Bonum Certa Men Certa

Free Software and AI Race Ever-Slowly Towards Self-Awareness



Article by figosdev

A squabble



Summary: "Free software has many important achievements, nearly all of which have greater substance than "open source--" Free software is more honest, less corrupt, more thoughtful, and will ultimately be more effective at fighting non-free software than its shill counterparts in the well-paid, often-bribed open-washing world."

TO be aware is to be critical; to be self-aware is to be self-critical. It is not inherently negative -- if you are critical of being too critical, then you will not be overly negative.



Free software has the other problem, it is underly negative.

Free software has many important achievements, nearly all of which have greater substance than "open source--" Free software is more honest, less corrupt, more thoughtful, and will ultimately be more effective at fighting non-free software than its shill counterparts in the well-paid, often-bribed open-washing world.

But it ignores its faults to its detriment, compromise and weakness. It suffers a coup and does little about it. It stays out of touch and fails to look outside its own window.

These are common critiques, often made by people who have nefarious corporate motives. And it's one of those things where faults are dishonestly exaggerated for entirely political reasons, and I won't support their re-writing of history. Though it's also one of those things where the exaggerated dishonest critiques are based on a kernel of truth. It's that truth I intend to address.

I don't like talking to most Free software advocates, because it's largely pointless. They parrot a bit too much, though that's not as bad as when open source shills for monopolies and ill-gotten power over customers. Free software isn't evil, but if it was, it would certainly be the lesser of two evils.

"Free software isn't evil, but if it was, it would certainly be the lesser of two evils."But the best people use self-reflection and self-critique to try to improve, and Free software is in not one rut, but several -- any of which threatens to destroy the movement itself. And Free software largely does not care.

Some people say Free software is extremist. Torvalds said that, and he's just a shill in my opinion. A horrible, lying shill. Free software is many things -- abolitionist, orthodox -- it plays Vegan to open source's vegetarianism-with-beef (I'm neither, by the way) and sometimes, Free software advocates are Ultra-orthodox when they don't need to be.

I have a theory about orthodoxy, and it goes like this -- orthodoxy has done a great deal to preserve oral cultures in a way that nothing else has. Since I'm nothing remotely like a religious scholar, I don't really know how sound that theory is. But I bring it up because I'm not entirely against orthodoxy.

I love reform movements, though Free software has every good reason to be sceptical, after being screwed over by Raymond and (to a far, far lesser degree) Perens. Not to mention IBM, Microsoft and GitHub, though Free software seems to be doing very little about this. They're busy counting donations.

Unlike open source, I don't think the Free software movement is corrupt, but its institutions could arguably be. Those coups coincide with money the movement was foolish to accept -- money from its enemies, who have proceeded to do great harm.

"Those coups coincide with money the movement was foolish to accept -- money from its enemies, who have proceeded to do great harm."And for the most part, Free software doesn't care about this. They aren't acting like shills, they're acting like sheep (at best, parrots.) And I get tired of trying to convince them of anything.

Make no mistake, there IS NO ALTERNATIVE that is really viable at this time. I've tried, and doubt any success in trying to rally people towards something stronger against modern threats.

And make no mistake, I'm very happy to say there are exceptions to this dark prognosis. I'm happy to say that (even if you feel otherwise) I thankfully can't paint the entire movement with the same brush. I don't want to, and the evidence doesn't support it if I did. But it's still bad.

These are unmistakably intelligent people. Intelligent people, who like many intelligent people, categorically refuse to consider the possibility of being wrong. They can debate, as long as the debate doesn't produce any change or alter any detail of what they know. If it means they really are right about everything, no matter what, then they have no reason to learn or change or doubt a thing.

But the odds of that are staggeringly low.

Everybody should be wary of false compromise, of course. Compromise (the one-sided variety) is a hallmark of open source and their sale of Free software and user freedom off to IBM, Microsoft, GitHub and Google. Not to mention all the laughable "advocates" who talk about freedom while poking and tapping at iPhones and Macs. There's a reason you're not free -- look right in front of you.

