5 ms·

> Most importantly, I believe we must find a way to stand firm for software freedom while also making a safe environment for victims of sexual assault, sexual a

> Most importantly, I believe we must find a way to stand firm for software freedom while also making a safe environment for victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, gaslighting, and other deplorable actions. I understand and I fully stand by his belief that software freedom does not mean egalitarian and morally righteous principles have to be undermined in order to progress. However, it is not the FSF's job to make sure those values are upheld in every facet of moral righteousness. The goal is clear: make and keep software free as in liberty. That's it. Anything else should be completely within the realm of personal viewpoints. I completely and wholeheartedly stand by the fact that we as a society need to deal with sexual violence much better than we are currently doing so. Not an ounce of my being, however, places the burden on dealing with this onto Stallman's, or Kuhn's, or any other FSF member's shoulder. Help if you can. Help if you want, but if your job is to make software free, you're doing great. If you can solve other moral issues while doing so, even better, but it's not required.

mrkurt 7y ago
The problem is that RMS undermines the FSF's progress by being a dumbass. No one's expects him to solve a moral issue, they expect to him to avoid harming their mission by being a ridiculous troll.
- ng12 7y ago
  Their mission is his mission. FSF didn't hire Stallman, he created it. I think it's baseless to say that Stallman is either trolling or harming the FSF.
  - ixtli 7y ago
    He created it more then 30 years ago. It has evolved into something much, much greater than himself and so the organization has a very serious responsibility to more stakeholders as well.
    - ng12 7y ago
      That's exactly it -- 30 years of flourishing with RMS very publicly documenting his opinion on everything the whole time. That's why I find it hard to believe that his behavior was so harmful to the organization.
      - zaarn 7y ago
        It wasn't harmful as in it would kill the organization but I believe that a lot of people were turned away from the FSF or even FOSS entirely due to RMS' behaviour.
        ng12 7y ago
        I think that's an exaggeration but it doesn't matter -- you cannot weigh real, tangible, impactful good against theoretical harm.
        ixtli 7y ago
        Also lets not pretend its just RMS. ESR has been ostracized for his weird comments and behavior as well. The presentation of this as without precedent is really disingenuous.
      - marcinzm 7y ago
        Has it flourished? If we use the GPL as a barometer of FSFs success then it's going downhill. Apache and MIT licensing is on the rise dramatically while GPL is a decline proportion wise. On the other hand companies that want a GPL-like license are finding the GPL not strong enough (MongoDB).
        michannne 7y ago
        But that stagnation has nothing to do with anything RMS's behavior
XorNot 7y ago
There's a big difference between solving those issues, and, frankly - being polite. Which is what this is generally all about: politeness. Not making people uncomfortable. Making them feel welcome.

mrkurt 7y ago

The problem is that RMS undermines the FSF's progress by being a dumbass. No one's expects him to solve a moral issue, they expect to him to avoid harming their mission by being a ridiculous troll.

ng12 7y ago
Their mission is his mission. FSF didn't hire Stallman, he created it. I think it's baseless to say that Stallman is either trolling or harming the FSF.
- ixtli 7y ago
  He created it more then 30 years ago. It has evolved into something much, much greater than himself and so the organization has a very serious responsibility to more stakeholders as well.
  - ng12 7y ago
    That's exactly it -- 30 years of flourishing with RMS very publicly documenting his opinion on everything the whole time. That's why I find it hard to believe that his behavior was so harmful to the organization.
    - zaarn 7y ago
      It wasn't harmful as in it would kill the organization but I believe that a lot of people were turned away from the FSF or even FOSS entirely due to RMS' behaviour.
      - ng12 7y ago
        I think that's an exaggeration but it doesn't matter -- you cannot weigh real, tangible, impactful good against theoretical harm.
      - ixtli 7y ago
        Also lets not pretend its just RMS. ESR has been ostracized for his weird comments and behavior as well. The presentation of this as without precedent is really disingenuous.
    - marcinzm 7y ago
      Has it flourished? If we use the GPL as a barometer of FSFs success then it's going downhill. Apache and MIT licensing is on the rise dramatically while GPL is a decline proportion wise. On the other hand companies that want a GPL-like license are finding the GPL not strong enough (MongoDB).
      - michannne 7y ago
        But that stagnation has nothing to do with anything RMS's behavior

XorNot 7y ago

There's a big difference between solving those issues, and, frankly - being polite. Which is what this is generally all about: politeness. Not making people uncomfortable. Making them feel welcome.