The FSF Is Re-Evaluating Its Relationship With The GNU

[phoronix]

Phoronix: The FSF Is Re-Evaluating Its Relationship With The GNU

With RMS resigning as head of the FSF but ultimately is remaining as head of the GNU, the Free Software Foundation is now publicly re-evaluating its relationship with the GNU...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=FSF-GNU-Relationship-Questioned

[ms178]

More drama ahead?!

[skeevy420]

I anticipate pleasant and civil discussion in this thread.

[uid313]

This risks making both the FSF and the GNU irrelevant. In-fighting will be detrimental to both projects.

[kpedersen]

"something" is being very clever about breaking up the main "open computing" groups.

Is there some sort of poll for those wanting RMS out? Who exactly is pushing this agenda?

The robot / programmer in me says that Stallman has done far more good than bad. He should stay. I am quite surprised that there are those who don't feel the same.

[numacross]

So we're entering the "extinguish" phase?

[L_A_G]

Seems like the people who took the opportunity to push Stallman out from the FSF based on a malicious misinterpretation of what he actually said in an email chain about Epstein have decided that they're going to keep pressing it until they've forced him into complete retirement. The man may have more than his share of flaws and can be downright repulsive a lot of the time, but being smeared based on a blatant lie like this is something nobody deserves to have done against them.

For those not aware of how badly the media has hoodwinked people to create a big scandal out of nothing, Stallman never actually defended Epstein or attended any of his parties with underage girls. What he really did was defend his deceased co-worker and friend, Marvin Minsky, who attended one Epstein's parties, was propositioned by one of Epstein's underage victims (then aged 17), turned her down and then told a friend about it. Furthermore, in the same email he called Epstein a "serial rapist" making it very clear that he most definitely wasn't defending Epstein. More specifically, the part that this was all spun out of is this:

We can imagine many scenarios, but the most plausible scenario is that she presented herself to him as entirely willing.

Assuming she was being coerced by Epstein, he would have had every reason to tell her to conceal that from most of his associates.

Oh and before anyone tries to use the old quote about how he doesn't see any issue in adults having sex with children, he's long since recanted it, apologized for being ignorant of the issues involved and thanked the people who explained it to him and changed his mind. He obviously shouldn't have said that in the first place, but it looks very different when you put it in the proper context where he's recanted it with a sincere apology.

[libv]

Free and open source software... Nothing to do with being open or free, or providing technical advancements. It's all just political wrangling, either driven by self-aggrandisement and corporate/financial advancement, everywhere.

[Filiprino]

https://neritam.wordpress.com/2019/10/05/do-not-make-free-software-as-your-source-of-income-it-will-make-you-weak-politically/

Politicians wrecked in the FSF and are now trying to destroy it from the inside just to preserve donations from companies? Stop all this bullshit. Because someone on the Internet writes bullshit you don't throw away decades of work.

[mb_q]

Putting moral aspects aside, single charismatic leader is good for revolution, but is a terrible solution in the long term, seriously hurting the robustness of the whole organisation. IMHO with RMS becoming a PR minefield on a wide scale, this just become evident in the FSF, despite the sentiment for his achievements and ideals.