Among the new features planned for Ubuntu 12.10, one, a Unity “lens” that generates search results from Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), has been stirring a lot of controversy lately — so much that Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth recently responded publicly to what he’s calling “FUD-points” regarding the lens.
A lot of people expressed security concerns about the integration of an Amazon lens into the Home lens in Ubuntu 12.10, but Canonical is making sure that users’ privacy will be respected.
Mark Shuttleworh, founder of Canonical, tried to address some of the problems that were mentioned by users, but the backlash of this new feature in Ubuntu 12.10 has caused quite a stir in the community.
So far,
Hoping to put to rest the swirling controversy around Ubuntu 12.10′s integration of Amazon.com search results into the Unity desktop interface, Canonical has published an official summary of its efforts to resolve user complaints.
Ubuntu 12.10 has a new feature to search and buy from Amazon, either from the Dash, or from a unity WebApp. This is quite controversial, but for my part, I quite ok with it.
Free software leader Richard Stallman claims Ubuntu amounts to spyware with Amazon search integrated into the “dash” of its Unity interface. He is calling for developers to shun the open-source operating system.
Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu. Stallman says the advertising search results amount to surveillance and argues that personal data is on Canonical’s servers.
Ubuntu 12.10 has released with lots of new exciting features, but most users didn’t welcome the one feature which – integrates the amazon products in Unity dash serch results.
So, if you’ve installed Ubuntu 12.10 (Quantal Quetzal) and hates this amazon results in Dash search, then you should know that it can be easily disabled from System Settings -> Privacy -> Include On
Online integration and commercial search results in Ubuntu‘s Unity interface are here to stay–and will grow more comprehensive in the next release of the operating system, according to Canonical. But so, too, will tools for controlling and filtering results.
In the upcoming version of Ubuntu – 12.10 (final is coming on oct 18th, 2012), when you do a default search in Unity dashboard, it also returns amazon products in results, along with some expected normal results.
It seems Canonical‘s eleventh hour rush to address user concerns regarding Amazon.com search integration into Ubuntu 12.10 may not have been as successful as the company presumably hoped. Despite the changes, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has issued a statement and list of demands for further disclosure from Canonical.
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