Time to fork the FSF • Hacker News Board

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#221

Post by sharmajai » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:36 PM UTC

Fuck you RMS. I have been and still am a staunch believer in open source, but when I read comments like this from the person who's motto once was that everybody writing software should contribute the source back to the community, not because it delivers better software (due to the more eyeballs resulting in fewer bugs), but because it results in moving software forward quickly by virtue of helping each other out, I agree with the OP, it's time for a change.

Let me tell you something, free software or not, it was Steve Jobs, who told us what forward direction for software actually means, first by making GUI mainstream, then by making capacitive touch mainstream, and lastly by defining what a tablet form factor should and should not be.

If you think Steve's products hamper your freedom, I can argue the exact opposite, it was Steve who taught us ways to make technology more accessible by making groundbreaking innovations in user interfaces, which enables the non geeks of the world to use computers in the first place, I am pretty sure those users will feel more trapped in the command line interface that you envisioned for them, than they feel by not having access to the source of the painting app they have fun playing with on their ipad.

So if you cannot come out the frog hole that you have created for yourself, and give credit where it's due, then maybe you should shut the fuck up.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#222

Post by ajross » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:40 PM UTC

tychobrahe wrote: post #212

ordinary wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When a user installs Linux and can't get her brand new graphics card to work, she doesn't care whose fault that is. When the brightness adjustment keys don't work, all I think is "crap, my computer does not work". The vast majority of people are like that; my use of the first person singular was not an accident, I count myself among them. It's not a matter of assigning blame, it's a matter of recognizing reality. For…

Hey, NH, I'm not the poster, but why is this being down voted? Linux being easier to use and easier to maintain isn't something we all could benefit from? And for fucks sake, don't say "it's FUD". I had a hard time installing drivers for an NVidia graphic card this month in Ubuntu's latest stable version, running in Dell workstation. I could even put out some videos. I'm tired of people who had difficulties with Linu…

Did you contact Nvidia for support? That driver you were installing was proprietary software delivered by the vendor. Why are you blaming the free software for it not working?

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#223

Post by BasDirks » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:47 PM UTC

Stallman is a degenerate.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#224

Post by botj » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:51 PM UTC

sgentle wrote: post #21

I don't get it, personally. Yes, Stallman's a loon - although as an aside I think that every good movement needs its loons. Who's going to say "you know what? I believe in Free Software so much that I will use nothing else, and publicly and harshly declare that anyone doing otherwise is a moron and a traitor to the future of humanity"? Anyone who is willing to sacrifice the usefulness of the last 30 years of propriet…

Agreed. Without the extreme left, by definition the moderate viewpoint will slider further and further to the right.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#225

Post by epo » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:52 PM UTC

RMS is clearly on the autistic spectrum, probably far enough on it to be regarded as having a 'learning difficulty' in the rather twee PC UK-ism.

There is IMHO, an interesting litmus test where people who share his monomaniacal obsession, or think it 'reasonable', probably have the same issue.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#226

Post by ceejayoz » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:52 PM UTC

poink wrote: post #123

This is kind of like wanting a "toned down" PETA. People don't devote their lives to marginalized causes without either having or picking up a twinge of zealotry. If you want those people to stand up for causes you mutually believe in, you have to take the bad with the good. RMS might not be the best possible Free Software advocate, but I'm glad someone's doing it, and nobody else seems to be volunteering for the job…

> This is kind of like wanting a "toned down" PETA.

Is that so horrible a thing? It seems to me groups like the Humane Society have done a lot more for animal welfare than PETA.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#227

Post by akg0 » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 5:56 PM UTC

Rusky wrote: post #219

akg0 wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it was anywhere near offensive, but once people start loudly complaining about how offended they are, the conversation inevitably focuses on their feelings instead of our freedoms. In the end, they will win. Either RMS will tone down to focus on the "real" stuff, or he won't, and his influence will wane in favor of more widely-acceptable voices. In this as in many other parts of life, watered-down moder…

So Steve Jobs was a watered-down moderate?

No - my point is that RMS isn't.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#228

Post by DanBC » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 6:08 PM UTC

epo wrote: post #225

RMS is clearly on the autistic spectrum, probably far enough on it to be regarded as having a 'learning difficulty' in the rather twee PC UK-ism. There is IMHO, an interesting litmus test where people who share his monomaniacal obsession, or think it 'reasonable', probably have the same issue.

UK (at least, England, I have no idea what Wales or Scotland do) "Learning disability" is related to IQ. Autism and Asperger's syndrome do sometimes lead to a "Special Educational Need" (SEN). This isn't just language; there's some access to medical services stuff involved.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#229

Post by epo » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 6:11 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #228

epo wrote: post #225

RMS is clearly on the autistic spectrum, probably far enough on it to be regarded as having a 'learning difficulty' in the rather twee PC UK-ism. There is IMHO, an interesting litmus test where people who share his monomaniacal obsession, or think it 'reasonable', probably have the same issue.

UK (at least, England, I have no idea what Wales or Scotland do) "Learning disability" is related to IQ. Autism and Asperger's syndrome do sometimes lead to a "Special Educational Need" (SEN). This isn't just language; there's some access to medical services stuff involved.

Thanks for that correction.

Re: Time to fork the FSF

#230

Post by DanBC » Sat, Oct 08, 2011, 6:12 PM UTC

sharmajai wrote: post #221

Fuck you RMS. I have been and still am a staunch believer in open source, but when I read comments like this from the person who's motto once was that everybody writing software should contribute the source back to the community, not because it delivers better software (due to the more eyeballs resulting in fewer bugs), but because it results in moving software forward quickly by virtue of helping each other out, I a…

>If you think Steve's products hamper your freedom

Try and explain how to boot a MacBookPro from USB stick to someone, and compare that to booting almost any other computer.

Or explain how to dual boot a Mac with OSX and Linux, vs anything else with Windows and Linux.