The Ubuntu Ethos, as told by Jono Bacon

This is what Jono Bacon thinks about the Ubuntu ethos, the underlying element why Ubuntu’s attractive to a lot of users:

Freedom.

Whether freedom of technology or choice. Freedom of accessibility, language or collaboration. Or possibly the freedom to innovate and inspire. Ubuntu is a philosophy forged in software; a striking opportunity to make a real difference to real people.

While not every newbie understands about the freedom that comes with using Linux, I think that through the interaction within the community, this becomes more apparent. Whether you learn more about it through blogs, the mailing lists, forums, podcasts or personal interaction with someone, it will keep on surfacing. Although I wonder how much about software freedom are we really passing on to others. Sometimes I wonder if we have become so used to just using Linux and we’re focused on tweaking things because it is our tool and so the values are not reinforced, or maybe they are reinforced because we’re reminded of the choice we make.

I think that Ubuntu’s “humanity to others” is what really got me, though, not the freedom because every Linux distro would have that underlying element. “Humanity to others” implies that we’re paying it forward to others and that’s why it’s so easy for me to share Ubuntu with other people. It’s the same reason why I find it easier to interact with Ubuntu users. I don’t have to get intimidated by “RTFM” or other exotic sounding solutions to issues I encounter because if I don’t always understand what they’re trying to explain to me, someone else will come along with more patience and explain things further. In Ubuntu, I encounter newbies and not-so-new users who have similar experiences I have whether good or bad. That’s why I’ve been using Ubuntu for 3 years now.