Good previous discussions that cover, if not "motivations" (unknowable mental state) then some "consistent patterns of observable behavior". UDev & Gnome https

Good previous discussions that cover, if not "motivations" (unknowable mental state) then some "consistent patterns of observable behavior". UDev & Gnome https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8416912 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8416912 (8 years ago) udev, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6066848 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6066848 (9 years ago, same behavior reported) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7211451 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7211451 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8203507 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8203507 (8 years ago, community reports the same treatment) I applaud Pottering's systemd projects as a masterful career move at the same time that I shake my fist at them, and how they build a path to undermine free computing. They recentralize, and fragilize, the free software ecosystem. They build features that are not requested, with the premise of small, incremental benefits while taking away choice by making the pre-existing standard of interoperable decoupled components difficult-to-impossible to continue to use. This development pattern enforces deeper integration with their one blessed way, and tramples on the culture of the free software ecosystem, which the project efforts take part in, in all but ultimate aim. They do things that should not be done, although he's effective in creating and pursuing opportunities that advance the interests of Red Hat and now Microsoft. I like that free software has let me build and explore things without getting sign-off and approval from authority, while the existence and strength of free software means I get to enjoy some of its benefits even while using devices made by companies that do not pay-forward their free/open software founding roots, specifically that developer system configuration escape hatches are needed on macOS, and Windows, for competitive reasons. The ease of use, breadth of adoption, and creeping (and unnecessarily coupled) integration with widely used software are all small pennies, which "no one should object to", thrown to entice in front of the steamroller of centralized control of plausibly all software running (boot, OS, & applications) that makes founding fears of the free software community more likely to come to pass. https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html Then again, > users are not contributors nor customers, and so > "They are not _technically_ part of the "community". https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7538184 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7538184