Cosider distributing an Ubuntu Image with a different name

[qubuntu]

It seems Ubuntu is not concerned about modified distro redistribution but rather about modified redistribution with Ubuntu name in it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubuntu/comments/88hph4/ubuntu_on_qubes_os_copyright/

That is rather reasonable. Cos people would make a very bad crappy distro and have Ubuntu in the name.

This would lead to Ubuntu gettiCan't Qubes devsng a very bad name and a lot of memes.

Ubuntu also seems to say that you need to recompile from sources incase of redistribution.

Qubes devs are paranoid guys and I assume they compile from sources anyway.

So, can't you guys just rename Ubuntu to something else and distribute a template?

Like Linux Mint, Zorin, Elementary or something else.

The main benefit I see from a Ubuntu template is PPAs which are not available from any other distro.

For example there is a Android app runner which runs apps in container like systems in Ubuntu PPA.

A lot of softwate is available in PPAs.

I hope I can see `Qubetoo` or `Qubtu` or `Quppa` or `Qubetu` or `Qubes too` `Qubes tu` or `Qumate` or `Qumint` or `Qorin` or `cheesy name here` template for Qubes with the 18.04 LTS release soon.

You may ask me to compile from sources, but it takes ages and I have to spend hours and I ususally reinstall often which means I would have to compile often

[Chris Laprise]

On 04/01/2018 02:28 AM, 'qubuntu' via qubes-users wrote:
> It seems Ubuntu is not concerned about modified distro redistribution
> but rather about modified redistribution with Ubuntu name in it.
>
> https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubuntu/comments/88hph4/ubuntu_on_qubes_os_copyright/
>

Maybe this could be useful:

https://wiki.edubuntu.org/DistributionDefaultsAndBranding


Also, if Trisquel is still based on Ubuntu, then maybe we could start
with Trisquel and add some Ubuntu packages back in if necessary.


--

Chris Laprise, tas...@posteo.net
https://github.com/tasket
https://twitter.com/ttaskett
PGP: BEE2 20C5 356E 764A 73EB 4AB3 1DC4 D106 F07F 1886

[cooloutac]

what programs you need from Ubuntu? can't install them in debian? debian would be more secure just on updates alone you get them sooner then later.

Loved trisquel with the minimal flashback desktop, and fsf kernel. , was building my own with grsec. but for the same reason they based on debian then based on ubuntu you get updates double late. 1 to 30 days later man. 1 day later ok, but I wouldn't be using it for anything sensitive.

[trueriver]

On Sunday, 1 April 2018 07:28:50 UTC+1, qubuntu wrote:
> It seems Ubuntu is not concerned about modified distro redistribution but rather about modified redistribution with Ubuntu name in it.

Correct. And that is a policy that free software groups were using long before Ubuntu came along. Perhaps the most famous is Red Hat which is why CentOS is called CentOS and not something like FreeRedHat.

Ubuntu simply adopted the same long-standing practice, to protect their good name from being prejudiced by inept re-distributors. They did so fairly recently and my guess (without any evidence) is that they had got stung in this way and wanted to avoid it happening again.

Ubuntu has never tried to discourage other distros based on their code - the most well known being Mint - most Mint editions are Ubuntu-based and you will find Ubuntu repos in the apt settings of some Mint installations.

A Qubes community project is entirely free (legally and morally) to do the same as Mint does.

[trueriver]

On Sunday, 1 April 2018 07:28:50 UTC+1, qubuntu wrote:

> ...

> So, can't you guys just rename Ubuntu to something else and distribute a template?

> ...

> The main benefit I see from a Ubuntu template is PPAs which are not available from any other distro.

Not quite true, I believe that most distros downstream from Ubuntu also allow PPAs.

> ...
> You may ask me to compile from sources, but it takes ages and I have to spend hours ...

Exactly. And it takes hours for the Qubes devs to do as well. Tying up machines that might be needed for Qubes core complitation, testing, etc.

Taking up Qubes wizard brain time, which I personally would prefer them to be allocating to making the core of Qubes even safer, or even better in other ways.

That is why there are Qubes community groups - to take on stuff that the Qubes core team do not want to do, but that the community volunteers want strongly enough to do something to make it happen.

> ... and I ususally reinstall often which means I would have to compile often

So my suggestion is a four or five step plan

1. Learn how to build packages after compiling from scratch. Keep the RPMs in a DNF cache on a USB stick (with at least two further backup copies, one kept at another address in case of fire, etc)

2. Learn how to re-install from the binaries in your USB stick - now you only have to compille once. This solves your immediate problem.

3. When that is working, ask for fellow volunteers to join you to start a Qutu (Q2 ?) communuity. This gets other people sharing the workload

4. When you have a few people in that community, ask the Qubes server admins for some space to post a Qutu repository and PPAs. I can't speak for them, but I guess if you had something already partly working they might be more willing to give you server space than to take on the amount of work you are currently asking.

5. (Only if necessary) If they say "no", do a crowdfunding to pay for your own server space somewhere else.

---

I hope this is helpful. I intend it to be.

I personally have no interest in a Qubes Ubuntu template, but I do support your right to produce one, and with the wide familiarity with Ubuntu I think this would be good for the Qubes project in the long run. My guess is that a little wirk to get it going would generate a community that would provide a net contribution to Qubes, just like Ubuntu takes downstream updates from Mint.