"Not to mention all the laughable "advocates" who talk about freedom while poking and tapping at iPhones and Macs. There's a reason you're not free -- look right in front of you."But while the Free software movement doesn't need to ditch its mission as open source asks it "nicely" to (not really that nicely, niceness in the open source world is fake and contrived), it does need to question itself anyway.

I don't think Free software is going to do that.

The result is that Free software will continue to be compromised, watered down, and hand itself over to IBM and Microsoft -- as it already has.

Free software is not a good listener. And most of what people try to tell it is (to be certain) a lot of crap anyway. But that's no reason for the rest of the world to fall on deaf ears.

Look in the mirror, look out the window, look inside, and look at the bigger picture.

I know the first reaction will be to turn it on me and say I don't do those things. I don't care about that. I've spent enough of my life (so far) on reflection and self-critique that I'm happy to tell other people about the importance of it.

"The result is that Free software will continue to be compromised, watered down, and hand itself over to IBM and Microsoft -- as it already has."We all have faults. Pretending we already get everything right is just stupid.

And I'm really, really tired of talking to people who don't want to improve, who are happy to be taken over the way Free software is being taken over.

This has gone on for years, guys. I'm going to give up on you eventually.

I won't give up on software freedom. But I might call it Free culture, if Free software can't learn any new tricks while the war goes on -- if they continue their fiddling while Rome burns.

Go ahead, ignore this.

And to those who have understood the more important parts so far, and likely will continue to -- thanks. There aren't nearly enough of you, but it's still appreciated.

Why did I write this?

Sometimes, when a situation is hopeless, it's best to just walk away. Not possible. Not yet.

But this is the best I can do for someone as stubborn as the sort of person I'm talking about. Maybe not Stallman -- after all that people have put him through, I think maybe he's done enough -- creating the Free software movement and all that.

I appreciate orthodoxy (not extremism) to keep something intact for ages and ages, but we still need reform (which is not the same as walking away from our key principles) as an interface to the rest of the world.

"Just to be clear, to any open source gloaters -- you're still worse."Free software isn't a cult, but its members still need to be told -- very firmly, that it's okay to think for yourself. I can't find a great deal of evidence that they know that. But I'd love for someone to prove that wrong. Please, by all means -- make my day.

Just to be clear, to any open source gloaters -- you're still worse. They might not think quite enough for themselves, but open source parrots horrible people who think of themselves only. Your veneer of an "independent spirit" is a joke.

I know, I know, I sound like an asshole. So do you guys, sometimes. What can be done? If this is where you and I part ways, I understand, really. I'm never sure if we still have more to talk about.

I do know this -- real friends don't spend their lives trying to make each miserable, and they still look out for each other in good times and bad -- they don't have to sugarcoat everything. They don't have to bullshit, because A. they care, and B. they're sincere. It's understood.

"I do know this -- real friends don't spend their lives trying to make each miserable, and they still look out for each other in good times and bad -- they don't have to sugarcoat everything."But fake friends never hear you at all. They don't care, it doesn't matter to them. It's a show -- it's a game, and it's all about them. They say it's not, but there's no serious evidence of that.

As for Free software, this is important. I hope Roy will write a followup, saying why he thinks I'm wrong. No worries, Roy. I would love it if I am.

Long live Stallman, and Happy critical thinking.

P.S. I've written some boring-AF articles recently, I know I might be the only person that cares about those, and I swear this isn't about that. Even I think they're boring. Interesting subject, boring articles. I considered not writing the most recent one, and finally wrote it just to avoid explaining it more than once.

