"Do The Right Thing" is a guest post from the omnipresent Seidos. Seidos has been around Ubuntu for several years now and offers up a very interesting read. He has been active in the Ubuntu Beginners Team, Wifix Helpers, SpreadUbuntu and Ubuntu California to name a few. You can follow him on Twitter @ meditatingahm - Without further ado, please allow me to introduce Seidos...
I'm writing this from a notebook with Slackware installed, and a copy of "Free as in Freedom (2.0)" next to me. The picture of Stallman appears to be staring into the kitchen with that sad intense gaze that is notably on the cover of this copy, and i can only imagine what it was that he was thinking when the picture was taken, but it's enough to inspire me to use the old "wet processor" beneath a layer of skull and skin. There's an ant crawling on me, but i'm not intent on removing it's tiny tickling appendages by smashing it to bits. I am content refocusing my attention, and letting the ant roam my fleshly exterior until it either realizes there is no food for it, or it starts gnawing on my skin. Either way, everytime i see one of these hard working single focused creatures i am reminded simply that i am that ant. My world is just as big and scary, except instead of crawling on an anthropomorphic being, i'm crawling on this planet, or swimming through vast swarms of information.
I used to use Ubuntu, ever since 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon. I know, don't hold it against me, but when Unity came around, i tried it out, and realized it wasn't for me. But that's the price of freedom right? Now i'm using something different, something that suits me. That's one of the great things about the software freedom movement, right? Free to choose.
Really though, I could tell that Natty wasn't going to work out for me, and that's fine. I feel a little bit like the aging fighter struggling to stay in the game. Hardware is getting old, and it can't keep up. Needed something lighter weight, with a more minimalist design philosophy. Besides, i'm definitely a slacker. I don't like being uptight. I want to relax and enjoy my computing experience. Who said hard work had to be tense, anyway?
So here's the clincher, I'm still a part of the Ubuntu community. I'll probably start spending more time with the lubuntu and fluxbuntu crowd (and *cough* kubuntu), but i still frequent the same channel and mailing lists. But having seen what is happening to the main distro, i can't help but think that things are changing. Firstly, I can't imagine why KDE won't become the user interface for the future mainstream Ubuntu distro. In my opinion, it is clearly the GUI option that will have the best shot at taking market share away from Windows.
More importantly however, i think it's time to point out a glaring problem in mainstream philosophy, quite simply, newer isn't necessarily better. It's time to do the right thing. If you can get your "killer apps" running (namely browser, media player, and torrent client) on a piece of hardware that's been around for several years already, then why not? Make use of hardware until the thing literally dies and can no longer be resuscitated, like this notebook i'm using, with its busted ac cord that i soldered together and the broken battery...in fact, if you can go buy a used piece of hardware, and sell it with fluxbuntu, lubuntu, or *cough* Slackware, then by all means, go do it, and use it to introduce someone into the community, or sell it for a fair price. It's time to go retro (just please...no bell bottoms).
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