FreeGameDev

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page= ... MS-Resigns

TL;DR: #MeToo

EDIT: Primary articles that started this:
https://medium.com/@selamie/remove-rich ... c6ec210794
https://medium.com/@selamie/remove-rich ... e41e784f88

TL;DR Stallman was very bad with women for decades.

http://techrights.org/2019/09/17/rms-witch-hunt/

TL;DR: "I do not think Stallman stepped down for a good reason this week. This was about image, not truth — it was not about renewing the fight for Free software."

It's a long article I'm sure most of you would prefer to skip.

I'm a free software foundation associate member, and I'm not really sure what I will do. Some people are/did cancel their membership over the whole fake news Vice Article, deciding that he is bad PR, and didn't want to have to apologize for him anymore. Other people quit because they think its horrible that he got the boot, when as you pointed out, Bill Gates was on that plane with Epstein.
I've done a lot of reading on the subject these past few days, but not a lot of writing. The whole social justice warrior angle is concerning to me, especially since I wrote a free-culture horror novel in 2010 that deals with this very topic, but only this year have I started to distribute it.
I'm going to wait and see who they chose as the new president. I also wouldn't be surprised if several new organizations are formed. Hopefully we can make something good about this whole situation and have more effective campaigns for free software (and not just boycotting non-free software because it is a bad, that isn't going to fix all the issues, and is a tactic that has dragged on too long.)
One good thing that did come of it though, in spite of all the negative media coverage, what I learned when I started to really study marketing is, "all publicity is good publicity, even negative publicity because then at least people hear about it, so some of those people will be sympathetic.

Jastiv {l Wrote}:The whole social justice warrior angle is concerning to me, especially since I wrote a free-culture horror novel in 2010 that deals with this very topic, but only this year have I started to distribute it.

I would probably be interested in reading that.

Here is the old forum topic where I mention it,

https://forum.freegamedev.net/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=8156

Dark days are ahead. Richard Stallman has always been one of my greatest inspirations in never being afraid to voice his opinions, even if they posed a risk to his image and to what he has created, even if he could well have remained silent for strategic reasons. He lead the best example, showing you mustn't remain silent if there is something that needs to be said, and that you can pursue a perfect ideal. He didn't behave like a temporary politician, and by this he will have earned his place in history.

The only thing I disagreed with RMS about was his extensive reliance on IP laws (copyleft) and him limiting the ideas of freedom only to software. Yes, I agree with his views on child porn and sexuality, it has to be said, just as he taught me.

However, the idea of freedom mustn't be dependent on a single person, this test now has to be passed by the free SW movement. Perhaps with RMS stepping down the need will find someone new, and maybe better, someone who will supports free culture in general, as strictly as RMS did. Perhaps the FSF will degrade, but this lack will give rise to a new, revised movement. Change and uncertainty is scary, but can be good.

Stallman has been leftist itself long ago, so he has just reap what he sow. I wonder if this situation will became an OpenSourceGate.

*moderator hat on* I will be monitoring this thread closely, thanks for keeping it civil so far *moderator hat off*

Lets not make him a martyr and add to this internet drama. And I would say, given how several people that know Stallman in person seem to have reacted to this, there was probably a significant number of people that thought he should have stepped off for totally unrelated reasons long time ago. I personally think it is unfortunate that *this* ended up to be the reason, but so be it...

Going a bit off tangent, I found this article very interesting:
https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/07/08/g ... vil-rites/
Please read it very carefully and don't jump to conclusions. If you feel angry or triggered by it, don't be. Just try to read it again without any preconceptions

We live in interesting times, and the "judeo-christian capitalist west" is likely coming to an end, for the better or worse...

I saw this coming. Maybe now the GNU can break off as a separate entity from FSF/EFF and just write code rather than do politics.

I've said this on Mastadon already: I think the news of Stallman's resignation is wonderful news. Stallman has been saying ridiculous stuff like this for years, and I also tend to suspect the strategies employed by the FSF that I complained about in this article are largely because of Stallman:

https://onpon4.github.io/articles/actions.html

Stallman's resignation, for the first time in a long time, gives me hope for the libre software movement. This could be a new beginning for the movement. Perhaps the FSF will find a new leader who will lead it into a new, better direction. Or perhaps the FSF will stay as it is and fade into obscurity as other organizations like Conservancy take over. Either way, I see an oasis on the horizon.

onpon4 {l Wrote}:This could be a new beginning for the movement.

I am very afraid with some popular guy they will become just another open source movement. The popular guy will drop talk about ethics because people don't want to hear that, and without this goal the whole idea of free SW is destroyed, a new popular goal will be found -- such as playing along with the LGBT/feminists -- a politically correct business guy in a suit will take the lead and we're doomed.

But as I say, even if the FSF ends up dying or becomes something like I describe, I think the void it leaves behind will provide space for some other Stallman with another unpopular movement that I will be able to subscribe to.

I think this is more that Stallman realized that it was perhaps time for a change at the rudder. Not necessarily a bad thing.

I think it is a little stupid for supporters of a movement about personal liberty to get too hung up on "leadership" to begin with.

Technopeasant {l Wrote}:I think it is a little stupid for supporters of a movement about personal liberty to get too hung up on "leadership" to begin with.

