Ubuntu disabling the Sun Java JDK browser plugin

First of all... this is in the Canonical branded partner repository... not in the Ubuntu branded repository. My understanding is that the Canonical partner repository has always been a separately operated repository outside of Ubuntu governance and has never been enabled by default on any official Ubuntu install media (not including OEM remixes only obtainable from OEM partners). Please correct me if I've wrong about that.

Second of all... all the major linux vendors ship some sort of proprietary software in their vendor controlled offerings. RHEL and SLED both distribute proprietary apps to paying customers. I'm pretty sure both RHEL and SLED ship acroread for example (and have to deal with the security issues arising from that in support of customers). So this isn't something particularly different that Canonical is doing.

Let's keep the criticism factual.

Frankly I'm amazed the partner repository continues to exist at all. The business model around it, where vendors would pay Canonical to have their stuff show up there, never really gained traction with enterprise oriented software vendors like it was meant to do. Never more than a handful, and even fewer that lasted from one LTS to the next.

And the new software center approach which encompasses proprietary apps seems to duplicate much of the goals that he partner repository concept was meant to achieve.

-jef