It’s easy to get angry at software and hardware companies that don’t provide support for Linux, but have you ever taken time to thank those that do?
OMG! reader Joshua has taken this positive approach, mailing in with word of a ‘thank you’ feedback thread he has opened on the official Spotify feedback page.
He told us:
“Not many companies invest in Linux users so I thought it would be nice to thank them.”
With Spotify capable of running through ‘Wine’ pretty flawlessly one could argue that there was no onus on Spotify to provide a native client for Linux users.
But, being such an awesome company, they did anyway, and cooked into it Ubuntu Sound Menu and Unity launcher support.
Fly in the ointment
The flies in the ointment for many are that Spotify’s Linux application is only available for Premium subscribers, and that the application itself is not open-source.
Both of these complaints, whilst valid to varying degrees, are a little churlish: Spotify is a business after all, and it’s unrealistic to both want support from companies, but also have it on “our” terms.
But the Spotify Linux client, whilst not open-source, is free, makes use of great open-source technologies and integrates with the Ubuntu desktop. Care, thought and time has gone into making it work for Linux users, not just work on Linux. And that difference, whilst not “ideal” for many, is still one to be thankful for.
If you feel like saying thanks to such a pro-Linux company, head over to getsatisfaction.com/spotify/topics/thanks_for_the_linux_client.