I always knew it was bad, but never this bad. The #RMS resignation from #FSF seems to have shaken loose all the conspiracy theorists and devotees. Its mailing lists and forums are full of them, still distracting from the public charitable interest of the non-profit.
So many blinded by hero worship that they don't realize the viral poison said hero had on the #FreeSoftware movement. The immaturity of these folks is arguably the biggest blocker of software freedom from widespread adoption.
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@downey I'm glad we have other orgs like Software Freedom Conservancy. That kind of diversity is important in times like this. But by the same token, I also hope FSF can recover.
@downey I can't boost these toots since a bunch of people are hit hard by Stallman's awful rhetoric and you didn't add content warnings to let them decide whether they're able to think about him right now… but I like the way you described the current situation.
rms, chernobyl
chernobyl's a weird comparison
they didn't clean it so much as abandon contaminated areas and cover the reactor remains in situ with a gargantuan shield
🙁
rms, chernobyl
@deejoe
I'm hoping that it doesn't come to that for FSF. But maybe that's the only way to get away from the hazard. Time will tell.
@downey certainly is exposing the underbelly of free software that so many find hostile.
Regardless of current events, fsf needed new leadership. RMS being a popelike figure wasnt good, and he was absolutist to the point of paralysis. Hoping free software can be bigger and bolder
@fancycade
Several folks have rightly pointed out that different phases in the evolution of a movement need different types of leadership. It's clear there was a need for what he offered, but the times have changed and the FS movement can't keep its head in the sand and expect to succeed in spreading its values.
@downey This is exactly what I have been ranting about since his resignation! These people don't understand the damage they're doing to the movement they claim to love!
@downey Many of us knew these folks existed. My experiences with them have included the following:
1. Being called a "bad soldier" for not supporting some action RMS wanted to do during a protest.
2. Seeing someone from the above mentioned group on TV as part of a study on cults
3. I talked about some problematic stuff by the SFLC and was called a Microsoft shill and other such names
(...)
4. One Free Software supporter I met in the early 2000s told me that he went into the phone book and cold called people to talk to them about Free Software
5. Another Free Software supporter I met in DC told me he called offices of Congresspeople and told them they should switch to Linux
These kinds of actions don't progress our movement forward. I pointed out the problematic behavior to RMS who said that he was glad they existed because they made him seem more moderate.
That's a burn.
The same tactics are why #OpenSource temporarily pulled ahead in support, but fortunately greater forces are at play that can even overcome the damage done by #Stallman's behavior.
Chernobyl's nuclear mess wasn't cleaned up quickly, and neither will be the #FSF. Fortunately, #SoftwareFreedom is larger and stronger than the organization.
I am still holding out hope for the org, but my hope in the movement is far more certain.
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#FreeSoftware #RMS #Stallman