Ubuntu is open source, right?

Despite the FSF's caution (arguing that giving people proprietary software would discourage freedom in the long term too) Canonical opens the door to non-Free software

Canonical is looking into selling proprietary software like Adobe's Photoshop and Apple's iTunes within its distribution, Ubuntu. This would undoubtedly be helpful for certain end users wanting to switch to Linux, but is it good for free software in the long run?

Ever since Canonical started with Ubuntu One (or “U1″), people have been crying and whining about it being a proprietary pile of goo. For someone who has been active in the free software world for a long time, and still has his brains about him, this makes no sense whatsoever.

The Ubuntu forums are running a survey about the option of having proprietary software in their software center for users to purchase if they wish. Whats interesting is the survey mentions Adobe Photoshop. So whats the problem?

Recently, the Free Software Foundation announced its latest additions to its listing of open-source purist distributions. This lead me to thinking about both these distributions and the best of the distributions that go the other way and contain a great deal of proprietary programs.

"No matter how glib and sarcastic the proprietor, proprietary software denies users the freedoms to inspect, share, and modify the program. Users of Adobe’s proprietary Creative Suite software recently discovered that the program communicates over the network with a machine apparently owned by Omniture, a company that tracks web usage..."

"Free software lovers can rejoice at this month's release of gNewSense 2.0 (pronounced "guh-new-sense"), the latest version of the popular distribution based on Ubuntu Hardy Heron. Code-named DeltaH, this operating system includes only software where users have the right to run, study, adapt, redistribute, and improve all of the software and code.

Nathan Zale Dowlen objects to proprietary software, so when he opened his new law office, he outfitted it with Ubuntu Linux and open source software. Cost was the main factor in his decision at first, but he has since come to appreciate the security found in FOSS and the ease of use found with Ubuntu.