this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
195 points (100.0% liked)

the_dunk_tank

15914 readers
19 users here now

It's the dunk tank.

This is where you come to post big-brained hot takes by chuds, libs, or even fellow leftists, and tear them to itty-bitty pieces with precision dunkstrikes.

Rule 1: All posts must include links to the subject matter, and no identifying information should be redacted.

Rule 2: If your source is a reactionary website, please use archive.is instead of linking directly.

Rule 3: No sectarianism.

Rule 4: TERF/SWERFs Not Welcome

Rule 5: No ableism of any kind (that includes stuff like libt*rd)

Rule 6: Do not post fellow hexbears.

Rule 7: Do not individually target other instances' admins or moderators.

Rule 8: The subject of a post cannot be low hanging fruit, that is comments/posts made by a private person that have low amount of upvotes/likes/views. Comments/Posts made on other instances that are accessible from hexbear are an exception to this. Posts that do not meet this requirement can be posted to !shitreactionariessay@lemmygrad.ml

Rule 9: if you post ironic rage bait im going to make a personal visit to your house to make sure you never make this mistake again

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

There are lots of other galaxy-brain moments there.

"Single payer economies leads to bad things like Bolshevism and Stalin"

@UlyssesT@hexbear.net Let's hear your rant

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Frank@hexbear.net 85 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I don't even need to say this but gulag

FOSS has many, many problems but contributing to monopoly is not among htem.

[–] buckykat@hexbear.net 17 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Do not use the term FOSS, it conflates Free Software with Open Source

[–] megasteel32@hexbear.net 28 points 11 months ago (5 children)

as it should, because open source software should be free. GNU can shove it.

[–] jaeme@hexbear.net 33 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

They are seperate because they both have different motivation, tactics, and origins.

Open source could also be used to describe a development methodology (public repo that accepts pull requests/patches with a license that allows redistribution). Free means that the user is entitled to all 4 freedoms (use, study, modify and distribute, or redistribute).

The Free software movement works to create a world of entirely free software. Open source initiative does not make that claim. OSI is more pragmatics (at a cost) while the FSF is more ideologically focused (likewise)

We have this distinction because it matters and that it reduces confusion. GNU doesn't go "shove it."

[–] xj9@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

on the other hand, maybe GNU should shove it? viral licensing is a nice hack, but its not like they're the only community that produces free/open source software. many groups share the objective, even if they don't all agree with the utility or importance of viral clauses. obviously, OSI is pretty much only there to make the concept more palatable to corpos, but i don't see any reason to be loyal to GNU.

[–] jaeme@hexbear.net 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I think you're being too reductive. Besides the fact that software packages produced by GNU are historically significant (without GNU there is no OSI or even linux), "viral licensing" is a not a good way to describe copyleft (what would you say about Creative Commons then?) and different forms of copyleft exist.

The GNU Project is not just software, it's a philosophy and political stance about people's right to control their computing. The ultimate aim of the project is to produce a Fully free operating system. People are "loyal" (if we accept that wording) to GNU because they believe in the idea of a completely free operating system that only uses free software.

I'm not here to antagonize you, have whatever personal (albeit critical) opinions about GNU or the FSF or whatever group in the FOSS community as you wish (believe me, I have my own hot takes). I just wanted to point out why the GNU Project is significant if not fundamental to the entire Free software ideology and misconceptions about it.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] buckykat@hexbear.net 20 points 11 months ago

Open Source is a corporate plot to dilute the meaning of software freedom

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What term should be used instead?

[–] buckykat@hexbear.net 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Free Software or Open Source Software, depending on which one you're talking about. They are not the same thing and should not be grouped together.

[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah but I like shorthand things and Stallman's a pedophile, idk, wish the space wasn't dominated by misogynistic weirdos

[–] jaeme@hexbear.net 26 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Stallman's personal failings in other areas doesn't discredit his essays on Free software. I don't care for Stallman but I don't want other people in this space to suffer more than they already have for his blunders.

The free software world is more open (pun) than it has ever been. The misogynists are on the way out lest they want someone like Drew Devault to write an essay exposing them (Hyprland)

Edit: in the last 2-3 years after the pandemic.

[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Yeah I just like FOSS as a term and a concept and I'm not really sure what's to be gained by tossing it for FLOSS. Maybe this is naive but I've found when a term speaks to people it catches really easily on the internet, like CSAM for CSAM being almost universally recognized overnight. I guess I just feel like if FOSS was worth throwing out for reasons other than "Actually I call it GNU/Linux" it would already be done; or it would feel more compelling to do so

[–] jaeme@hexbear.net 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I don't like either FOSS or FLOSS. But I see where you're coming from. I think FOSS is not worth arguing over in terms of changing what people already within the community say (compsci is already filled with strange terms), but I also want to clearly communicate the ideas of the 4 freedoms to outsiders coming in which FOSS doesn't do to those already unaware. "Our community" is already really niche as it is and also has bad actors who want to erase the freedom aspect as much as possible and using unclear and confusing terminology is a real tactic (look at people calling LLMs and machine learning "AI")

Acronyms don't explain anything by themselves to people who don't already understand them. Your example works because it's already self describing, FOSS isn't as much.

