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If by some sequence of miracles society manages to avoid the seemingly inevitable slide into a techno-totalitarian future, there is no doubt that Free Software

by p-e-w 3y ago

If by some sequence of miracles society manages to avoid the seemingly inevitable slide into a techno-totalitarian future, there is no doubt that Free Software will be what makes that possible. I consider it quite likely that Stallman and Torvalds will eventually be viewed as two of the most influential individuals in human history, at least on par with Marx and Engels, but arguably even more important, provided their foundational contributions actually end up turning the tide.

aerhq3h5 3y ago
Without meaning to be overly pessimistic, why would it be so certain that such salvation would come from GNU and the free software movement? The most common operating system in peoples' day-to-day computers is Android which is effectively Linux without GNU bundled in.
- pjmlp 3y ago
  And even the Linux kernel might one day be changed for Zirkon.
  - riffraff 3y ago
    didn't google all-but-abandon Fuchsia's development (and thus Zircon)? There was a bunch of lay-offs in January, in July they announced the smart speakers would not use it, and AFAIU the only product using it (the Nest Hub) is supposed to be replaced by the Pixel Tablet.
    - pjmlp 3y ago
      Not sure, at least officially, Fuschia is still going. https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/q/status:open+-is:wip https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/q/status:open+-is:wi...
- the-dude 3y ago
  I think it is fair to say that without the GPL and GNU, there would have been no Linux as we know it today.
  - aerhq3h5 3y ago
    I mean that's true and commendable but the OP was speaking towards the future. And on our current trajectory the future is only becoming more and more decoupled from GNU. From the downvotes though I've either come across as combative or sarcastic I suspect.
    - the-dude 3y ago
      Fair enough. But does it really matter what all the dumb terminals are running, when most of the infra(servers) is running full blown GNU/Linux?
      - aerhq3h5 3y ago
        It's a hard question to answer because really it depends on what you consider relevant computing in my opinion as well as how you interpret the post I was replying to. Despite the profit dominance of Apple for example, Android smartphones are the computer of the common man worldwide and so by extension the common man is coming into less and less contact with GNU. From that perspective it's hard to say that GNU will be part of what helps "avoid the seemingly inevitable slide into a techno-totalitarian future" as the original poster put it.
        the-dude 3y ago
        > the common man is coming less and less contact with GNU. Compared to when? Would the Android experience differ substantially if it included the GNU userland? I'd argue no : the common man does not compile, write shell scripts or writes it's own software. Or are you argueing that somehow GNUCash for example would be more popular? You can look at Windows or OSX to see what is important to the common man. And it is not build tools / infra, and I think that is fine.

by p-e-w 3y ago

aerhq3h5 3y ago

Without meaning to be overly pessimistic, why would it be so certain that such salvation would come from GNU and the free software movement? The most common operating system in peoples' day-to-day computers is Android which is effectively Linux without GNU bundled in.

pjmlp 3y ago
And even the Linux kernel might one day be changed for Zirkon.
- riffraff 3y ago
  didn't google all-but-abandon Fuchsia's development (and thus Zircon)? There was a bunch of lay-offs in January, in July they announced the smart speakers would not use it, and AFAIU the only product using it (the Nest Hub) is supposed to be replaced by the Pixel Tablet.
  - pjmlp 3y ago
    Not sure, at least officially, Fuschia is still going. https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/q/status:open+-is:wip https://fuchsia-review.googlesource.com/q/status:open+-is:wi...
the-dude 3y ago
I think it is fair to say that without the GPL and GNU, there would have been no Linux as we know it today.
- aerhq3h5 3y ago
  I mean that's true and commendable but the OP was speaking towards the future. And on our current trajectory the future is only becoming more and more decoupled from GNU. From the downvotes though I've either come across as combative or sarcastic I suspect.
  - the-dude 3y ago
    Fair enough. But does it really matter what all the dumb terminals are running, when most of the infra(servers) is running full blown GNU/Linux?
    - aerhq3h5 3y ago
      It's a hard question to answer because really it depends on what you consider relevant computing in my opinion as well as how you interpret the post I was replying to. Despite the profit dominance of Apple for example, Android smartphones are the computer of the common man worldwide and so by extension the common man is coming into less and less contact with GNU. From that perspective it's hard to say that GNU will be part of what helps "avoid the seemingly inevitable slide into a techno-totalitarian future" as the original poster put it.
      - the-dude 3y ago
        > the common man is coming less and less contact with GNU. Compared to when? Would the Android experience differ substantially if it included the GNU userland? I'd argue no : the common man does not compile, write shell scripts or writes it's own software. Or are you argueing that somehow GNUCash for example would be more popular? You can look at Windows or OSX to see what is important to the common man. And it is not build tools / infra, and I think that is fine.