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> A competing letter in support of RMS exists and has accumulated considerably more signatures than the letter condemning RMS. > In response someone created a

> A competing letter in support of RMS exists and has accumulated considerably more signatures than the letter condemning RMS. > In response someone created a Chrome extension that marks repositories owned by a signatory of this support letter with red text on GitHub. This is incredible worrying. This is basically maintaining a repository of people with "incorrect" opinions. How long before such repositories are integrated in HR systems, tied to you identity for subscriptions/memberships. [1] You have to carry a tag of being not progressive enough across the internet? [1] https://twitter.com/kmlefranc/status/1221869659139366912 https://twitter.com/kmlefranc/status/1221869659139366912

vidarh 6y ago
Frankly, I wish there was a list of people using that Chrome extension, so they could face the same treatment they are giving others. Ultimately I think things like that extension will do more to drive people to sign the letter in support of RMS than deter people, because the signal it sends is to me far worse than anything RMS has been accused of.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
insert_coin 6y ago
Freedom of speech has lost, freedom of thought is next and they are coming for it fast.
krapp 6y ago
It surprises me that so many people are outraged by a Chrome extension that highlights names - and does nothing more as far as I know - denouncing it with all of the righteous anger that Hacker News can muster (including wanting to blacklist anyone who contributed to the extension, and wanting to see everyone with progressive politics purged from free software entirely) yet no one seems too bothered when RMS supporters want to have Molly de Blanc arrested for simply writing a petition[0] to begin with. The hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance among Stallman's supporters never ceases to astonish. edit: fixed the link. [0]https://debian.community/molly-de-blanc-arrest-and-prosecution-for-cyberbullying/ https://debian.community/molly-de-blanc-arrest-and-prosecuti...
- ljm 6y ago
  Looking at both examples, the entire situation is bothersome and, frankly, exhausting. I don't know where people find the energy to fuel all this outrage when there is surely somewhere to meet in the middle. It's difficult to take seriously, and understand the genuine underlying issues, when emotions all around are amplified to the extreme. Campaigning to have someone arrested on one end and employing totalitarian tactics on the other comes across as absurd to me. It's practically authoritarian in-fighting. I'm sure there is a real problem that deserves discussion here, but it's difficult to see through the dense fog of anger. (edit: I did remove an original sentence from this comment about it being a toxic squabble. I decided that was a bit too dismissive, but you'll still see it in all its glory in one of the responses)
  - krapp 6y ago
    > Looking at both examples, the whole situation seems like yet another toxic, mind-numbing internet squabble. It really is. There have been hundreds of threads just after Stallman's recent reappointment to the FSF board of directors alone, to say nothing of his "cancellation," many with hundreds if not thousands of comments, most of which are just a cesspool of toxicity, trolling and outrage porn. The truth is that both sides have a point, and both sides are acting in bad faith towards the other.
    - atq2119 6y ago
      My second favourite conspiracy theory is that a lot of the transgender flame wars are fanned by secret agencies to distract the activist populace from topics that are more important and less convenient for the powerful elite (economic justice comes to mind).
      - ljm 6y ago
        The trope of wealthy people standing atop their terrace, drinking and partying, while the poorer people below fight between themselves is a well known one.
  - 6y ago
gher-shyu3i 6y ago
Seems that people have not learned from communism.
Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago
I have created an issue on this repository to have an option to highlight rms supporters in a more friendly green. It is always nice to know that the software is made by decent people. Please, vote for my issue: https://github.com/sticks-stuff/highlight-RMS-supporters/issues/62 https://github.com/sticks-stuff/highlight-RMS-supporters/iss...
taylodl 6y ago
The competing letter in support of RMS can be found here: https://rms-support-letter.github.io https://rms-support-letter.github.io. The original letter denouncing RMS can be found here: https://rms-open-letter.github.io https://rms-open-letter.github.io. At this point in time there are 5,871 signatories in support of RMS, and 3,012 signatories denouncing RMS. Not sure what that means, if anything, but it does lead me to conclude that RMS may not be the pariah of free software that he's made out to be.
deleted 6y ago
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vidarh 6y ago

Frankly, I wish there was a list of people using that Chrome extension, so they could face the same treatment they are giving others. Ultimately I think things like that extension will do more to drive people to sign the letter in support of RMS than deter people, because the signal it sends is to me far worse than anything RMS has been accused of.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

insert_coin 6y ago

Freedom of speech has lost, freedom of thought is next and they are coming for it fast.

krapp 6y ago

It surprises me that so many people are outraged by a Chrome extension that highlights names - and does nothing more as far as I know - denouncing it with all of the righteous anger that Hacker News can muster (including wanting to blacklist anyone who contributed to the extension, and wanting to see everyone with progressive politics purged from free software entirely) yet no one seems too bothered when RMS supporters want to have Molly de Blanc arrested for simply writing a petition[0] to begin with. The hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance among Stallman's supporters never ceases to astonish. edit: fixed the link. [0]https://debian.community/molly-de-blanc-arrest-and-prosecution-for-cyberbullying/ https://debian.community/molly-de-blanc-arrest-and-prosecuti...

ljm 6y ago
Looking at both examples, the entire situation is bothersome and, frankly, exhausting. I don't know where people find the energy to fuel all this outrage when there is surely somewhere to meet in the middle. It's difficult to take seriously, and understand the genuine underlying issues, when emotions all around are amplified to the extreme. Campaigning to have someone arrested on one end and employing totalitarian tactics on the other comes across as absurd to me. It's practically authoritarian in-fighting. I'm sure there is a real problem that deserves discussion here, but it's difficult to see through the dense fog of anger. (edit: I did remove an original sentence from this comment about it being a toxic squabble. I decided that was a bit too dismissive, but you'll still see it in all its glory in one of the responses)
- krapp 6y ago
  > Looking at both examples, the whole situation seems like yet another toxic, mind-numbing internet squabble. It really is. There have been hundreds of threads just after Stallman's recent reappointment to the FSF board of directors alone, to say nothing of his "cancellation," many with hundreds if not thousands of comments, most of which are just a cesspool of toxicity, trolling and outrage porn. The truth is that both sides have a point, and both sides are acting in bad faith towards the other.
  - atq2119 6y ago
    My second favourite conspiracy theory is that a lot of the transgender flame wars are fanned by secret agencies to distract the activist populace from topics that are more important and less convenient for the powerful elite (economic justice comes to mind).
    - ljm 6y ago
      The trope of wealthy people standing atop their terrace, drinking and partying, while the poorer people below fight between themselves is a well known one.
- 6y ago

gher-shyu3i 6y ago

Seems that people have not learned from communism.

Andrew_nenakhov 6y ago

I have created an issue on this repository to have an option to highlight rms supporters in a more friendly green. It is always nice to know that the software is made by decent people. Please, vote for my issue: https://github.com/sticks-stuff/highlight-RMS-supporters/issues/62 https://github.com/sticks-stuff/highlight-RMS-supporters/iss...

taylodl 6y ago

The competing letter in support of RMS can be found here: https://rms-support-letter.github.io https://rms-support-letter.github.io. The original letter denouncing RMS can be found here: https://rms-open-letter.github.io https://rms-open-letter.github.io. At this point in time there are 5,871 signatories in support of RMS, and 3,012 signatories denouncing RMS. Not sure what that means, if anything, but it does lead me to conclude that RMS may not be the pariah of free software that he's made out to be.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]