Ubuntu
software-center package

Advertises proprietary software

Bug #921160 reported by Fred on 2012-01-24

This bug affects 5 people

Affects		Status	Importance	Assigned to	Milestone
	software-center (Ubuntu)	Confirmed	Wishlist	Unassigned

Bug Description

Ubuntu Software Center advertises and promotes proprietary software to me.
As an adherent to the ideals of free software, I find this offensive.
I will never purchase proprietary software or support the proprietary software industry that restrict the freedom of users.
Since I will never purchase proprietary software, not only is it offensive, but also useless and extraneous.

I would like to be able to disable Ubuntu Software Center from displaying proprietary software.

Tags:

Revision history for this message

Robert Roth (evfool) wrote on 2012-01-25:

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.A similar bug requesting a Free Software only filter has been reported in bug #630731. Do you think that would solve the problem for you too?

Changed in software-center (Ubuntu):
status:	New → Incomplete

Revision history for this message

Fred (eldmannen+launchpad) wrote on 2012-01-26:

No, merely a filter would not be enough.
Because the front/first/into-screen would still advertise proprietary software.

Robert Roth (evfool) on 2012-01-26

Changed in software-center (Ubuntu):
status:	Incomplete → Confirmed
importance:	Undecided → Wishlist

Fred (eldmannen+launchpad) on 2012-04-02

tags:

added: license proprietary

Revision history for this message

Gary Lasker (gary-lasker) wrote on 2012-04-04:

Hello Fred! Thank you for your report. I'm sorry that this is annoying for you, and I understand and sympathize with your viewpoint. This is definitely a request that we've had from other folks as well, and obviously it's valid and we ought to provide a simple menuitem checkbox or similar that lets you shut off the feed of proprietary software.

We've set this as Wishlist (thanks Robert!), and that's exactly right because it lets us track that as a potential feature for Software Center.

Unfortunately, we are much too late in the Precise cycle to make this change, but we can and should consider this for 12.10. If you would like, you are very welcome to help us in the 12.10 planning process in whatever level that you have time/interest for by making sure your concerns are reflected in our planning blueprints that we will be discussing at UDS-Q in Oakland, CA. Note that you definitely need not physically *attend* UDS to participate, we have remote feeds. At a minimum, you can simply monitor the software-center session notes at your convenience and just add your concerns/requests to that. And that will feed directly into the blueprints and planning for the cycle.

Here's the hub for UDS-Q action:

http://summit.ubuntu.com/uds-q/

And here is more information about remote participation:

http://uds.ubuntu.com/community/remote-participation/

Thank you again! Your help is much appreciated in making Software Center, and Ubuntu, better.