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I don’t think Stallman is irrelevant. He’s still in charge of the GNU stuff, he still blocks progress on GCC, he still has donors and an audience, he’s still a

I don’t think Stallman is irrelevant. He’s still in charge of the GNU stuff, he still blocks progress on GCC, he still has donors and an audience, he’s still a pedophilia apologist. Edit: https://www.vice.com/en/article/9ke3ke/famed-computer-scientist-richard-stallman-described-epstein-victims-as-entirely-willing https://www.vice.com/en/article/9ke3ke/famed-computer-scient... https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-fec6ec210794 https://selamjie.medium.com/remove-richard-stallman-fec6ec21...

gigatexal 3y ago
Maybe if he became irrelevant and we moved on we could find someone that could champion all the benefits of GNU without the Stallman baggage.
- ta8645 3y ago
  Personally, I think we should stop looking for sinless saviors, and embrace good ideas regardless of their origin.
  - gigatexal 3y ago
    Hard to do. We are humans seeking tribes. If Linus was some unsavory alt right guy with extreme beliefs I’d not align myself with the project he created. Also Stallman is so polarizing and creepy imo that it hurts furthering his ideas of free software. Imagine he took a more mainstream inclusive approach he’d go further.
    - ta8645 3y ago
      You're right, it is hard to do. But a little compassion and empathy goes a long way. Publically calling someone polarizing and creepy might feel good, but it is hurtful and unhelpful.
      - codeflo 3y ago
        > hurtful Listen, the man publicly defended Epstein's system of coercion and claimed that his victims were "willing". If you seriously think it's the people pointing that out who are the ones lacking empathy and behaving "hurtfully", there's something very broken with your moral compass.
        ta8645 3y ago
        > If you seriously think it's the people pointing that out who are the ones lacking empathy and behaving "hurtfully", I do seriously believe that, and my moral compass is intact. Empathy is easy to give, for those you understand and identify with. It is more difficult to show empathy and compassion for people with whom you disagree, and don't fully understand. There's every reason to believe that whatever Stallman's statements were, they don't represent the totality of the man, or mean that he's evil to the core. His humanity remains, and can be safely acknowledged, without meaning you agree or support with everything he's done.
        Brian_K_White 3y ago
        Listen, the man did no such thing. It's always the intolerant ones charging others with lacking empathy and broken moral compasses.
- phkahler 3y ago
  I promote Free Software (GPL licensed) over Open Source often, and it seems there is a lot of opposition even in places like HN. Some of that might be RMS issues, but I think it's something else. I used to think it's a lack of understanding, but BSD/MIT license folks do understand the differences in many cases. It's a difference in what or whom they care more about. I think there's a bit of contradiction in their thinking though, but maybe they see it as more philosophical and not practical? IDK, but it seems weird how many people are against FSF.

gigatexal 3y ago

Maybe if he became irrelevant and we moved on we could find someone that could champion all the benefits of GNU without the Stallman baggage.

ta8645 3y ago
Personally, I think we should stop looking for sinless saviors, and embrace good ideas regardless of their origin.
- gigatexal 3y ago
  Hard to do. We are humans seeking tribes. If Linus was some unsavory alt right guy with extreme beliefs I’d not align myself with the project he created. Also Stallman is so polarizing and creepy imo that it hurts furthering his ideas of free software. Imagine he took a more mainstream inclusive approach he’d go further.
  - ta8645 3y ago
    You're right, it is hard to do. But a little compassion and empathy goes a long way. Publically calling someone polarizing and creepy might feel good, but it is hurtful and unhelpful.
    - codeflo 3y ago
      > hurtful Listen, the man publicly defended Epstein's system of coercion and claimed that his victims were "willing". If you seriously think it's the people pointing that out who are the ones lacking empathy and behaving "hurtfully", there's something very broken with your moral compass.
      - ta8645 3y ago
        > If you seriously think it's the people pointing that out who are the ones lacking empathy and behaving "hurtfully", I do seriously believe that, and my moral compass is intact. Empathy is easy to give, for those you understand and identify with. It is more difficult to show empathy and compassion for people with whom you disagree, and don't fully understand. There's every reason to believe that whatever Stallman's statements were, they don't represent the totality of the man, or mean that he's evil to the core. His humanity remains, and can be safely acknowledged, without meaning you agree or support with everything he's done.
      - Brian_K_White 3y ago
        Listen, the man did no such thing. It's always the intolerant ones charging others with lacking empathy and broken moral compasses.
phkahler 3y ago
I promote Free Software (GPL licensed) over Open Source often, and it seems there is a lot of opposition even in places like HN. Some of that might be RMS issues, but I think it's something else. I used to think it's a lack of understanding, but BSD/MIT license folks do understand the differences in many cases. It's a difference in what or whom they care more about. I think there's a bit of contradiction in their thinking though, but maybe they see it as more philosophical and not practical? IDK, but it seems weird how many people are against FSF.