Yeah... Except GoodYear is a commercial entity. While KDE is not.

The reason corporations pull that kind of shit, is because there's money in it.

Why the fuck would a FOSS project start locking down functionality? They don't sell anything. Even when FOSS projects charge, the second they're unfair about it, people will just fork the project and take it for free.

KDE doesn't have "sales". They don't care whether they have a thousand users or a million. The money they "make" is the same. Because KDE isn't a product you buy. Their revenue doesn't go up or down depending on how many people they can get to use their desktop environment and applications.

In fact, if anything, doing what you suspect would cause people to donate less to the project.

The thing about FOSS projects is that if they forced you to use them in a way that upsets you... You can just not pay. With GoodYear, making you unhappy is worth it, because you still have to buy the car.

They are doing it (KDE Neon) as a testbed for KDE specific development and KDE apps (including gear) and they are doing it on top of Ubuntu.

Tire manufactures test their stuff on machines that simulate cars. But they would never built their own as well they lack the expertise and why would you in the first place when all your stuff sells better when it fit on regular rims?

Same with KDE Neon, KDE is most successfully when their DE and apps are run by the most users. That's why those apps also can be compiled to non linux/Unix OSes like Windows, MacOS and Android.

@kde 🧵(2/?)

Or what if Heinz starts making their own fast-food chain and only supplies their condiments to said chain?

This is a bad idea *because* it is reversing the supply-chain, redirecting efforts that should be focused on the KDE ecosystem (the tip of the iceberg) and moves it to the bottom. Away from what matters.

It WILL eventually lead to KDE isolation, a foundation fragmentation and frivolous forking.

It is that kind of an idea everyone thinks is either great, comical or satirical