[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Bro I need me some four principles of the people shit. That's badass, I ain't been in the social aspect of Libre software for a while. We need a Sun Yat Sen emoji

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 4 points 11 months ago
[–] buckykat@hexbear.net 5 points 11 months ago

No, don't toss it for FLOSS, FLOSS is the same thing and has the exact same problem as FOSS. Stop grouping them together entirely.

[–] radiofreeval@hexbear.net 3 points 11 months ago

Drew Devault didn't cover half of Varxy's nonsense. I use Hyprland because I can do pretty rainbow borders but asking for help is a bad idea, given their nightmare community.

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

this is weird. in my circles, FOSS refers exclusively to Free Software. I've never heard it used in a way that mixes it with non-free but OSS software. people contrast FOSS with OSS to mean "possible licensing conflicts because the corporate policy disallows copyleft licenses" and the like. whereas, they use OSS to mean "totally kosher to use regardless of corporate policy". I might just work in more licensing sensitive positions though.

[–] buckykat@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If you just mean Free Software which preserves all four fundamental software freedoms, the correct term is Free Software or Free (libre) Software. Open Source is a corporate plot to dilute software freedom by conflating it with mere source availability.

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

oh yeah, for sure. I just meant that FOSS is generally only used to describe Free Software. the acronym isn't great but I think the intent is the same.

[–] buckykat@hexbear.net 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If you mean Free Software say Free Software, don't let that OSS sneak into the acronym

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (9 children)

I'm confused, are you saying you think FOSS means "Free or Open Source Software"?

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] megasteel32@hexbear.net 11 points 11 months ago (3 children)

open source software has problems such as what?

[–] Owl@hexbear.net 25 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The most popular open source licenses are insufficiently militant and just create a new commons for capitalists to loot.

[–] daisy@hexbear.net 25 points 11 months ago (3 children)

The most popular open source licenses are insufficiently militant and just create a new commons for capitalists to loot.

I treasure every piece of hate mail I get for my choice of the AGPLv3 in my projects, instead of the MIT or BSD licenses like so many others managing projects in the same niche.

[–] Owl@hexbear.net 15 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)
[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 12 points 11 months ago

lmao get fucked nerds

fidel-salute-big

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] radiofreeval@hexbear.net 17 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Too little of it and prominent assholes (Stallman et al.)

[–] RNAi@hexbear.net 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

No idea about shit, why Stallman is an asshole?

[–] LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net 31 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Incredibly prolific harasser of women and talks a lot in official communiques about ephebophila lea-tired

There was some good article I found the other day, I'll try and retrieve it as an edit later

[–] jaeme@hexbear.net 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Correction: Stallman is not part of open source initiative. His essays on Free software are seperate as well as the GNU Project and FSF.

[–] radiofreeval@hexbear.net 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The separation between Free software and open source software is a very narrow one. Most open source projects use the GPL. Just because he doesn't write code and isn't in a leadership role in GNU or the FSF doesn't change the fact that he is a very influential figure.

[–] jaeme@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I agree it's really narrow in practice. But the basic idea is that Free/libre pertains to your 4 freedoms while open source is about technical craft through a superior design philosophy. There are also historical considerations as OSI was derived from the initial Free software movement and was historically designed to appeal to corporations.

Stallman is very influential for his pioneering of Free software and the GPL/copyleft. But that's what it's limited to now. If you want an example, I contribute to GNU Guix which has put out a statement against Stallmans continued role in representing GNU.

People have very conflicting feelings about Stallman because the campaign for his removal was to be frank, a total clusterfuck. I'm not a Stallman supporter by any means, but it was bad.

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 4 points 11 months ago

that's a good statement and totally underscores my own feelings towards the man.

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

I feel so conflicted about Stallman. he's ideologically correct that free software must be protected from encroachment by capital -- but such a fucking creep/asshole on literally everything else.

[–] radiofreeval@hexbear.net 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

There's so many better representatives for free software, to put it gently, Stallman has long outlived his usefulness.

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

agreed, he just has an important legacy that can't be ignored.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] The_Grinch@hexbear.net 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Probably my most problematic fave of all time. He's such a lovable dork and right about everything a good 95% of the time, but then when he's wrong he's very very wrong cringe

I still think I could fix him though.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] LaughingLion@hexbear.net 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

some open source projects are very gate-kept and dude-bro centric

[–] megasteel32@hexbear.net 3 points 11 months ago (3 children)

that sounds like an issue with specific open source projects and not open source software as a whole

load more comments (3 replies)