Kubuntu or Ubuntu on PPC. And where is the Flash?

Last week I wrote about putting Kubuntu on my old 450 Mhz PowerPC Mac. I did not really give it a good workout, but upon further review...

Kubuntu became unstable when I started messing with the video settings in the System Manager. Don't know why. Programs started closing for no reason and the system became unusable.

I then tried plain old Ubuntu. Ubuntu limits how you can screw with the video settings so I could not screw with the display. And since I have been using Ubuntu for about 2 years now, it is like old hat. And it is faster than Kubuntu. It stings a little, I know, but it is true.

I am not trying to disparage Kubuntu here - it is "my bad" for it breaking and I am sure if I wanted to devote enough time to the display properties I could nail it, I have before. I really was just looking at the "out of the box" experience.

EasyUbuntu works in both Ubuntu PPC and Kubuntu PPC. BUT...

Now for the disclaimer of disclaimers - there is no version of Adobe Flash for PowerPC Linux. I CALL B.S.! Suddenly the hours of listening to Richard M. Stallman go on about "open source this" and "freedom that" makes sense. His message has not really sunk in, until now. "But why does it matter?" you ask.

I immediately think of two sites off hand that REQUIRE Flash be installed - Google Analytics and YouTube. Well guess what, you cannot view them on a PPC Linux box. Period. Adobe's source code for what more and more web sites are depending on - Flash - is not available to ALL P.C.'s and it won't be unless Adobe says "O.K." Think on that for a moment. Even though you are probably not effected - Adobe, by buying Macromedia, literally holds the reins to many sites that we use everyday - huge chunks of the world wide web.

Adobe certainly gives selected permission as to who can drive the car. What if they wanted the keys back?