This is why there are entire thriving industries built on top of Open
Source, which have completely destroyed, or are destroying, many
proprietary products in those spaces.
>
They work because they are making money out of Open Source. They don’t
work because somebody is complaining about stuff they get for free.

Open Source doesn't really remedy the problem, if you can't modify the
source.  Free Software can, but even then, if its build to respect
freedom.  You can still have an "Open Source" service, which doesn't
allow competing implementations.

Freedom of choice comes from having the ability to choose in the first
place.  You can choose your email client.  You can choose (used to be
able to, options are limited now), your web browser.  You can choose
your terminal, your Window Manager, your shell, your file manager.  You
can choose to use Dropbox synthing, or SSH or NNCP or UUCP or SFTP or
FTPS to transfer files.  This is more than just being able to edit the
code, its about having choice of workflow or methods.  What I like about
Linux (mostly), is that if someone wants to use Google Docs and Google
Drive and GNOME 3 and avoid the shell, and Discord and the like, they
can, but if you want to do things a different way, you can as well.  If
you don't like the direction of a Desktop Envronment, you have options.

This is why Fedoras decision irks me a bit.  I utilise X specific
things, so its fine if some people don't care and just want Wayland, but
the choice should remain.