Good point -- I am against authorities, I see Stallman as an example -- which he can continue to be after his presidentship, and even after his death. The issue here is about who will get to direct the force the FSF has become, and where will it be directed. They have money and power that should serve the original idea of free SW, and I am afraid that may change.

a new popular goal will be found -- such as playing along with the LGBT/feminists

I would suggest that the libre software movement fails if it contributes to discrimination against women or LGBTQ+ people, or any other minority for that matter. Speaking from my own experience, there is still a lot of sexism and transphobia, most of it just subtle enough to be out of the minds of those who are unaffected. These issues need to be addressed everywhere, and that includes the libre software movement. Just as the issue of proprietary software needs to be addressed everywhere.

onpon4 {l Wrote}:

a new popular goal will be found -- such as playing along with the LGBT/feminists

I would suggest that the libre software movement fails if it contributes to discrimination against women or LGBTQ+ people, or any other minority for that matter. Speaking from my own experience, there is still a lot of sexism and transphobia, most of it just subtle enough to be out of the minds of those who are unaffected. These issues need to be addressed everywhere, and that includes the libre software movement. Just as the issue of proprietary software needs to be addressed everywhere.

Well yes. I saw in that Phoronix thread people saying things along the lines of "why are we letting the free software movement become political?" in terms of addressing minority rights. This is just insane.

Of course free software is political inherently, it always was. And why are social issues inherently more political than other issues?

It just comes down to the idea that anything that does not directly correlate to your own (usually majority) identity is automatically "playing politics".

drummyfish {l Wrote}:

Technopeasant {l Wrote}:I think it is a little stupid for supporters of a movement about personal liberty to get too hung up on "leadership" to begin with.

Good point -- I am against authorities, I see Stallman as an example -- which he can continue to be after his presidentship, and even after his death. The issue here is about who will get to direct the force the FSF has become, and where will it be directed. They have money and power that should serve the original idea of free SW, and I am afraid that may change.

I admit I do not honestly put too much stock in the inner workings of the FSF bureaucracy. I think GPL and the concept of copyleft is way more important than anything else the FSF does, because it maintains and preserves the free ecosystem (which is exactly why it is attacked as being viral). That said, I do not think that the people who worked around Stallman are out there to outright reject his ideals. Call me an optimist.

movement movement movement politics movement shut up

I like Stallman because he made GCC and other tools, nothing more. No more fucking politics in my open source, thanks.

onpon4 {l Wrote}:I would suggest that the libre software movement fails if it contributes to discrimination against women or LGBTQ+ people, or any other minority for that matter.

Of course, let's never discriminate, but that's it. I've never seen a merge request rejected because the author was gay, woman or black. Everything is correct here, there is no issue.

The issue, and what I meant, was the LGBT/feminist fascism and superiority movements, manifesting e.g. in the form of COCs, which did result in discrimination and kicking people out of development, and which actually resulted in kicking Stallman out of the FSF. Once this becomes a norm, we have lost. In such case, we need a new, sane, non-fascist movement, respecting freedom of speech as much as that of information and technology users.

Actually after this discussion I am starting to think the FSF may need to die -- it has been established by an enlightened man, but it's still a western organization and movent and as such is likely doomed to go the same way as feminism and LGBT -- by executing their own founder they're proving this. I would very much like to not find myself part of such a movement. I hope something new, better, non-american will rise from these ashes.

fluffrabbit {l Wrote}:movement movement movement politics movement shut up

I like Stallman because he made GCC and other tools, nothing more. No more fucking politics in my open source, thanks.

Stallman himself would be less than happy with that point of view.

drummyfish {l Wrote}:Actually after this discussion I am starting to think the FSF may need to die -- it has been established by an enlightened man, but it's still a western organization and movent and as such is likely doomed to go the same way as feminism and LGBT -- by executing their own founder they're proving this. I would very much like to not find myself part of such a movement. I hope something new, better, non-american will rise from these ashes.

Stallman was not fired or kicked out, he resigned. You can argue about coercion and all that, but ultimately he made the choice. It was not an execution.

I for one do feel the media was misrepresenting what Stallman actually said, but it sounds like he decided his reputation was less important than the FSF or MIT. Sounds respectable to me.

The wisdom of Stallman saying what he did in the context that he did and in front of who he did however, is certainly questionable.

Eh, sounds more reasonable than "everyone who makes proprietary software deserves to fail".

onpon4 {l Wrote}:

a new popular goal will be found -- such as playing along with the LGBT/feminists

I would suggest that the libre software movement fails if it contributes to discrimination against women or LGBTQ+ people, or any other minority for that matter. Speaking from my own experience, there is still a lot of sexism and transphobia

Yes, the GNU/Linux is pretty sexist and transphobic. Half of my brain is dedicated to how I look so I don't have resources to learn and use terminal. Look at all those Unix folks and RMS himself: fat white males with long beards. Of course they can use their operating system because they don't care how they look. A woman has different priorities. Therefore, I use mouse as much as I can and if there is no GUI, I just skip the software in question. Especially since you can use mouse with one hand while the other carries tweezer or epilator.

drummyfish {l Wrote}:The issue, and what I meant, was the LGBT/feminist fascism and superiority movements, manifesting e.g. in the form of COCs, which did result in discrimination and kicking people out of development, and which actually resulted in kicking Stallman out of the FSF.

Good riddance. We managed to remove Brendan Eich, Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman. One white male homophobe, one white male tone deaf freak and sociopath and one white male misogynist. COC is our weapon. COC is how we cancel people who should have never be in any society in the first place.

@Julius Can you delete my account plz? I don't think there is room for a cisgendered white mail proprietary Americans here.

@fluffrabbit, please PM me if you mean it seriously. But no, there is space for such people here. We are an inclusive community Except for maybe the proprietary part

P.s. I think the GNU/Linux community as a whole is far more welcoming to LGBTQ+ than most of the rest of society. I just wish that would be acknoledged more and other special sensitivities typically found in the GNU/Linux community respected a bit more in return.