Well, according to DistroWatch, Ubuntu only seems to be in fourth place. More popular than Fedora and just behind Debian. I thought Mint was an Ubuntu fork anyway. Wouldn't Mint benefit eventually from Ubuntu improving because of data collecting?
You have inadvertently highlighted a possible future issue in regard to the buntu spin offs like mint etc .When will they inherit this data collecting mechanism.Isnt it ironic that the linux world preaches openness and non corporate software and then in the next breath is puling stunts like this...this is another reason i will not touch ubuntu.I use linux lite and the moment this nonsense starts slithering in like a slimy snake then i shall perhaps reconsider my choice of os.
I think since Ubuntu is an option on most high street store PC's and some tablets along with Android, people are more aware than they might used to be when everything was Windows.
They'll probably inadvertently benefit from it. I think it all boils down on how convinced you are that all telemetry is heinous, evil spyware used by companies in some despicable way with malevolent intent, or not, I suppose.
I guess it depends what bean counter is doing the counting. Googling it FWIW: No Vista numbers over 0.1% - Desktop/Laptop Browsing Jan 2018 stats; Linux 1.43%. World wide usage hovers around 1.9% (w/Chrome it is over 2%) I have been using Linux since 1997 (we had it where I worked) and I am not overly concerned about Ubuntu getting into data collection to improve Linux, because I do not see them needing to go the Microsoft and Apple route with it. Not to take this off topic, but this is a mindset comparison ... http://www.zdnet.com/article/runnin...ans-to-milk-more-profits-out-of-its-cash-cow/ Ubuntu needs to be aware of what users do (and not do) with the OS. I think that is a fair intrusion. Also crash data is invaluable. It would be a good idea if Ubuntu upped their game well before 2020 if they want to attract savvy W7 users. These users could contribute to making Linux a better consumer product.
Well, it was a couple or three of years ago when I read that about Vista, things change lol. And I reckon Canonical have a fair bit less than 1.43% to gather data from. I really do hope they can use this data to improve Ubuntu, especially with compatibility issues. Maybe finally fix the sleep mode bug!
Indeed, I have found in recent years that Debian is THE most stable desktop OS (Linux) of them all. IMO, Ubuntu has been producing trash since 16.04 was released. I tried 16.04 .1 .2 .3 all of them had problems, and .3 was so bad, it didn't even recognize my graphics hardware anymore when it used to prior to that. That's when I gave up on Ubuntu for good. I've been using Debian for years now because it's stable and reliable. Mint is also pretty good. Anyway, I agree, Debian is a fine desktop OS.
@142395 Personally when I read info like https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/linux/ubuntu-gets-in-the-user-data-collection-business/ any goodwill or reasonable doubt, vanishes. Crash reports should never be sent without user approval. I don't care if the sensible data that can be included is reviewed by a trusted ubuntu developer. The user should always be informed about this and the OS should always get his approval before transmitting it.
Really? In 2002 Hewlet packard chose debian for it's linux development because it was so bad... https://www.cnet.com/news/hp-settles-on-debian-linux/
OK, and every other business did not choose Debian. Almost 100% of the enterprise world is rhel and sles. Ubuntu is slowly making some progress in this space. Everything else is trivial. Also, in 2002, there was no Ubuntu. Mrk
@pandlouk Crash reports concerns me more than basic statistical info gathered during installation. I hope somebody made a mistake in the article. What if my KeePassX crashes and crash report sends my passwords to Canonical? http://www.zdnet.com/article/google-moves-to-debian-for-in-house-linux-desktop/ I know that a lot of giant non-strictly-IT corporations use RHEL and sometimes SLES, but it is because of corporate mentality. A lot of smaller and middle-sized IT-oriented companies (hosting etc) use Debian on their servers. Maybe it varies between countries/states, so our observations would differ.
I agree, but HP was the major marketshare vendor at the time. True and Shuttleworth made Ubuntu progress so much that became a major player of the enterprize world. Neither existed the huge horde of it's paid advertizers/promoters... Panagiotis
You hope that a trusted Ubuntu developer will review the crash report and removes the sensible data before making the crash report public. Panagiotis
I can understand, crash report is different than usual analytics. But at the same time, I also feel their mentioned analytical data are too anemic to make data-driven decision, so they're probably struggling how to gather data with minimal privacy invasion...although it's just my guess. Everyone, do not expect too much improvement by this data collection.
Data collection does have it's uses. And while I am a tinfoil-hat user, I see this new data collection on Ubuntu as, at least, a much less intrusive version of it than the Amazon Lens. Praising an opt-out button seems like a fool's idea to me. If one doesn't want data to be collected, it's only logical to not have it collected from the get-go - instead of having an opt-out button after some data has been collected. It's like saying "hey, we know you don't want us taking e.g. money from you, but at least after the first robbery you have an option to opt-out of it". If Canonical really cared about their users they wouldn't foce them to initially have data collected. Instead, they would do an opt-in data collection scheme, carefully explaining why it's important and asking nicely if the user want it or not. And it's weird that, if all the collected data is install-related, why would they keep collecting data, which is why an opt-out button exists? I don't know, it all seems very fishy to me. I bet we'll find some other privacy breaches happening on this distro. It wouldn't be the first time Canonical's CEO betrayed his users, and certainly won't be the last.
I see. Sorry then, because I just came back to Linux after almost a year and I haven't really seen any installation images of this data collection So can you really opt-out during the install or similar? Like really opting out before any data is collected? If so, it's certainly a step fordward, coming from Canonical.
Ubuntu Reveals Desktop Telemetry for the First Time https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/linux/ubuntu-reveals-desktop-telemetry-for-the-first-time/
These data are OK to collect, I guess to most average ppl. As a FYI, below is what MS will collect with a Windows 10 OS: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement
Ubuntu Will No Longer Ship “Popularity Contest” Package (PopCon) By Default July 17, 2020 https://fossbytes.com/ubuntu-will-no-longer-ship-popularity-contest-package-by-default/ Popcon to be removed from the standard seed
