Email or username:

Password:

Forgot your password?
All posts Drew's posts Post Back to profile
Drew DeVault

So you support RMS as the leader of the free software movement. I have some questions for you.

What has RMS done for free software in the last 20 years? Can you name a single project or initiative that he's led? And in that same time, how many stories have we heard of people who have been aggrieved by him? What do those people tend to look like? Do they look like you?

1/2

19 Jun 2023 at 17:30 | Open on fosstodon.org
13 comments | Expand all CWs
Drew DeVault

The free software movement is ossifying, and needs change. We can build a movement which grows and flourishes and brings free software to everyone, or we can slam the door shut and put our fingers in our ears so that we can continue to gather in our white-cis-male commune to worship a has-been.

MOVE ON.

2/2

19 Jun 2023 at 17:31 | Open on fosstodon.org
Drew DeVault

3/2: RMS has a place in the history books. I won't deny him that. But history books are written about the past.

19 Jun 2023 at 17:33 | Open on fosstodon.org
Jackie Jude

@drewdevault damn that take is too spicy to retoot (but I agree)

19 Jun 2023 at 17:48 | Open on social.linux.pizza
Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell:
@drewdevault Spicy but reminds me that I often write his name as "stalledman" and for a pretty good reason.
19 Jun 2023 at 17:55 | Open on queer.hacktivis.me
HAMMER SMASHED FILESYSTEM 🇺🇦

@drewdevault RMS may have a place in history books but I wouldn't mind seeing him on a Vogue cover either!

19 Jun 2023 at 17:58 | Open on octodon.social
Mans R

@drewdevault This applies to the entirety of the FSF, IMO.

19 Jun 2023 at 21:31 | Open on society.oftrolls.com
27329ed9-2211-a1ba-9371-e2641bf0dcb6
@drewdevault

I agree that movement needs to move on. The ideas he left for us in my opinion requires some refreshments, that would match the current state of the industry better, avoiding the "ossifying" as you said.

With the companies joining in it feels like the movement is about taking more than giving back. I don't care what another useless piece of code companies did opensourced, until the developers of existing free software (that companies do extensively use) find themselves without a livelihood.

I still respect him because he was one of the first faces of the free software movement and because he practices what he preaches for the last 40 years. But RMS also says the same things over and over for the same 40 years. Free software need somebody else until it's not too late.
@drewdevault

I agree that movement needs to move on. The ideas he left for us in my opinion requires some refreshments, that would match the current state of the industry better, avoiding the "ossifying" as you said.
19 Jun 2023 at 18:02 | Open on suya.place
Sigrithur

@drewdevault what about all those times the FSF sent someone to a Windows launch party in a gnu costume? Does that count for nothing??

19 Jun 2023 at 18:38 | Open on libretooth.gr
PuercoPop

@drewdevault If one actually looks you see that they actually have _harmed_ projects they have had a position of influence. Emacs was one of the last projects to use bzr. bzr was unmaintained. One of the maintainers had even blogged about no longer maintain bzr. Emacs had to patch their bzr server to workaround a bug that upstream hadn't merged because there was no-one there. What did RMS do?

19 Jun 2023 at 23:41 | Open on mastodon.social
PuercoPop

@drewdevault They said, "I don't know for a fact that bzr is un-maintained. We should support other FSF projects and keep using bzr. I don't have time check whether the bzr poject in un-mantained.

19 Jun 2023 at 23:43 | Open on mastodon.social
/lib/sys

@drewdevault The free software movement should not have a leader. For the sanity of society, in politics ideas ought to be raised and personalities to be lowered. I think RMS still has a lot to give, as probably no one can replace his experience on the subject. However, I agree that he should step-back as spokesperson of the FSF and move to a less public position.

20 Jun 2023 at 2:00 | Open on chilemasto.casa
Go Up