Re: Politware vs Free Software [WAS [PATCH] Remove Huawei]

From: Morozov
Date: Sun Nov 03 2024 - 22:48:31 EST

I don’t understand either
Why would someone in such a prominent position act this way?
It’s hard to believe
Linus Torvalds has set a dangerous precedent, turning Linux into a political organization

While everyone talks about peace, Linus is adding fuel to the conflict with these exclusionary decisions

I’ve been a Linux user since 2001, and open-source principles should stand above politics

If they don’t—then why even use open source?
Take Microsoft, for example—they’re focused on profit, and that’s fine

But we’ve put up with Linux for decades, believing in its principles. And now, this?

It just goes against the spirit of open source

What’s next?
Are we going to see support for the Russian language removed from projects? Or all contributions from Russian developers disregarded?

This direction feels wrong to me and goes against the very principles that built the open-source community.

I think Linus is just being ignorant or short-sighted here. But he has a lot of influence.

Don't even try to fork linux.
Russian contributors is not a problem, it just exist.
Linus is a problem. His vision is the issue
Not a faulty software or hardware or Ukraine or etc.
LinuS

-- ME

On 10/30/24 16:17, metux wrote:
On 24.10.24 18:49, Theodore Ts'o wrote:

These exemptions may not apply in different countries, and for

The *may* - so you aren't exactly sure ?

We're still waiting to the exact legislation that's prohibiting
Russians from taking part in international scientific discourse
or even just mentioning them in the CREDITS file (that part is
probably the worst).

And if so, how can Linux still call itself "free software" ?
Or shall we better call it politware ?

different sanctioned entities. I will note that China is not
currently attacking Taiwan militarily at the moment, while Russian
misiles and drones, some of which might be using embedded Linux
controllers, *

*might* be using it.

Do you have any actual evidence ?

And if so, does banning those Russian maintainers has any practical
impact on the SW running on that drones ?

What's coming next ? Geoblocking on kernel.org ?

are* actively attacking another country even as we speak.

Sure. Did we ban maintainers from US/NATO when they attacked
other countries ?

Finally, please remember that kernel developers don't make the rules.

Unless we're seeing actual evidence of the corresponding legislation
and how exactly it forbids Russians being maintainers, we all have to
assume that the LF clique is making these rules.

OTOH, if we have that evidence, then at least every US citizen who
values free software and free speechs now knows whom to vote against
in a few days.

In chess that's called a fork:

a) the Linux leadership takes the guilt and is responsible for all of
this - and thus a danger for Linux community and FOSS as such

or

b) it's pointing fingers directly to the US govt., and so accepting that
we're dealing with a rogue govt. that's an existential thread to FOSS
as such and thus needs to be removed on election day.

choose your poison :P

P.S. This has always been the case, even before one country invaded
another;

Linux didn't exist *before* that. The US is built on genocide and wars
of aggression.

Just one of many interesting examples: the attack on the spy ship
USS liberty - coordinated between US WH and Isreal - that was a set up
to blame Egypt and bring the US into war against Egypt - there even were
plans for using nuclear bombs (!!!). Other examples are several wars of
aggression against Iraq, Serbia, etc with using weapons of mass
destruction. (yes, by UN definition DU munition *is* a WoMD).

Let's be realistic: Russia isn't the only bad actor in the world.
And "the West" isn't the good guys.


Turning the once greatest FOSS project of known history into politware
doesn't help making peace and stop the dying. It just errects an iron
curtain and so making things even worse, for the whole world.


--mtx