“The reasoning behind the exclusion of closed-source drivers
from the default Ubuntu system centers on legal and philosophical
issues. In some cases, Ubuntu’s legal right to redistribute
proprietary binaries is in dispute. And most Ubuntu developers
consider a dependency on closed-source code as incompatible with
the Ubuntu philosophy.“To a degree, I agree. But to paraphrase Albert Camus, even in
free-software evangelism, there is an order, there are limits. In
other words, staying true to the principles of open-source
development shouldn’t come at the cost of basic functionality for
the user.”