Re: Community response of new ubuntu artwork [LWN.net]

Re: Community response of new ubuntu artwork

Posted Oct 21, 2004 10:55 UTC (Thu) by ikm (subscriber, #493)
Parent article: Re: Community response of new ubuntu artwork

I don't think it is a good idea to give human qualities to computers. They are no more than just that -- cold plastic things. When it comes to communications, they are only means to communicate. A wire does not possess currents flowing over it, a pipe does not possess water. Computers should not possess emotions. When I communicate with anybody using any sort of device, be it a computer, or a cell phone, I never think about the mediator, at least in case it just works. I always think about the one I speak to. Don't tear off human qualities and attach to inhuman things. They are no substitute.

As for any kind of controversial art -- just avoid it on the default desktop. And in case all art is controversial -- just avoid all art. Green grass of WinXP is surely not an art, but it has one main quality -- everybody is ok with it.

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Re: Community response of new ubuntu artwork

Posted Dec 22, 2004 19:02 UTC (Wed) by flipg40 (guest, #26829) [Link]

I agree 100%. I have installed Ubuntu on a workstation at my Company. Luckily my manager wasn't around to see the default desktop art. It does look like a photo op for a porn site. Not very professional. In general most adults would be shocked to see these images on any professional organization's desktop, especially if it belonged to a preist or preacher. Ubuntu is a very clean distro and I recommend it to anyone with a simple word of warning, the images may offend. Hope this changes soon so I can install it on more machines!

peace

Re: New ubuntu artwork - a newcomer's thoughts.

Posted Mar 7, 2005 8:48 UTC (Mon) by derek.harding (guest, #28279) [Link]

I am a priest in the Anglican Church and also an IT consultant with European clients including school service providers.

I have recently loaded Ubuntu (Hoary) on my laptop (after years with SuSE) and I feel no qualms about the logon screen image. In fact, I don't have any qualms about the others but I prefer to have pictures of my family on the working desktops.

True the computer is a tool but just as my father made his woodworking tools "his" by decorating them and moulding them to his use, so I shape my tools - the laptop, desktops and servers which I use or supervise.

I think the artwork promotes togetherness and human-ness - happy people in relaxed circumstances putting indeed a human face to an inhuman object, and summing up the Ubuntu principles superbly. I can see no suggestion of pornography in the images but, crucially, what tends to deprave and corrupt (my understanding of the meaning of the word) depends upon how it is viewed in the first place.

However, I do accept that interpretation of images is a function of the viewer's background. Perhaps this emphasises ubuntu in the different opinions. Please keep these images available but perhaps provide a more varied choice at installation?