Bonum Certa Men Certa

In a World Where Free Software Is Considered Standard Remote Work Will Become the Norm

Also, there are benefits to the environment. Why is it called "remote work" anyway? It's not remote! You're home!

What they want us to think work at the office looks like and... what clients think remote work looks like



Summary: The workplace will be better off when we all quit the charade of wealth and breadth; companies that force all employees to work in a single place (even for jobs that don't strictly require it) are stuck in the past, milking a bygone era

I very rarely write about my professional and personal life because some people try to contact my boss, hoping to cause me trouble (since 2005), and things I write about my personal life are likely to be misframed and mischaracterised to smear me, respectively. So I generally don't say much about my daily routines here (I opened up a bit in 2017 in this interview). I try to focus on the issues, leaving little room for personal attacks.



"I try to focus on the issues, leaving little room for personal attacks."The same is true for my wife, who rarely divulges personal details online; we don't use Facebook or anything like it and I last updated LinkedIn with work-related information some time back in 2006 (when a colleague convinced me to create an account there).

So anyway, don't expect me to open up too much. It's bad enough that some British university decided to intimidate someone who wanted to participate in Techrights by basically defaming me, based on distortion of things from 15 years ago. All I will say is that my remote work history is very long. In 2000 or 2001 I started working in the dormitories, offering technical support for computers (I had acquired experience as a teenager) and I could do so within the Halls of Residence without having some truly central office. In 2007 when I stopped much of my practical Ph.D. work (including thesis) I started working more and more from home. In 2010 I was allowed to work as a postdoc as a mostly but not entirely remote worker (with occasional visits to the department, either once a week or several times a year). That went on until 2012 and in 2011 I already started working from home, offering Free software support services -- again having to only visit the company's office a few times a year. In recent years I barely even visit the office anymore. I last went there a year ago (signing some papers) and this was probably the only time in about 3 years. I know that remote work is very much possible. I've done it in one form or another for nearly 2 decades.

"Proprietary software companies have long used "happy faces" marketing and "windmills" BS in brochure about their Clown Computing or whatever buzzword clueless, nontechnical decision-making suits happen to fancy that month/year, based on magazines composed and collated by other clueless, nontechnical publishers."One thing that has always been clear to me is that clients' perception of the workforce (are they supervised and are they trained?) played a big role in that old assumption that people need to come inward and produce outward from glass-and-metal cages which are neither welcoming nor respectful of basic human dignity. People over your shoulder causing additional stress won't improve productivity, especially in jobs that require concentration and minimal interruption/interference (such as debugging of code).

Proprietary software companies have long used "happy faces" marketing and "windmills" BS in brochure about their Clown Computing or whatever buzzword clueless, nontechnical decision-making suits happen to fancy that month/year, based on magazines composed and collated by other clueless, nontechnical publishers.

I say, to hell with those buzzwords and hype waves; enough with your stupid marketing, which is only a drain on companies' budget (not to mention lawyers and sometimes even accountants). For companies to become and remain competitive they need to be lean and not mean. Respect workers, don't bully them (neither physically nor mentally; the two things are related because diet, health and mood are closely connected). Focus on technical work; it is the heart and soul of technical companies, which is what most if not all Free software firms are. Proprietary software has long relied on lies, aggressive marketing, sometimes even bribery (there are special teams if not departments dedicated to just that).

"I still believe that society as well as workplaces will become more humane when Free software is the de facto standard everywhere; it's not only about Freedom (libre) of code but also the Freedom of workers."Now that many people are either forced to work from home or stay home (unemployed) the subject is worth bringing up. We need to leave behind us the nonsensical burden which not only harms the environment but also manifests itself in the form of telemarketing, overstressed workers, and workers who contract flu or pneumonia while commuting or eating next to a colleague they neither like nor really need to interact with. I'm not an introvert. I'm not extrovert either. But I am very practical and I know that a 4-hour trip to the office is rarely necessary, not to mention the carbon footprint.

I still believe that society as well as workplaces will become more humane when Free software is the de facto standard everywhere; it's not only about Freedom (libre) of code but also the Freedom of workers. There's definitely a connection between those things. All the code I've ever worked on is Free software (it's against my principles to keep code secret) and each time I worked from 9 to 5 (not much in my adult life, unlike teenage years) I got a taste of what most people are compelled to go through on a daily basis. This is about as sustainable for personal health as it is for the economy itself. The economy isn't doing too well, is it? Well, maybe it's time to rethink how we work. Just my 50 pence...

"Proprietary software types like to assess people's value based on their perceived wealth, i.e. what kind of things they've bought and collected -- in the same way many assess the quality or value of a company based on the looks of its office, the furnishing, where it is based (the more expensive, the better?) and so on, spurring a culture of over-consumption and over-spending."Can I take the train journey to the office with 50 pence? The last time I purchased tickets to travel the rail fare was literally twice that of a flight. Time for Richard Branson and the likes of him to declare bankruptcy and time for public transport too... to be rethought. I last owned a car almost 2 decades ago. I can cycle to most places and save myself maintenance headaches (and fees) associated with car ownership. But that perhaps is a topic for another day and a different post. Yes, people who can drive and choose not to own a car aren't inferior. Proprietary software types like to assess people's value based on their perceived wealth, i.e. what kind of things they've bought and collected -- in the same way many assess the quality or value of a company based on the looks of its office, the furnishing, where it is based (the more expensive, the better?) and so on, spurring a culture of over-consumption and over-spending.

