A new update of Raspberry Pi OS, formerly known as Raspbian, has put open source fans on the point. Why? The new operating system is ping Microsoft servers each time the user updates their programs or the operating system itself.
The brouhaha is a bit of a storm in a teapot because the new operating system simply pings repositories containing Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor, a simplified IDE that has risen to a formidable tool in the programmer’s arsenal – and presumably a solid educational tool.
That said, open source zealots see companies like Microsoft as an anathema (or at least an obstacle) to their work. The same zealots have successfully fought for the Raspberry Pi Foundation to open-source its graphics driver for its GPU, Broadcom’s VideoCore slide.
What Microsoft could do with this ping is limited Reddit users are worried that they may push Bing-targeted ads that will target Raspberry Pi users.
‘People did not have the chance to know about the new repo before it was already added to their resources, along with a Microsoft GPG key. Not the least transparent. And in my opinion not how things should be done in the open source world, “wrote Reddit user Fortysix_n_2.
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The Raspberry Pi team sees this step as an attempt to make it easier for new users to code on the platform.
“Thank you very much, everyone, for your feedback, it will not change because it facilitates the first experience for people who want to use tools like VSCode,” writes Gordon Hollingworth, Raspberry Pi’s director of software engineering.
The repositories involved are the databases that the operating system uses to maintain software versions and available updates. Most repositories are open source and are located in places like Github, while the Visual Studio Code repo is on Microsoft’s servers. Users who want their devices not removed by the business code cannot immediately disable this repo when installing Raspberry Pi OS.
‘The more I think about it, the more the element of trust comes to the fore, ”Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton told Gizmodo. ‘It feels like it’s about a minority of people who have an unrealistic view of how much people trust them when they install any piece of software. It’s not just about own software –Do you remember how we all trusted OpenSSL to be good, because it’s free, and widely used, and impossibly full of terrible security bugs? It’s ridiculous to point out that we’re betraying people in some way by relying on Microsoft. ”
But some people interpret the move as a betrayal and jump as a result.
‘I’m sorry Raspbian, but I have to say goodbye to you. No bad feelings. I wish you all the best and rot in hell, ‘wrote a Reddit user Dr0zD.