Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

“I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

twitter.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 93 posts

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#31

Post by rich_sasha »

I don’t know much more than superficial things about either FSF or RMS. I read the things he said, they sound reasonable, but very prone to misinterpretation.

I won’t jump to his defence, I think not offending people even through their misunderstandings is a key skill in public speech. I do find it terrifying though how he is lynched for what is essentially rational and permissible speech in an ugly wrapper. I don’t know if I agree with him, but I sure have some opinions of mine that are not palatable to mainstream woke Twitter mobs. The idea that I couldn’t express them for fear of being cancelled sends shivers down my spine.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#32

Post by tssva »

swebs wrote: post #4

The idea of free software is a very libertarian one. You have freedom. Its the same ideology that drives concepts such as freedom of speech. It is not compatible at all with the authoritarianism that drives cancel culture. Maybe these people should get together and form their own authoritarian-left software foundation. Call it the People's Software Foundation or something. No Dang, I'm not being snarky. This is a leg…

The FSF promoting the use of only GPL licenses seems to indicate their version of freedom to be you should have freedom as long as you follow these specific rules we as your superiors have decided are best for your well-being. Doesn't seem very libertarian. Promoting software under the MIT, BSD or similar licenses sure seems like it would be the more libertarian stance.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#33

Post by simion314 »

cehrlich wrote: post #9
adenozine wrote: post #3

Good riddance? I'm tired of social culture spokespeople flogging technologists over the head Nobody can make a case that RMS is a swell guy, he's awful. Still, he's without a sliver of a doubt the single most influential activist for FOSS that there's ever been. Getting rid of polarization happens with one instance of forgiveness+rehabilitation at a time. You cant cancel your way to better culture.

RMS's role in the FSF was president, and now Member of the Board of Directors. Sure this requires some technical skills, but the main factor is leadership and the ability to bring people together. If anyone believes that RMS is fit for that role, that says a lot about the state of FOSS.

RMS created FSF and the GNU , but if there are more competent people that are also un-cancelablle with out of context quotes then please support those peole to create a better movement.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#34

Post by bondarchuk »

ip34162 wrote: post #10
bondarchuk wrote: post #2

https://www.zdnet.com/article/return-of-stallman-to-fsf-spar... > Kat Walsh, a FSF board member and technology attorney tweeted, "for whatever it's worth, I did not support the decision to reinstate RMS. I made my arguments and placed my opposing vote; while I was glad I was able to do that I regret not being able to turn the decision the other way." I wonder what the next step will be in the corporate takeover of fr…

FOSS doesn't depend on the FSF Board. There are many in the FOSS community that want RMS removed. https://guix.gnu.org/blog/2019/joint-statement-on-the-gnu-pr... https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2021/mar/23/outreachy-fsf/ https://rms-open-letter.github.io/ . . Also the FSF members weren't made aware of RMS's comeback. That's shitty behaviour. https://twitter.com/fsf/status/1374399897558917128 . . Partial reasons as to…

I don't believe those are the actual underlying reasons. This kind of smear campaign is just a means to an end.

RMS is anti-corporate and pro end-user. Free software has turned out to be immensely useful for big corporations, but mostly because it's free, not because it empowers the end-user. You would expect leftists to be in favour of empowering the end-user, but evidently not. I think it's because RMS is an old-style anarchist type leftist, while these new social justice type leftists are rather authoritarian and allied to big corporations as such.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#35

Post by simion314 »

inopinatus wrote: post #22
ekianjo wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So would you rather want someone who cancels or censors disenting opinions? Dogmatism has bright days ahead apparently. Diversity was never meant to be that everyone was supposed to think the same way, as far as I recall.

This false dichotomy is equally toxic. Leadership always means bringing people together, not imposing one or other set of idiosyncrasies.

Are you sure that is definition of leadership? Maybe it is more about leading a team to accomplish a goal and not gathering a big crowd and win a popularity contest but failing at your goals, the later seems more like politics.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#36

Post by swebs »

cehrlich wrote: post #14
nairboon wrote: post #8

Can anybody share some context, as to why this person is resigning?

I don't think Walsh has made an official statement of any sort about this. But the main controversy in the FSF right now is the reinstatement of Richard Stallman. Here's an article about the events that led to Stallman's resignation in 2019: [1] He has also been known to, for example, hand out "Fuck Me" cards to women he deems attractive at software conferences. [1] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/09/richard…

Is this the card you're describing?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EEWlJXRWsAASHJw?format=jpg&name=...

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#37

Post by martyvis »

Keith Packard (of X desktop fame) makes some great points on the problems of governance of the FSF in this week's FLOSS Weekly. He saw similar issues with the XFree86 organisation in the 1990s causing him and most of the developers to form X.org. https://twit.tv/shows/floss-weekly/episodes/622?autostart=fa...

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#38

Post by krapp »

toomim wrote: post #30
krapp wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's ironic that you're claiming free software isn't compatible with authoritarianism while suggesting that anyone who doesn't support the Great Leader isn't welcome and should voluntarily purge themselves from the movement.

RMS doesn't lead with authoritarianism. You're assuming that anyone who is in a position of leadership is an "authoritarian," but that's not what the word means.

You're purposely misinterpreting my comment, so this will be my only reply to you here.

The authoritarianism is in the community, and the opinion held by many within it that one cannot be a member of the Free Software community and oppose the leadership of Richard Stallman or be critical of his behavior. Everyone who does so is regarded as a traitor, a shill working for the interests of the proprietary software establishment or a SJW spreading lies and false claims. I've already seen several comments calling for the removal of "the SJWs" from the movement, and praise for the community's intolerance of any view outside of its political orthodoxy.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#39

Post by Bancakes »

adenozine wrote: post #3

Good riddance? I'm tired of social culture spokespeople flogging technologists over the head Nobody can make a case that RMS is a swell guy, he's awful. Still, he's without a sliver of a doubt the single most influential activist for FOSS that there's ever been. Getting rid of polarization happens with one instance of forgiveness+rehabilitation at a time. You cant cancel your way to better culture.

None of the board members have a replacement.

Re: “I am announcing my resignation from the FSF board”

#40

Post by lawtalkinghuman »

phkahler wrote: post #12
dsr_ wrote: post #7

When an organization, that you have a leadership position in, does something that you believe is wrong, and you have failed at preventing it and correcting it, then resignation is an entirely appropriate option. Walsh has integrity.

He didn't say that in the tweets. If that's the case, I wouldn't call it integrity to gloss over it.

She. And she did explain her opposition to the reinstement of RMS on Tuesday:

"For whatever it's worth, I did not support the decision to reinstate RMS. I made my arguments and placed my opposing vote; while I was glad I was able to do that I regret not being able to turn the decision the other way."

https://twitter.com/mindspillage/status/1374448587388588037

Post reply on HN