Licence: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (public domain)

Recent Techrights' Posts

Social Control Media Relies on Advertisers, So It'll Always Be Hostile Towards Free Software
Sales, sales, sales
Fragmentation of Data
Life is too short to "hoard" data
 
New Publication Sheds Lights on Abuse of Workers at the European Patent Office (EPO)
Put in simple terms, they're killing the Office, harming remaining staff, try to hire rubber-stampers
Links 21/07/2025: Hardware, Health, and Imperialism
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/07/2025: "When Buying Isn't Owning" and "CMS Special Edition"
Links for the day
Links 21/07/2025: Indie Web and Toxic Politics
Links for the day
[Meme] Microsoft Lawyers Throwing Stones in Glass Houses
threatened me with bankruptcy
Google "AI Overview" is Not AI and Not Overview
do not be misled; what Google does isn't smart, it's just ripping off the sites it already crawled for as long as 27 years
Making the Case to Dump Microsoft and GAFAM for National and Digital Sovereignty
"Sovereignty is difficult"
The Tactics of the Opposition (Microsoft Lunduke): Associate With K00ks, Throw in Vaccines to Muddy the Water
Who stands to gain from this?
Europe's Second-Largest Institution (EPO) and Largest Patent Monopoly Office Needs More Transparency, Not Less Transparency
In the EPO, what good are elections when one candidate literally bribes all the voters?
How Not to Report News About Microsoft
This pattern of misreporting is so widespread that it's hard to believe it's not intentional
Computer Science is Under Attack, They Want Everyone to be a Consumer
If people can no longer acquire Computer Science education and real Computer Science experience, they will not know how to control their own digital destiny or emancipate the very same universities that now control the syllabus and instead of teaching Computer Science encourage the outsourcing of systems
The Best Tools Are the Simplest Tools
There's a hidden message here about the merits of sticking with X
Ofcom Online Safety Group Speaks of Protecting Women Online, Will Brett Wilson LLP Ever Listen?
They've essentially became like the Taliban's "burka police"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 20, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, July 20, 2025
In Defence of "Spinning Rust"
Just because something is "old" (or older) doesn't mean it ought to become extinct
Using Free Software to Prepare Legal Documents
LibreOffice is openly complaining about OOXML as an obstacle
Tech and Technology Are Not the Same Anymore
"Are you into tech, Sir?"
Our Articles About SLAPPs Receive Recognition and Interest
This week we shall continue writing about the 3 lawsuits we filed
Are You Served?
For many people, advocacy of Free software and GPL enforcement are assumed to be happening
Conspiracy or grooming? Alex Jurado, Voice of Reason compared to Outreachy
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 20/07/2025: Security Breaches and Former 'Open' 'AI' Engineer on Hype and Culture Issues
Links for the day
Links 20/07/2025: Fending Off BRICS and US Government Attacks Its Own Media (Like China and Russia)
Links for the day
Framed by social control media: Alex Belfield, Voice of Reason
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 20/07/2025: Summertime and OCC25 Wrap-up
Links for the day
Jamie Zawinski Complained About Wayland, Then Decided to Give It a Go, Now Complains Again About Wayland
Ask IBM (Red Hat) why it's worth throwing so much away just for Wayland fanaticism
Slopwatch: Planet Ubuntu, LinuxSecurity, and More
former "Linux" blogs which basically became slopfarms
Russia Set to Ban Facebook?
If WhatsApp is made to "leave", that means Facebook or "Meta".
Links 20/07/2025: More GAFAM Lawsuits, Layoffs, and SLAPPs
Links for the day
Taking Stock of a Good and Productive Week
We shall now be taking a break, unpacking the new hard drive (8 TB), and making backups of everything
Nice Recovery (From Actual Fire) by PCLinuxOS, New Version of PCLinuxOS Released, Now Top of DistoWatch
PCLinuxOS is a community-driven distro
More Microsoft Shutdowns That Mostly Slipped Under the Radar
Remember what happened to books 'sold' by Microsoft?
