A new update to Raspberry Pi OS, formerly known as Raspbian, has put open source fans on edge. Why? The new operating system is pinging Microsoft servers every time the user updates their apps or the operating system itself.
The brouhaha is a bit of a storm in a teapot because the new operating system simply pings repositories with Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor, a simplified IDE that has become a formidable tool in the programmer’s arsenal – and, presumably, a solid educational resource.
That said, open-source fanatics see companies like Microsoft as anathema (or at least a hindrance) to their work. The same zealots have successfully fought for the Raspberry Pi Foundation to make its graphics driver open-source for its GPU, Broadcom’s VideoCore chip.
What Microsoft could do with this ping is limited, however Reddit users are concerned that they can get targeted ads through Bing that will target Raspberry Pi users.
“People didn’t get to know the new repository until it had already been added to their resources, along with a Microsoft GPG key. Not very transparent to say the least. 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 all for your feedback, this will not change as it will make the first experience easier for people who want to use tools like VSCode,” wrote Gordon Hollingworth, Raspberry Pi Director of Software Engineering.
The repositories in question are the databases that the operating system uses to maintain software versions and available updates. Most of the repositories are open source and are located in places like Github, while the Visual Studio Code repository is on Microsoft’s servers. Users who want their devices to be unaffected by company code do not immediately have the choice to disable this repository when installing Raspberry Pi OS.
“The more I think about this, the more the trust element emerges, ”Raspberry Pi CEO Eben Upton told Gizmodo. “It feels like this is about a minority of people who have an unrealistic view of how many people they trust when they install each piece of software. This is not just about proprietary software,Remember how we all relied on OpenSSL to be good because it’s free and widely used, and couldn’t possibly be full of horrible security bugs? It’s ridiculous to suggest that we are somehow betraying people by choosing to trust Microsoft. “
But some people interpret the move as a betrayal and jump over the ship as a result.
“I’m sorry Raspbian, but I have to say goodbye to you. No hard feelings. I wish you all the best and rot in hell, ”wrote one Reddit user named Dr0zD.