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Inside the Free Software Foundation (FSF) - Part II: The Majority of the Board Supports Richard Stallman



Free Speech and Free software



Summary: It seems to have become somewhat fashionable separating high-profile projects and institutions from their founders; at the FSF, thankfully (at least for now), the founder still has a foothold

IN PART ONE and the introduction we highlighted a number of things we had heard from numerous sources and had experienced ourselves even before Alex started writing about it [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].



Alex is not associated with Techrights, but some of the things he wrote over the past week resemble stories we occasionally hear. Last year we wrote a number of stories about censorship at LibrePlanet. Even back then Stallman was being silenced or threatened somewhat (even months before what some in the Free software community call "Free software 9/11"). Rejecting one's founder? The OSI has just done that too. As for the Linux Foundation, we're being told that Torvalds (Linux founder) is "sexist" or "rude" and therefore he should have no control over his own project (let Microsoft, Oracle and others control it through their foundation).

"People who oppose corporate takeovers are being spun as racist, sexist and so on."LibrePlanet was a sign of things to come. This year the conference offers corporate sponsors "thank yous" (it's in the brochure) and there's understandably some anger. There's a perception that control is being passed (of the FSF and by extension GNU) from the founder to corporations which exploit the work. It's being "sold" to the public as a matter of "ethics" as if there's something inherently moral about for-profit corporations. Even those that predominantly profit from non-free software...

People who oppose corporate takeovers are being spun as racist, sexist and so on. This strategy isn't novel or unprecedented. If they happen to be right wing-leaning, then tough luck -- in all likelihood they also fit such labeling and get banned without appeal rights. No need to even take anything out of context, only to go further and further back in time (ask Mr. Eich why he's no longer Mozilla's CEO).

Months ago J. Gay from "Defective By Design" (DBD) fame, among other FSF campaigns, routinely came to our IRC channels, which are publicly logged (no secrets necessary there). Seeing his stance on Stallman and a variety of other topics, I began to get a clearer picture and a better understanding of what had been happening and who was pushing for what outcome (and why). This series is based on a large number of discussions and conversations. It will be based only on facts, not hearsay.

"Based on our understanding -- and again without mentioning any names -- the Board of the FSF is still mostly trustworthy. Mostly."It does not seem like anyone at the higher ranks of the FSF genuinely hates Stallman, although that much can be said about former people and 'lower-level' people. We'll try to name nobody. It would be counter-productive to make it seem personal.

Based on our understanding -- and again without mentioning any names -- the Board of the FSF is still mostly trustworthy. Mostly.

"It's not that the board is compromised," one person noted. There's only one or at most two people there who strive to have an FSF without Stallman (without even his mentioning), wrongly believing that he is more of a liability than an asset.

Recent Techrights' Posts

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Neither legal nor useful
 
Pissing Contests and Pissing Off Everyone
people who came from Microsoft are trying to vex and divide the community
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That scandal was all over the media, not just in English
The Demise of LLMs
We've just checked BetaNews again. They've dropped all the slop and went back to human authors.
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Sonpo Museum of Art and FCEUX
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Links 13/07/2025: UnitedHealth's Censorship Campaign, Australia Wary of China
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Firing Away With Nonsense
Or fighting fire with fire
Links 13/07/2025: Climate Crisis, GAFAM Poisoning the Water
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The Microsofters Will Have an Obligation to Compensate Us
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Reproducing at the EPO Instead of Producing Monopolies for Foreign Monopolies With Their Price-Fixing Cartels
Does the EPO recognise the need of well-educated Europeans to bear kids?
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And likely in prior years, too
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Fund Raiser Goes on
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EPO Staff Representatives Issue a Warning About Staff's Health and Inadequate Care
Even the EPO's own stakeholders (money sources) are openly protesting against what the EPO became
Links 13/07/2025: Partly Assorted News From Deutsche Welle and CBC
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Gemini Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
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IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 12, 2025
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Plunder at the Second-Largest Institution in Europe
cuts, neglect, health problems, even early deaths
Links 12/07/2025: Political Developments, Attack on Opposition, Climate Actions
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Gemini Links 12/07/2025: Melodic Musings and Small Web July
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Links 12/07/2025: Jail in China for Homoerotica, South Korea Discriminates Against Old Workers
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If Only Everything Was Rewritten in Rust, We'd Have No More Security Issues?
Nope.
Links 12/07/2025: Birdwatching and Fake/Misleading Wall Street 'Valuation' Figures
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Gemini Links 12/07/2025: How to Avoid Writing, Apps for Android
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EPO Staff Committee on Harassment in the Workplace
slides
Adding the Voice of Writers to UK SLAPP Reform
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EPO Takes More Money From Staff for Speculation (Pensions), Actuarial Study Explains the Impact
"The key change in this year’s Actuarial Study, due to cascading the new “risk appetite” from the financial study, is a significant increase of the total pension contribution rate of 5.7 percentage points, up to a total of 37.8%. This is driven by an unprecedented decrease in the discount rate of 105 bps down to 2.2%."
Over at Tux Machines...
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IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 11, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 11, 2025
Microsoft - Like IBM - Does the "Relocation" Tricks (Start Over Elsewhere, Then Get Sacked by Microsoft)
It is a "low blow" or a "dick move"
After the Free Software Foundation's Campaign to Raise Money Let's See Campaigns to Finish Off Microsoft (Vista 11, GitHub etc.)
Microsoft is in effect collapsing
Your Publications Have No Major Impact Unless or Until You "Get Some Heat"
we're on the right track
Slopwatch: A Cause for Hope, the Hype is Dying
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Gemini Links 11/07/2025: Zorin OS and Scriptonite Updates
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Links 11/07/2025: Hardware, Russia, and China
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Now Alex (hiding behind another name when that suits him) not only attacks women but also people who merely report what he did to women
Exemplary List of Things That Are Not Artificial Intelligence or Even Intelligence
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New Letter From the European Patent Office Explains How the Office Plots to Grant Many Illegal Patents, a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of 'Growth'
Open letter to Mr Rowan (VP1) and Mr Aledo Lopez (COO)
Abuse of Process
5RB is employing people who help violent men
What Microsoft's Nat Friedman and Microsoft Lunduke Have in Common
"Get in da car; No time to explain, loser"
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Legitimising Those Who Sabotage You
Microsoft is a very malicious company
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 10, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 10, 2025
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EPO Management Already Breaks Its Own Promise (Lie) on "Bringing Teams Together"
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Gemini Links 11/07/2025: Occupation of 2025 and "Old Man Yells At Soundcloud"
Links for the day
Our Lawsuits Against the 'Cancel Mob' (Ringleaders) Helped Reduce Anti-Free Software Online Abuse
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