Microsoft Lunduke Still Fighting Cancel Culture With... Cancel Culture
There will be no "winners" in such 'debates'
The History of Daily Links and Politics
"I support Wayland, but I also support abortion..."
Ageism in Tech
Your protocol is "old"...
Microsoft is at 0% "Market Share" in Most Areas
Depending on the taxonomy chosen, there may be dozens of categories other than desktops and laptops
"The moment MSFT stock fails to start tumbling, that’s the beginning of another corporate giant going under."
There are far more layoffs at Microsoft than at Intel, but you would not get this impression based on Wall Street media
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 19, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 19, 2025
Gemini Links 19/07/2025: Git For Authors and Filtered Antenna
Links for the day
UEFI 'Secure' Boot Abuses by Microsoft to be Brought Up in the UK High Court in 3 Months
we'll seek compensation
Next Year It'll Be Half a Decade Since the Fall of Freenode (and IRC is Still Doing OK)
Our IRC network is still accessible using the exact same software that ran in Windows 3.x
Lupa Will Soon Know of 3,100+ Active Gemini Capsules
And some people in the "Small Web" try to tell us that Gemini is dying?
The Slopfarms Are Taking Real News Articles and Replacing Them With Lies Generated by Machines
Bluntly speaking, Fagioli is nothing short of an online scammer
Links 19/07/2025: Techtarget to Cull 10% of Staff, New Threats to Free Press in the US (Home of Dangerous and Violent Stranglers From Microsoft)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/07/2025: "Climate Justice” and Forking Programs
Links for the day
What Wayland and Microsoft/IBM systemd Have in Common
focus on what IBM (Red Hat) is pushing while running over critics.
Linux Already Has About 60% of the "Market"
"When mentioning the client side," opines an associate, "it is essential to recite the list of other markets where Microsoft is negligible or a no-show. It is repetitive to do so, but it needs saying -- often."
In Norway, Android/Linux Has Just Hit All-Time High (First Time Since 2020), GNU/Linux Already Very Prevalent
Despite its small population size, Norway gave us Qt and many other things
Finland (and NATO) Must Move to GNU/Linux and Dump Microsoft Even Faster
"Microsoft is not a technology problem, it is a staffing problem."
Microsoft's Mass Layoffs Very Wide-Ranging, Media Focused on Gaming Though Microsoft Mass-Firing Lawyers and "AI" Staff (Contradicting Its Supposed "Investment" in "AI")
Microsoft plans to fire almost half a thousand people in legal roles
2012 Article About the Free Software Foundation Blasting Canonical/Ubuntu Over Adoption of "Secure" Boot (Microsoft's Remote Control Over GNU/Linux Since PCs' Power-on)
By Katherine Noyes (article has since then became 404, not found)
The Microsofters We Sued Helped Microsoft Make GNU/Linux 'Expire' This Year
"Linux and Secure Boot certificate expiration"
linuxconfig.org Joins linuxtechlab.com and Others, Becomes a Slopfarm With Fake Linux 'Articles' (LLM Slop)
They contain "linux" in their domain names, but they are just slopfarms
Links 19/07/2025: Microsoft Cuts in China and Wall Street Journal Sued for Reporting on Jeffrey Epstein
Links for the day
Debian Can Dump Blind Users Because I am Not Blind
the sort of mentality we're up against
Fascistic Policies Got 'Normalised' in 'Public Office'. Let's Not Let the Same Happen in 'Tech'.
Political discourse typically guides what's "normal" and what "good citizens" should believe/feel
The European Patent Office Cannot Attract Proficient Patent Examiners Who Master Their Domain
They are enablers and facilitators of corruption
Yes, Your Mastodon Instance Will Also Shut Down
Few people run a one-person instance in the Fediverse
The Demise of GAFAM Necessitates Greater and Broader Awareness
Morale at Microsoft is really bad
Free Software Foundation Reaches 75% of Funding Goal
Not bad for this "Fosschild"
Slopwatch: 7 New Examples of Fake 'Linux' Slop Pieces (Plagiarism With Misinformation)
Serial Sloppers need to be shunned
Links 19/07/2025: Kapo-berg Settles, Software Patents Challenged
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 18, 2025