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Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

libreboot.org

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Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#151

Post by yesenadam »

rbanffy wrote: post #128
gopiandcode wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you read the open letter? The points you list above are a lot more milquetoast than the "evidence" against RMS that was posted on the open letter - it performs such disingenuous actions as quoting statements that RMS has since retracted or changed, refusing to admit the fact that he has changed; mischaracterising his suggestion of alternative pronouns as a transphobic attack when in fact RMS has stated that he h…

The point remains the FSF board would have better executed its mission of protecting the FSF by doing absolutely nothing. There was no desperate need to reinstate Stallman. Have they failed to produce any other leaders inside the organization that could take it and move it forward? Isn't there anyone else who could lead it? Stallman won't be able to front it forever and he already conveniently stepped aside. He's sti…

Every word of that seems right to me, but –

You don't seem to care if the anti-RMS petition was slander or not. Whether it was all true or all false. The person who wrote it also seems not to care. Why not?!

I read it and looked into its claims, and was very surprised that none of them seemed to actually be true. The people who signed it presumably took its truth on faith, like you seem to be doing. Either that or you and they don't care. Imagine for a second it was you being slandered in such a way. After totally transforming your field for the better, around the world!

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#152

Post by Latty »

flyinglizard wrote: post #6
rzwitserloot wrote: post #2

From the linked article: > Our opponents wish to destroy Free Software > Our opponent’s true target is not Richard Stallman; their real aim is to destroy the FSF by thoroughly infiltrating it (like they already have with organisations like the OSI and Linux Foundation). These people even started an online petition calling for RMS’s forceful removal and for the entire board of directors at the FSF to resign from their…

The way the ideology behind free software is intertwined and inspired by free speech, one feeds from the other.

If people can't contribute because they are being preyed upon and abused in the community, and the leadership sees no issue with that, they can't contribute and so they are excluded.

If he isn't willing to defend those people, it isn't about his free speech, it is about his inability to do the job and willingness to let others be silenced.

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#153

Post by newswasboring »

sgt wrote: post #14

"Clearly, they/them is commonly understood and will cause the least amount of misunderstanding." While I support this campaign and I support RMS right to free speech, I find it ridiculous that everyone is now expected to use they/them pronouns for non-binaries etc. Am I the only one or has the world gone absolutely batshit insane, driven by purple haired Twitter trans-extremists?

As an English as second language speaker, they/them is actually brilliant. I remember in school misgendering people counted for half the negative marks. Thinking of gender just broke my thought flow and I believe it was similar for my class mates who made similar mistakes. If you ask brain to concentrate on details, language becomes harder. English is already a very weird language, they/them actually brings in consistency.

And this is coming from someone who's mother tongue actually has more gendering than english.

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#154

Post by Glavnokoman »

caslon wrote: post #126
robert_foss wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a bit unfamiliar with Eich, what has he done?

He funded a group trying to prevent homosexuals from having equal rights with everyone else. Regardless of your ethical views on the subject of homosexuals, it's wrong to try and prevent anyone from having freedom, especially in such an undemocratic way as throwing money at it.

That is pretty sick description of what happened. To be precise he donated 1000$ to some org which opposes the gay marriage.

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#155

Post by bjt2n3904 »

ttt0 wrote: post #144
bjt2n3904 wrote: post #122

You want to know what will cause Free Software to die? It isn't RMS. The other day I told someone I thought this whole reaction to RMS was stupid. I was instantly labeled as "one of them", and "enabling harmful behavior" and blocked. This is nothing more than a witch hunt, guilt by association, McCarthyism. Ideological conformity -- march in lockstep with me, or you're the enemy. That is what will kill free software.

Pretty much what happened to the left with the Occupy Wallstreet movement and all, isn't it?

I think it's far closer to what happened with Rod Vagg and the Node TSC drama.

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#156

Post by jaywalk »

EdwardDiego wrote: post #22
throwaways885 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup! You cannot have the FSF without free speech. Creating petitions to excommunicate RMS & other supporters just does not jive with the organisation's founding principles. I'm not going to defend Stallman's comments - they are extremely dubious at best - but I do not agree with trying to bully him out of the movement he helped build. If he really is problematic, you can just 'fork' off and create your own FSF equiva…

Free speech never implied freedom from consequences though - this isn't the government suppressing RMS, it's people reacting to his free speech and deciding that they don't like it. That's how it works.

"Censorship is just fine as long as it's not the government doing it!"

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#157

Post by ocdtrekkie »

efficax wrote: post #106
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #67

So one thing I'm noting here is that this letter has a heavy translation/international bent. Additionally, an extremely large portion of signers have Russian-language names, for example. Anecdotally, nearly everyone I have ever talked to or worked with in FOSS software has signed the "opposes RMS" letter, and I can't find anyone I recall or have even heard of on this one. But of course, I mostly have worked with peop…

The author, Leah Rowe, is English as far as I know

I was not, by any means, suggesting nobody who supports RMS is from any given country, merely that internationalization efforts on the support letter may have given it a larger reach, or possibly reflect cultural views not reflected by the open letter.

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#158

Post by Qub3d »

ByTheBook wrote: post #100
approxim8ion wrote: post #7

Complete hogwash, but whatever. Stallman defenders would do well to not overstate his and the FSF's present (not historical) importance to the software community in addition to understating his views and the things he did.

What exactly did he do ? From what I've gathered he gave out cards which was basically an invitation to a date with him should anyone be interested, and he made a very ill-concieved statement regarding harm from children having sex with adults. A really stupid comment but hardly something that would warrant this kind of response, at least unless he doubled down on it. Is this all ?

The initial push that led to his resignation from the FSF board came down to some comments supporting Marvin Minsky, who was an associate of Jeffery Epstein. This, combined with anecdata about RMS having a history of crude and insensitive comments was too much for a lot of people.

Note that I'm not taking a side here, I'm mostly summarizing the below article:

https://itsfoss.com/richard-stallman-controversy/

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#159

Post by Nursie »

shadowgovt wrote: post #32
Nursie wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's because it puts restrictions on use. Open source does not.

The GPL does put restriction on use. If you make modification to the code and do not share those modifications, you are constrained from using the code you modified. And those constraints are for political reasons. The Four Freedoms are a political ideology about how software, developers, and users should morally interact, and the GPL exists as a legal tool to support this political ideology. Edit: clarification - by…

Even your clarification is not use, it’s redistribution.

You may think that’s an arbitrary line, that’s up to you, but a line it is.

Re: Libreboot – Defend Richard Stallman

#160

Post by [deleted] »

Pelic4n wrote: post #72
sgt wrote: post #14

"Clearly, they/them is commonly understood and will cause the least amount of misunderstanding." While I support this campaign and I support RMS right to free speech, I find it ridiculous that everyone is now expected to use they/them pronouns for non-binaries etc. Am I the only one or has the world gone absolutely batshit insane, driven by purple haired Twitter trans-extremists?

>I find it ridiculous that everyone is now expected to use they/them pronouns for non-binaries etc. Why? Choosing not to use someone's prefered pronouns is just hurtful and disrespectful. You might choose to ignore the scientific evidence around transidentity being a thing, but willingly antagonizing people on this subject is another story.

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