Bonum Certa Men Certa

There's a Staff Exodus at Freenode, But It's Not a Users Exodus (No Compelling Practical Reasons to Leave)

Video download link



Summary: IRC remains relevant to many of us who need a reliable, free, and Free software-based network for communications based upon (or built atop) protocols that a lot of clients support; Freenode is one of many IRC networks and for the time being it remains robust, it's not collapsing as some people or some media operations want everyone to think

The staff of Freenode (or former staff) won't like me for saying it, but I think they're causing largely unnecessary disruption to a lot of users, maybe 10,000 times more users than the members of staff involved, depending on what one counts. When I say "unnecessary" I meant from users' perspective. Freenode is users. Freenode is community.



"There's no single 'parent' network, just a collective of viable and robust networks."Last night I spent an enormous amount of time studying the situation before writing down some of the conclusions reached. I've since then not seen a single high-profile project formally announcing abandonment of Freenode. I cannot blame them either. Neither the staff nor the users. Both have same legitimate points, but the underlying grievance or the scandal isn't significant enough. This should not be the cause for a 'burn-down' of Freenode, just as RMS returning to the FSF shouldn't justify destruction of the Free Software Movement. In a sense it's good to have more networks, which give people more options; that in its own right is a sort of 'decentrlisation' for the IRC network. There's no single 'parent' network, just a collective of viable and robust networks.

"Freenode isn't falling apart (there are prophecies saying so, but they're motivated by a not-so-hidden desire). Moreover, there are still some negotiations underway."I wish departing staff much success in their new venture, but I urge people against rushed decision to abandon Freenode just because of social inertia and rather misleading reports. Some of them want you to think that the equivalent of the Saudi regime bought Freenode (this is repeated here; "alleged Crown Prince of Korea"). This is wrong. It's inciting and spreading unnecessary anger and hate.

Calm down, folks. Freenode isn't falling apart (there are prophecies saying so, but they're motivated by a not-so-hidden desire). Moreover, there are still some negotiations underway. Stick with Freenode for now. There's no reason to rush away; it's not like data is being sold or anything like that, for reasons explained in the video above. This goes years back and privacy was a focal point.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Why GNU/Linux is Growing
There's growing interest in GNU/Linux right now because people do not fancy buying a new PC just to 'upgrade' (more spying) Windows
 
Electronics in People's Bedrooms
Modern technology not only blurred the gap between "functions" of rooms
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Contingencies, GTD, and Old Computers
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: Economic Races, Charm Offensives, and USB-C Rants
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: "Infantilization at Big Tech" and LLM Slop Abused in Defiance of Workplace Rules/Policies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Palm Addiction and Real Experts
Links for the day
Egypt is Controlled by Google, Not Microsoft
Moving from Microsoft to Google is not the answer
Microsofters Say They Cannot Find a Job (That They Want) Because of Techrights, But Techrights Merely Reported on Their Behaviour
Quit pointing the finger at people who are recipients of abuse or merely mention the abuse
Free Software and Standards - Not Marketing Blitz - Needed Amid Growing Severity of Dependency on Hostile Suppliers (or Another Country's Sovereignty)
ZenDiS can be described as the "Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration"
When It Comes to the Web, Google is Evil and It Destroys the Web's Integrity With LLM Slop
Even academia, which is meant to keep standards high, is being lured into LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 18, 2025
Links 18/04/2025: "Fentanylware (TikTok) Exodus Continues", Chinese Weapons Allegedly in Russia Already
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Price of Games and State of Tinylog
Links for the day
Sounds Like IBM is Preparing for Mass Layoffs/Redundancies in Red Hat, Albeit in "PIP" (Performance Improvement Plan) or "Relocation" Clothing
This isn't the "old" IBM; they're applying pressure by confusion and humiliation
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Role of Language and Back to Mutt for E-mail
Links for the day
"Sayonara" (さよなら), Microsoft
Windows had fallen below iOS in some countries
Links 18/04/2025: Layoffs at Microsoft Infosys and Qt Becoming Increasingly Proprietary (Plus Slop)
Links for the day
Google News is Dying
treating MElon's algorithmic/biased site as a source of verified news
Microsoft's Attack Dogs Have Failed. Now What?
It would be utterly foolish to assume that Microsoft has any intention of changing
All Your "Github Projects" Will be Gone One Day (Just Like Skype)
If you have code you wish to share and keep, then start learning how to do so on your own
To Understand Who's Truly Controlling You Follow the Trail of Censorship (or Self-Censorship)
Do not let media steal and steer the narrative; CoCs are not about "social justice", they're about corporate domination
Fedora Already Lost Its Soul Under IBM
Fedora used to be very strict compared to many other distros and it had attracted very bright volunteers
Microsoft is Still Attacking GNU/Linux and the Net
Microsoft bribed the government using money that did not even exist
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 17, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Pinephone Pro and Linux is too Easy
Links for the day