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Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

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Re: Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

#61

Post by xhruso00 »

cltsang wrote: post #55

Will probably be downvoted to oblivion: This incident is a perfect example showing why embracing China and hoping they would be more open to modern values like freedom of speech, democracy, etc., is a total illusion. Too many Chinese people are brainwashed to the core that even if the great firewall is switched off today, nothing will change. The currently brainwashed people simply despise anything against Chinese of…

> "That's why powerful external force is necessary for China to change." Until rich people understand that China money stinks, nothing is going to change.

Re: Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

#66

Post by dgellow »

Triggered by the blog post announcing the relase of "Notepad++ v7.8.1 : Free Uyghur".

https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v781-free-uyghur-edition/

Excerpt from the blog post:

> At least 120,000 members of Kashgar’s Muslim Uyghur minority have been detained in Xinjiang’s re-education camps which aim to change the political thinking of detainees, their identities, and their religious beliefs. Reports from the World Uyghur Congress submitted to the United Nations in July 2018 suggest that 1 million Uyghurs are currently being held in the re-education camps.

> Here are some actions you can take to help them: https://uhrp.org/what-you-can-do

> The fact you have just learned such information is already an action in and of itself. But you can involve more people to focus on this issue and hopefully apply additional pressure on the Chinese government to stop their oppressive actions and crimes concerning the Uyghur people. People will tell me again to not mix politics with software/business. Doing so surely impacts the popularity of Notepad++: talking about politics is exactly what software and commercial companies generally try to avoid. The problem is, if we don’t deal with politics, politics will deal with us. We can choose to not act when people are being oppressed, but when it’s our turn to be oppressed, it will be too late and there will be no one for us. You don’t need to be Uyghur or a Muslim to act, you need only to be a human and have empathy for our fellow humans.

> Hence Notepad++ Free Uyghur Edition:

Re: Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

#67

Post by zubspace »

mmsimanga wrote: post #45
favorited wrote: post #2

Good on the Notepad++ devs. They've had Tiananmen-themed release notes in the past as well. Edit: Remember when GitHub started allowing removing issues, rather than just closing them? People got all wound up saying that issues shouldn't be totally removed and there should be a public record of the maintainer closing it. This is a perfect example of what that feature enables. The maintainers can, if they want, just go…

Developer also had a Charlie Hebdo[0] edition[1]. I have been using Notepad++ for over a decade if my memory serves me right and I will continue to use it. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Hebdo_shooting [1] https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/v674-je-suis-charlie-edit...

It's kind of strange but refreshing, that an open source project mixes their releases with other unrelated issues, using their popularity to spread their word. But I guess, the larger and more known you get, the higher the chance to offend people.

I think there's a point, where this can turn against the project and maybe Notepad++ reached it? It may also change the dynamic while you grow. Just think about how Hacker News would look like today if submissions about political affairs were accepted...

However, I love that the Notepad++ Devs did also show some humor before with a well-known easter egg: Type Random, select the word and hit F1. [1]

[1] https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/blob/...

Re: Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

#68

Post by thewholeview »

creshal wrote: post #56
cltsang wrote: post #55

Will probably be downvoted to oblivion: This incident is a perfect example showing why embracing China and hoping they would be more open to modern values like freedom of speech, democracy, etc., is a total illusion. Too many Chinese people are brainwashed to the core that even if the great firewall is switched off today, nothing will change. The currently brainwashed people simply despise anything against Chinese of…

> And if we don't force China to change, China will erode the rest of the world's modern values There's another option: Treat them like North Korea. No trade in, no trade out, let them be whatever they want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone outside China. It's the least profitable option, of course, but much easier to pull off than overthrowing a government armed with nuclear weapons, and un-brainwashing over a billi…

It's interesting that Chinese used to believe that the West is more fair and just and are respected, evident in the fact that foreigners receive higher regards and even the police would prioritize such cases.

In recent time, there has been more voices in China where notion regarding the West being "brainwashed" by the western media starts the emerge, which had never happened before.

I think it's interesting to note this as it's easy to be one-sided when you are hearing only the narrative and values from a certain belief system. As such without discussing the actual merit of each individual belief, care should be taken perhaps to at least recognize the implicit meaning behind any claims of "brainwash" to ones other than your own.

Re: Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

#69

Post by thewholeview »

thinkingemote wrote: post #52
ahbyb wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So they should be ostracised for not thinking like the West wants them to think? My issue with this is that some people think that all online supporters of the Chinese government are paid shills or just bots. It might surprise you to know that there are normal Chinese people, just like you and I, that simply like things are going in China. I see no reason to disrespect or ostracise them for their politics.

Oh I actually think they are normal people. And that's why it's interesting and important. A simple reason why is imagine not having to have a paid online army or coordinate a sophisticated bot attack when your population will do it voluntarily and with enthusiasm. The more complex reason is more interesting and it really is about the freedom to think and speak but it's also where criticism of China as a state is con…

I usually go on the offense here with this account to try to preach the other side of story in a justified manner as possible. But I do want to just note on this to say I love the way you portrayed the actual situation versus many, it's very on spot and I wish others would recognize the situation the way you do.

Re: Notepad++ issues attacked by Chinese commenters

#70

Post by bouncycastle »

honest_tovarich wrote: post #40

I made a remark about the author(s) of Notepad++ naming his release "Free Uyghur", quite unpopular I would say, I meant it to be like that, I told him/them that Uyghurs are just a ethnic group of China, not a nation, etc... But in this case , bloating someone's project for political reason's is just plain wrong, is awful. Github should have something in place to protect open source projects against something like thi…

Why is it wrong? It's quite courageous of them to support human rights, and they have the right to do so, especially when they have been developing and giving away their software for free. You have no obligation to use it.

Also, If they are "just an ethnic group", then why are so many being sent to prison? Why the mass surveillance, restrictions, arrests and 're-education' camps?

"Free Uyghur" doesn't necessarily mean they should be given their own nation, but at least be able to practice their culture and religion freely.

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