The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
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The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
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Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#2Feels weird for right wingers to be defending a hippie like stallman.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#3Having spent a bit of time with Stallman (an afternoon), honestly, I don’t think he understands how his comments impact people. At least initially.
I also agree that the media has over stepped here (as has Stallman).
Stallman approaches things with an uncompromising view of moral integrity. He was wrong in this case, but IMO it’s the equivalent of me telling my non-tech friends about how we should lock down our phones. They don’t get it or care. Stallman likewise didn’t seem to care too much here, and now he’s paying the price.
All that being said, his belief system guides the FSF. I’m concerned that the FSF will degrade with him being gone.
Still head priest at the church of GNU though.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#4I forgot that whole Stallman-performing-nasal-sex-on-himself-at-dinner and please-use-my-body-for-necrophilia comment. It was a simpler time back in 2003...
.... However, I did not know about his quote on this page (https://stallman.org/archives/2003-mar-jun.html#28%20June%20...) starting with "The nominee is quoted as saying". I honestly cannot tell if that was an attempt at a bad joke or dead serious.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#5Having spent a bit of time with Stallman (an afternoon), honestly, I don’t think he understands how his comments impact people. At least initially. I also agree that the media has over stepped here (as has Stallman). Stallman approaches things with an uncompromising view of moral integrity. He was wrong in this case, but IMO it’s the equivalent of me telling my non-tech friends about how we should lock down our phone…
“All that being said, his belief system guides the FSF. I’m concerned that the FSF will degrade with him being gone.”
It may also improve. Often things just keep going once the person thought to be indispensable leaves. It’s a good test for the organization if they have people who can step up. I wonder how Linux will do once Linus retires.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#6Having spent a bit of time with Stallman (an afternoon), honestly, I don’t think he understands how his comments impact people. At least initially. I also agree that the media has over stepped here (as has Stallman). Stallman approaches things with an uncompromising view of moral integrity. He was wrong in this case, but IMO it’s the equivalent of me telling my non-tech friends about how we should lock down our phone…
“All that being said, his belief system guides the FSF. I’m concerned that the FSF will degrade with him being gone.” It may also improve. Often things just keep going once the person thought to be indispensable leaves. It’s a good test for the organization if they have people who can step up. I wonder how Linux will do once Linus retires.
Nobody else at the FSF has been anywhere close to as visible and vocal an advocate of software freedom as Stallman. It really shouldn't be hard to be more charismatic than Stallman... but where/who is such a person?
That's an earnest question. I would sleep better tonight knowing the FSF will be in safe and effective hands.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#7Having spent a bit of time with Stallman (an afternoon), honestly, I don’t think he understands how his comments impact people. At least initially. I also agree that the media has over stepped here (as has Stallman). Stallman approaches things with an uncompromising view of moral integrity. He was wrong in this case, but IMO it’s the equivalent of me telling my non-tech friends about how we should lock down our phone…
“All that being said, his belief system guides the FSF. I’m concerned that the FSF will degrade with him being gone.” It may also improve. Often things just keep going once the person thought to be indispensable leaves. It’s a good test for the organization if they have people who can step up. I wonder how Linux will do once Linus retires.
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Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
“All that being said, his belief system guides the FSF. I’m concerned that the FSF will degrade with him being gone.” It may also improve. Often things just keep going once the person thought to be indispensable leaves. It’s a good test for the organization if they have people who can step up. I wonder how Linux will do once Linus retires.
Nobody else at the FSF has been anywhere close to as visible and vocal an advocate of software freedom as Stallman. It really shouldn't be hard to be more charismatic than Stallman... but where/who is such a person? That's an earnest question. I would sleep better tonight knowing the FSF will be in safe and effective hands.
His age would have forced the issue anyway at some point.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#9More generally, if your leadership position depends on making and defending an argument that is based off of strong premises, and you seek to amass a lot of support for that argument, it seems the most effective pathway is to be very visible when making that argument, and rather private otherwise. This is just because if you are trying to maximize support among those that agree with your argument, you are going to attract people that disagree on other arguments. It requires focus. As soon as you, a leader, weigh in on another divisive argument that has nothing to do with your charter, it acts as a filter that can jeopardize large swaths of support.
I'm also a little fascinated, just generally, by the tendency for very smart people to make "good points for bad reasons" - strenuously quibbling with some premise that would make no relevant impact to the lemmas and conclusions constructed atop them. It's like an inability to grasp larger points.
Re: The Burden of Leadership: Why Richard Stallman Was Right to Step Down
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nobody else at the FSF has been anywhere close to as visible and vocal an advocate of software freedom as Stallman. It really shouldn't be hard to be more charismatic than Stallman... but where/who is such a person? That's an earnest question. I would sleep better tonight knowing the FSF will be in safe and effective hands.
His age would have forced the issue anyway at some point.
No doubt. But I'm still worried for the future of the FSF.