Bonum Certa Men Certa

We Need to Use the F Word (Freedom) to Promote Adoption of GNU/Linux



"People get the government their behavior deserves. People deserve better than that."

--Richard Stallman



THESE times are good for nobody. Nobody. “Subscriptions have definitely fallen off a bit in the last few months," LWN wrote the other day (and the paywall for this week has just lapsed), "and we’ve had subscribers dropping off with a note saying that they had lost their job and needed to cut expenses.”



Many of these subscribers are GNU/Linux users and developers. Let's face it; nobody is immune.

"Now, let's say that the growth in the number of GNU/Linux users (which begets broader OEM support for the platform) is related to free time and need to reduce expenses..."We're not going to boil down to politics and politicians' names at this moment; instead we'll just allude to the bigger picture. The United States isn't the only country facing an unprecedented crisis right now; in the United States it is a lot more visible however and there's violence (both from the state and against it, and that includes armed militias taking on/over Federal buildings). This isn't so much a "left versus right" thing; there's growing unrest and dissent because the system is sort of crumbling. The economy might still be OK for the oligarchs at the top, but starvation is growing, even in the richest country in the world. Daily Links have some reports to that effect...

Now, let's say that the growth in the number of GNU/Linux users (which begets broader OEM support for the platform) is related to free time and need to reduce expenses...

"To properly organise for meaningful change one cannot rely on proprietary software. Some tried; and we know how they ended up..."Let's just make this assumption... not a scientific assumption, but nevertheless.

Advocacy of GNU/Linux can adapt accordingly. There are (have have been) typically two ways to promote Free/libre software; one is related to costs (immediate or longterm) and another related to freedom, however one perceives it...

Freedom is one of those things people take for granted (like voting rights) until it's lost.

Right now, in my personal assessment, it's not entirely clear whether there will be a 2020 election (or a functional election). Right now surveillance is on the rise (it is bipartisan by the way; seems like Democrats are absolutely OK with Donald Trump expanding spying powers) and it seems more or less related to social control (not terrorism and definitely not white-collar crimes such as tax evasion).

"Reading Microsoft 'news' is nowadays amusing at times."So, in my humble opinion, we can start taking more and more about the "F" (freedom) and not just the "$" (cost savings). GNU/Linux isn't guaranteed to improve one's privacy but it's certainly helping and it is a step in the right direction. To properly organise for meaningful change one cannot rely on proprietary software. Some tried; and we know how they ended up...

The mainstream media is trying to tell us that GNU/Linux is surging (the numbers they cite are misleading), so we're already accomplishing what we wanted. Microsoft is meanwhile reporting (but spinning) layoffs and announcing mere vapouware. Reading Microsoft 'news' is nowadays amusing at times. They cannot even patch their own operating system without breaking it! To the point where they now block their own updates! As for WSL, it has been a total failure, but Canonical seems eager to help it. Says a lot about Ubuntu in 2020...

Speak to family, contact friends. Tell them to give GNU/Linux a try. There was never a time this good for learning new things.

"Geeks like to think that they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave you alone."

--Richard Stallman

Recent Techrights' Posts

Comparing U.E.F.I. to B.I.O.S. (Bloat and Insecurity to K.I.S.S.)
By Sami Tikkanen
New 'Slides' From Stallman Support (stallmansupport.org) Site
"In celebration of RMS's birthday, we've been playing a bit. We extracted some quotes from the various articles, comments, letters, writings, etc. and put them in the form of a slideshow in the home page."
Thailand: GNU/Linux Up to 6% of Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
Desktop Operating System Market Share Thailand
António Campinos is Still 'The Fucking President' (in His Own Words) After a Fake 'Election' in 2022 (He Bribed All the Voters to Keep His Seat)
António Campinos and the Administrative Council, whose delegates he clearly bribed with EPO budget in exchange for votes
Adrian von Bidder, homeworking & Debian unexplained deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Sainsbury’s Epic Downtime Seems to be Microsoft's Fault and Might Even Constitute a Data Breach (Legal Liability)
one of Britain's largest groceries (and beyond) chains
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE analogous to identity fraud
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
 
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 18, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 18, 2024
Suicide Cluster Cover-up tactics & Debian exposed
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 19/03/2024: A Society That Lost Focus and Abandoning Social Control Media
Links for the day
Matthias Kirschner, FSFE: Plagiarism & Child labour in YH4F
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Linux Foundation Boasting About Being Connected to Bill Gates
Examples of boasting about the association
Alexandre Oliva's Article on Monstering Cults
"I'm told an earlier draft version of this post got published elsewhere. Please consider this IMHO improved version instead."
[Meme] 'Russian' Elections in Munich (Bavaria, Germany)
fake elections
Sainsbury's to Techrights: Yes, Our Web Site Broke Down, But We Cannot Say Which Part or Why
Windows TCO?
Plagiarism: Axel Beckert (ETH Zurich) & Debian Developer list hacking
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 18/03/2024: Putin Cements Power
Links for the day
Flashback 2003: Debian has always had a toxic culture
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
[Meme] You Know You're Winning the Argument When...
EPO management starts cursing at everybody (which is what's happening)
Catspaw With Attitude
The posts "they" complain about merely point out the facts about this harassment and doxing
'Clown Computing' Businesses Are Waning and the Same Will Happen to 'G.A.I.' Businesses (the 'Hey Hi' Fame)
decrease in "HEY HI" (AI) hype
Free Software Needs Watchdogs, Too
Gentle lapdogs prevent self-regulation and transparency
Gemini Links 18/03/2024: LLM Inference and Can We Survive Technology?
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 17, 2024
IRC logs for Sunday, March 17, 2024
Links 17/03/2024: Microsoft Windows Shoves Ads Into Third-Party Software, More Countries Explore TikTok Ban
Links for the day
Molly Russell suicide & Debian Frans Pop, Lucy Wayland, social media deaths
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Our Plans for Spring
Later this year we turn 18 and a few months from now our IRC community turns 16
Open Invention Network (OIN) Fails to Explain If Linux is Safe From Microsoft's Software Patent Royalties (Charges)
Keith Bergelt has not replied to queries on this very important matter
RedHat.com, Brought to You by Microsoft Staff
This is totally normal, right?
USPTO Corruption: People Who Don't Use Microsoft Will Be Penalised ~$400 for Each Patent Filing
Not joking!
The Hobbyists of Mozilla, Where the CEO is a Bigger Liability Than All Liabilities Combined
the hobbyist in chief earns much more than colleagues, to say the least; the number quadrupled in a matter of years
Jim Zemlin Says Linux Foundation Should Combat Fraud Together With the Gates Foundation. Maybe They Should Start With Jim's Wife.
There's a class action lawsuit for securities fraud
Not About Linux at All!
nobody bothers with the site anymore; it's marketing, and now even Linux
Links 17/03/2024: Abuses Against Human Rights, Tesla Settlement (and Crash)
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 16, 2024
IRC logs for Saturday, March 16, 2024
Under Taliban, GNU/Linux Share Nearly Doubled in Afghanistan, Windows Sank From About 90% to 68.5%
Suffice to say, we're not meaning to imply Taliban is "good"
Debian aggression: woman asked about her profession
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 17/03/2024: Winter Can't Hurt Us Anymore and Playstation Plus
Links for the day