> But the store does not track me if I don't use a card. Returns are handled through the receipt that they give me during the transaction. That's a kind of tracking, but tracking the transaction itself, not me.

That's exactly analogous to what's happening here. The data being tracked isn't you, it's generic information about how many Fedora installs of what type there are. The countermeasures in place mean it cannot not, nor ever, be used to track you if implemented in the way I've outlined.

> The doctor even gives me a consent form affirming that. If I'm not OK with the tracking, I don't see that doctor. Software is no different in this sense.

Even if you don't affirm any documentation, you are still tracked by the docter himself. If you visit the same doctor, even without a log of prior visits, he or she might remember you. This is implicit in all communication. That's why the discussion is not really track vs not track, but what data is tracked and how. Every time you request updated from any network based update system, you can bet your connection is tracked in some manner.

> I oppose tracking that I don't give affirmative consent for. In the case of Red Hat's purpose, I will not give such consent, as the cost/benefit ratio is not sufficiently weighted to the "benefit" side.

Why I'm so confused by your stance is that your reasoning for disliking "tracking" does not seem to follow (in my eyes) from the evidence you've presented for that reasoning.

I feel it's akin to looking at the ills that automobiles have brought about with pollution, and taking a stance against vehicles. When someone comes by to show you a bicycle, you say no-thanks, you've taken a hard line against all vehicles because of pollution. When they show you how it doesn't pollute, even can't pollute in that manner, you say that it's your right, which it is, and you've drawn a line you won't cross, which you have, but I can't help but think you've drawn that line in a rather odd spot.

You can obviously do what you want, but I'm not sure I can be blamed for trying to figure out how this reasoning works, because it makes no sense to me.

> It's not FUD, as I'm not claiming that Red Hat is intending to do anything nefarious.

You're equating tracking, as being discussed here, with identity tracking, which is not really on the table as an option at all.

> Speaking personally, this is a reaction to the trend in software and online to engage in massive amounts of user tracking and data collection

And I would classify it as an overreaction to that problem. Sure, the problem is bad, but does that mean we should attack real solutions which do not exhibit that problem just because it shares some easily identifiable similarities, such as a name?

What we have is an open source operating system offered for free with open source utilities that are used to check for remote updated for that operating system, also entirely free, with the ability to see who is asking for updates. That's what we already have, by nature of using IP transport.

All they are proposing is to get a finer grained view (but still not perfect) of how many systems there are and what version they are. None of that is personal to an individual, and the discussion is how to go about it in a way that it is not, and can not, be used later for those purposes. If that's not okay, you might as well just shut off your internet connection, because there's startlingly little you can do online that doesn't reveal massively more information about you than that at every interaction. Just loading a web page generally gives the host your IP address, browser of choice, a list of installed extensions, what the dimensions of your browser window are, what the dimensions of your desktop is, what the 3D capabilities of your video card are, what fonts you have available to use, and more.

Unless you are browsing HN through lynx, telnet, or some system that mails webpages to you after you submit the URL (a-la Stallman), I can't reconcile your hard line in one instance and apparent blasé attitude in the other.