"Do you have a lawyer?"

"Oh, glad you asked! We have a whole in-house department of them!"

Now, how about that for corporate productivity?

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Only a Third of or 1 in 3 Web-Connected Devices is a Desktop or Laptop, According to statCounter
we can expect Android to widen its lead
Peter Moon's (Computerworld) Interview With Richard Stallman
Stallman: If you want freedom don't follow Linus Torvalds
At What Point Does Outsourcing Constitute Malpractice?
Brett Wilson LLP's new staff page is misleading
 
Polygamy, from Catholic Synod on Synodality to Social Control Media & Debian CyberPolygamy
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
The Days Are Getting Shorter, the First Half of 2025 is Almost Over
We're gratified to see significant increase in traffic and also positive feedback on the work we do
Turning GNU/Linux Into a Political Football
X (not the site) is Free software
X Server Still Works for Many People
A lot of people will grow suspicious of Wayland boosters/pushers if they persist and insist on using these tactics
Exactly a Week Ago "BetaNews Staff" Said "Betanews Is Growing Alongside You". Since Then Every Article (All by "Camila Nogueira") Has Been LLM Slop.
BetaNews is basically a slopfarm
When the Microsoft Aggressors Rely on Several Law Firms ('Attack Dogs', 'Guns for Hire'), Not Just One, Lawyering Up Against Techrights (Acting on Behalf of Americans Against UK Publishers)
From serving customers at some restaurant he has moved on to bullying people with demand letters
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 23, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 23, 2025
The "Tarzan Effect" in Compilers and Software
What happens when you forcibly make things 'work', either by hacks or by disregarding warnings (like those that compilers tend to issue)?
Gemini Links 23/06/2025: Mass Tourism, Hair Love, and Google Gemini as a Googlebomb
Links for the day
Law Firm Burgess Mee Does Not Fully Deny Participating in Abusive Litigation for Serial Strangler From Microsoft
I am not unfamiliar with these tactics
The Modus Operandi of Wayland Pushers: Make It Political
do what I say or you're a nazi...
Links 23/06/2025: RFE/RL Contributor Vladyslav Yesypenko Released, Recording Industry Cutbacks
Links for the day
Brett Wilson LLP Solicitors (M): Over 99.9% of Our E-mail is Self-Marketing, We Send You 3.5MB E-mails for Less Than 1KB of Text
Why would tech people entrust legal matters to such people?
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sailing to GNU/Linux, According to statCounter
countries in that region will quickly learn the price of neglecting digital sovereignty
From Do Your Own Research to Do Your Own Search
The Web is full of garbage; search engines amplify this garbage
More People Moving to Geminispace?
at age 6+ Gemini Protocol seems to have gained some maturity and it seems like more people use it
Permutation in LLMs Does, Inevitably, Change Meanings and Therefore LLMs Cannot Properly Rephrase or Summarise Texts
LLMs lack actual grasp or comprehension of what they spew out
Links 23/06/2025: Many Security Breaches, Population Declines
Links for the day
Gemini Links 23/06/2025: "America at the Crossroads" and OpenWRT Surgery
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, June 22, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, June 22, 2025
Pure Dove
Different means different, and sometimes those who "deviate" from "the norm" have a point
Censorship is a Sign of Weakness Which Invites More Censorship Attempts
revolutionaries don't succumb to pressure from bullies
Why It's Unlikely That LLM Slop Will Dominate the Web in the Long Run
Slopfarms will eventually perish (they have no actual value) and "survivors" on the Web will be sites that never depended on search engines and social control media
GNU/Linux in Argentina Now Measured Near 5%
Like in central Europe, they must be seeing an increasingly hostile US
BetaNews is Fake News, Composed by LLM Slop
nothing in BetaNews is written by humans anymore
Links 22/06/2025: Giving Up on Smartphones and 'Jaws' at 50
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/06/2025: Furniture Construction and Bubble for Comments
Links for the day
Links 22/06/2025: Windows TCO Tales and YouTube Getting More Hostile to Users
Links for the day
The FSF Board and FSF Beard
So the FSF's Board has grown
Law Firms Facing the Consequences for Patently Abusive Litigation on Behalf of Microsoft Employees Who Got Arrested for Strangulation and Had Done Even Worse Things
Having spent 1.5 years bullying me with patronising letters on behalf of Microsofters, last week they got served a massive bill and, in effect, lost the Hearing
New Report From the EPO's Staff Representatives in The Hague (LSCTH) Reveals Many Unsolved Issues
Local Staff Committee The Hague (LSCTH) wrote to staff just before the weekend
LLMs Breaking Everything
Computing and the Net became a playground for scammers and "bros", like people who "invented" fake currencies and also try to tell us that LLMs spewing out things will have some real value
Links 22/06/2025: More Slop Lawsuits (Copyrights) and "America’s Oligarch Problem"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/06/2025: Gigantic Toolchest and Annoying Bots
Links for the day