GNU Project Developers Debate A Restructuring As A "Bottom Up" Organization

[hotaru]

It seems from previous stories that the anti-Stallman brigade is a fringe minority of GNU contributors. By all means, if they have an issue with the person at the top of the chain they are welcome to fork and do their own thing independently. In many cases, the project might be stronger without their participation.

a lot of would-be GNU contributors have been pushed to the fringe by people like RMS. I've made exactly one contribution to a GNU project, and the general hostility to women that I encountered convinced me never to do that again. I still use a lot of GNU software and make various fixes and enhancements, but I no longer even consider contributing my changes upstream. I'm sure there are others like me who are watching to see if the eventual outcome of this RMS situation makes contributing upstream viable.

[Redfoxmoon]

a lot of would-be GNU contributors have been pushed to the fringe by people like RMS. I've made exactly one contribution to a GNU project, and the general hostility to women that I encountered convinced me never to do that again. I still use a lot of GNU software and make various fixes and enhancements, but I no longer even consider contributing my changes upstream. I'm sure there are others like me who are watching to see if the eventual outcome of this RMS situation makes contributing upstream viable.

Citation needed.

[AsuMagic]

If you don't like it, leave. Go make your own shit. I say.

The sheer idiocy in those forums' posts is incredible.

[Redfoxmoon]

The sheer idiocy in those forums' posts is incredible.

No counter argument to be made, so the ad-hominem attacks come out, classy.

[wagaf]

a lot of would-be GNU contributors have been pushed to the fringe by people like RMS. I've made exactly one contribution to a GNU project, and the general hostility to women that I encountered convinced me never to do that again. I still use a lot of GNU software and make various fixes and enhancements, but I no longer even consider contributing my changes upstream. I'm sure there are others like me who are watching to see if the eventual outcome of this RMS situation makes contributing upstream viable.

Thanks for your testimony, it would be genuinely helpful to understand what made you perceive this "general hostility to women" (if you already explained this somewhere before, could you please post a link here ? or talk about your experience). Was it because of the behavior of RMS himself ?

Many thanks

[caligula]

The maintainer of GNU Classpath, LMAO. There has been no new releases of Classpath in almost 8 years. Besides, GCJ was axed some time after GCC 6. What kind of maintenance work is there left? Isn't OpenJDK freely licensed now?

[tului]

a lot of would-be GNU contributors have been pushed to the fringe by people like RMS. I've made exactly one contribution to a GNU project, and the general hostility to women that I encountered convinced me never to do that again. I still use a lot of GNU software and make various fixes and enhancements, but I no longer even consider contributing my changes upstream. I'm sure there are others like me who are watching to see if the eventual outcome of this RMS situation makes contributing upstream viable.

What was the incident so we can judge for ourselves? Someone calling you little lady or something on one post doesn't really count.

[AsuMagic]

No counter argument to be made, so the ad-hominem attacks come out, classy.

Apologies.

I'm mostly annoyed by the ambient conspiracy in those forums. Muh RH evil, they were behind it all along.

Though you are missing the point. It's the same kind of crap people say whenever they disagree politically: "If you don't like it, just leave!"
They don't leave because there is more to lose, and what they are complaining about is not an immutable aspect of the organization.
You could just apply this argument to literally anything, and it would work. And that's what makes the argument so annoying to hear.

[AsuMagic]

The maintainer of GNU Classpath, LMAO. There has been no new releases of Classpath in almost 8 years. Besides, GCJ was axed some time after GCC 6. What kind of maintenance work is there left? Isn't OpenJDK freely licensed now?

He never mentioned his status as a Classpath maintainer in his mail. So I don't think it is really relevant to quibble on that.

[AsuMagic]

It seems from previous stories that the anti-Stallman brigade is a fringe minority of GNU contributors. By all means, if they have an issue with the person at the top of the chain they are welcome to fork and do their own thing independently. In many cases, the project might be stronger without their participation.

That would be so convenient for you.

Unfortunately, I think that such actual maintainers did more than most people pushing this argument combined.