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Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

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Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#31

Post by laurent123456 »

ZeroGravitas wrote: post #16

Poorly chosen headline. As the text makes clear, 'protestware' as a concept is fine, destroying random people's data is not. > When deployed, this ‘protestware’ expresses the maintainer’s opposition to the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine. Most protestware simply displays anti-war or pro-Ukrainian messages when run. This is a non-violent, creative form of protest that can be effective.

I wonder is protestware as a concept is fine. It's a form of ads, just people pushing their opinion in front of everybody just because they can.

Sure, everybody's against the war, but what if the message was a more controversial anti-this or pro-that topic - do we really want to have these messages popup during installation and even after?

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#32

Post by zamadatix »

nsxwolf wrote: post #17
commandlinefan wrote: post #5

I'm in Texas. A LOT of Californians disagree with some of the laws that Texas has passed. How long will it be until my hard drive gets reformatted by some protestor in San Francisco who localizes my IP address?

Quoted post unavailable.

The problem is the logic goes both ways so there is no "just do " because differs per group.

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#34

Post by Latty »

Do people think the people protesting like this don't know that this is damaging? They presumably feel that the issue at hand is more important than that damage.

Every protest every has been met with "but this protest is being done the wrong way, don't inconvenience me", but that's the point: protest has to disrupt things to make people take notice and make changes.

Would I do this? No. I don't think it's effective or right (it really isn't going to harm Putin, even indirectly, in any meaningful way), but I think it's silly to pretend people don't know what they are doing. The intent is to disrupt.

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#35

Post by mothsonasloth »

Thankfully none of my Java deps have turned my files into digital swiss cheese.... yet!

What is it with some people wanting to "make the world a better place", but end up starting fires and making it worse. Is it just middle class western liberal arrogance manifesting through a software developer's actions?

I don't want to make the world a better place, I just want to keep it from burning.

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#36

Post by PartiallyTyped »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #13
Palomides wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a disagreeable take: why should open source projects make any effort to be accessible to corporations that will never donate or support them?

Because open source is idealistic and altruistic to a fault; it is the antithesis to "got mine, fuck you", or that of the capitalist "fuck you, pay me". If you limit access to anyone it is, by definition, no longer open source. I mean there's probably plenty of licenses that restrict commercial usage of open source software. That said, I'm all for open source software monetization; include messages in the README, cod…

Part of being idealistic is standing up for what is right but without causing more harm than necessary.

> If you limit access to anyone it is, by definition, no longer open source

Licensing disagrees. Not everything opensource is permissive.

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#38

Post by JumpCrisscross »

harry8 wrote: post #21
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because open source is idealistic and altruistic to a fault; it is the antithesis to "got mine, fuck you", or that of the capitalist "fuck you, pay me". If you limit access to anyone it is, by definition, no longer open source. I mean there's probably plenty of licenses that restrict commercial usage of open source software. That said, I'm all for open source software monetization; include messages in the README, cod…

Counter point: if bigcos are so damn stupid they avoid open source & Free software for idiotic reasons that creates space for less stupid startups who will do and be better. Why do we need to save the rich ignorant and prejudiced from themselves? They're not worthy object of charity.

> not worthy object of charity

Most people, certainly productive people, are employed by companies. Take an extremist position on who your product works for and you limit the developer pool. An agnostic competitor would be expected to replace you.

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#39

Post by quantified »

meken wrote: post #33

This is crazy. The monetary system is fracturing, now the open source system could be fracturing. If I was Russia, I might start seeing the need to develop in-country versions of open source packages, as a matter of national security.

In any country, really.

Re: Open source ‘protestware’ harms Open Source

#40

Post by slackfan »

extheat wrote: post #30
bjt2n3904 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have legitimately argued against using NodeJS as the foundation of our next product for this very reason. NodeJS' culture is very much "move fast and break things", and "all software is political". Look at the TSC drama. Leftpad.js. This isn't an ecosystem that you want to build and maintain a product on.

So you’re basically saying, don’t use X tool chain because the 3rd party software doesn’t move on your pace? Or they have different “views” than yours? I don’t see how that makes any sense. Why do you have to be beholden 3rd party developers and the pace they work at?

I use software to build stuff, not to subscribe to a set of political ideologies.
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