Bonum Certa Men Certa

Techrights Statement on Stefano Maffulli as Executive Director of OSI

OSI, Microsoft money
Things have not been rosy since OSI started taking Microsoft money (Simon Phipps, for example, stopped condemning Microsoft for its patent blackmail)



Summary: There are positives in today's announcement about new OSI leadership (or full-time member of staff), but time will tell if promise turns into concrete results

The new chief/leader at the OSI (some press release/media/coverage we've found so far is rather shallow, as were congratulatory "tweets") deserves the benefit of the doubt. He didn't sign the defamation letter against RMS and over the years he was mostly decent. I've followed him for many years and I've seen no reason to question his integrity or his sincerity. His contacts/connections are also decent people. Can the OSI still be redeemed? We certainly hope so, having witnessed an influx of proprietary software interests in the Board and the management.



The OSI clearly needs to change; but not in the direction/trajectory it has been changing in recent years. Go back to your roots/goals (they amended their mission statement very recently and announced that earlier this week).

For those who rush to judge the OSI, be patient; we've not seen any evidence yet of the new chief doing something bad. It's unfair to judge proactively. One reader of ours wrote to say "OSI staff driven -> dependent" (on sponsors), but that's the sort of challenge they need to tackle. They sort of sold out in recent years as they became more than 95% dependent on corporate cash, not individual supporters, as per their IRS filings.

The salary of the new chief thus depends on the corporate sponsors (same problem in the Linux Foundation), which will be harder to challenge/criticise without risk of retaliation. But it needs to be done every now and then.

In public: Microsoft loves Linux; in private: Microsoft blackmails LinuxTo be very clear, Stefano is historically not on Microsoft's side. Here is what he wrote last year compared to 14 years ago (responding to the FSFE). Stefano was the Italian Chancellor of the FSFE back when the FSFE wasn’t a front group for monopolies like Google with Microsoft cash on its lap. FSFE might be beyond redemption. Can Stefano correct/undo the OSI’s mistakes?

As a matter of priority, let's hope that the OSI's boosting of GitHub will come to an end. Let’s hope Stefano will realise that devoting more than half of the OSI’s budget to proprietary software (ClearlyDefined budget, according to Josh Simmons) is a mistake. He needs to question this misuse of funds and then change the OSI’s direction. We certainly hope he's not falling for any of that "Microsoft loves Linux" nonsense (lie). Just to be very clear, Microsoft's patent blackmail carries on, but it is better disguised (secret deals, Azure “IP” “advantage” etc.) and journalism is pretty much dead by now, so any actual facts get drowned in an ocean of PR (like "Microsoft loves Linux"). Microsoft isn’t reviled in the Free software world because of “hatred” or due to envy; it’s reviled in many circles for its deeply criminal behaviour, which has not changed. It includes entryism and the OSI must recognise this. The sooner, the better.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Microsoft-Sponsored Xenophobia and Nationalism
IBM is very similar in this regard
Tentative Summary of Things to Publish in Project 2030
I'll still be in my forties by then
 
Google's Software is Malware and Malware in Mobile Devices
Originally posted by Rob Musial
Links 20/09/2025: Hegemony Coming to a Close, Luigi Mangione Ruled Not Terrorist
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/09/2025: "Charlie Kirk Was a Hateful Piece of Shit" and Slop Code Attempted by Microsofter
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 20, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 20, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Snowy Photos and utism is a Spectrum
Links for the day
Vintage is Sometimes Better
Why can't we get back to "simple" if (or where) "simple" means better?
Climate Breakdown Means We'll be Publishing More, Not Less
Press freedom will be a common, recurring theme
Our 5-Year Geminispace Anniversary is Coming Up
I still remember when Gemini Protocol was quite new
It's Right to Point Out Violence From the Right
Violence is a recurring theme
Web Browsers That "Do Hey Hi" (AI)
State-of-the-art plagiarism or "autocomplete on steroids" (not coined by us, nevertheless a nice description) don't have much/any prospect
Links 20/09/2025: Hardware Projects in View, Some Independent Publishers About Russia Prosper After Cheeto Cuts Funding
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Options and TV Time Machine
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Retrocomputer, Antique Phone Experience, and More
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Internet Shutdowns, Media Censorship, and Climate Worries
Links for the day
About 700 New Gemini Capsules in 13 Months (or 54 Per Month)
4.8K would represent a 20% increase
Rust People: Drain the Swap, You're Holding It Wrong
Does Rust make sense?
Techrights the Name Turns 15
About 6 weeks from now we turn 19
Microsoft is Running Out of Time and Floating Fake Figures, Fake Projects, Fake Narratives, Fake Excuses
Also, a lot of Microsoft's "revenue" claims are circular financing (i.e. Microsoft buying from itself, which means Ponzi-like fraud)
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, linuxconfig.org, and Plagiarised Phoronix
Many articles out there are nowadays fake
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 19, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Navigating the Pressures of Modern Life and SpellBinding Accidentally Wrote Another Gemini Server
Links for the day
Links 19/09/2025: Press Freedom Dying in US, Anti-Austerity Strikes in France, and Alan Rusbridger to Leave 'Prospect'
Links for the day
European Patent Office Illegally Gutting and Outsourcing Its Functions, Acting Like an Above-the-Law Commercial Business (It Won't Stop at Formalities Officers (FOs) and Classification Slop at the EPO)
breaking/violating laws and conventions
Offloading to the Sister Site
In the interest of not overwhelming readers
Links 19/09/2025: Coffee Club and "SpellBinding is Now Absurdly Fast"
Links for the day
Links 19/09/2025: Lobbyist of American GAFAM Becomes Data Protection Commissioner in Europe
Links for the day
Links 19/09/2025: Media Freedom Ceases to Exist in US, "Consider Dropping Twitter/X"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/09/2025: Thinking and Insect Bites
Links for the day
Microsoft E.E.E.: Git Will Now (or Very Soon) Fully Depend on Rust, Which is Controlled by Microsoft
Microsoft now makes Git dependent on Rust, or making Git dependent on GitHub, which is proprietary
The Right to Punch People (Apparently)
At Brett Wilson, Brett's job title is "Head of Crime" and Wilson normalises calls for violence
Slop or Fake Articles Have Turned Linux Journal From a Pioneering/Trailblazing "Linux" Magazine Into a Nuisance
some sites with former reputation - good reputation - turn into cesspools
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 18, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, September 18, 2025