09.08.21
Posted in Free/Libre Software, Microsoft, OSI, Patents at 8:21 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
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.
To 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. █
Permalink
Send this to a friend
08.13.21
Posted in Deception, Free/Libre Software, OSI at 6:44 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Video download link | md5sum 559f8d40880af88fbacaebfe0f9b2072
Summary: The Free software community needs to get more vocal about opportunism in an ongoing corporate coup; it calls its resistors (to the coup) all sorts of “isms” while the said corporations are dishing out money to form a misleading narrative (inversion of accusations)
TWENTY odd hours ago we published this video about EPO pinkwashing. A bunch of gangsters — outright criminals (like Benoît Battistelli with his Vichy family roots) — are hijacking gay people to make themselves seem ethical.
“…$6,000 is not a small amount of money when your target audience is at most a couple hundred people.”Last night we published “Open Source Initiative: Pay Us $6,000 and We'll Present You as Supporting Diversity“, citing similar behaviour from the Linux Foundation. They’ve literally turned gay people into a commodity to be sold while crushing online communities.
They they have the extreme audacity to gag/censor people using inflated accusations of bigotry and intolerance — the very thing those corporations do for profit! What an incredible reversal of narratives!
As we noted last month, even LibreOffice started selling keynotes (keynote talks/speaking slots) and we know who can afford these; $6,000 is not a small amount of money when your target audience is at most a couple hundred people. █
Permalink
Send this to a friend
08.12.21
Posted in Deception, Marketing, OSI at 6:11 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
So-called ‘Linux’ Foundation does the same thing, most likely as it’s a form of corporate reputation laundering that apparently sells well
Published just now:
The whole lot:
Summary: You can enable overt racism for ICE and then use some of the ICE money to lie to the public and improve the corporate image, thanks to the ‘services’ just offered by the OSI; they’ve reduced “Inclusion and Diversity” into a paid-for lie
Permalink
Send this to a friend
08.11.21
Posted in Deception, Microsoft, OSI at 4:44 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Video download link | md5sum c6a3588f112e7222adebbac7ae5446ea
Summary: The corporate coup against software freedom has enlisted another person to deepen the coup with corporate fund-raising (more strings, becoming indebted to surveillance firms and monopolies, hiding behind the "open" banner); that person is connected to a longtime foe of software freedom [1, 2]
THE Open Source Initiative (OSI) has pushed out its very own founder and it does not tolerate critics. Because criticising corporations is “hate”…
“These are the very same people who worked overtime trying to oust Richard Stallman from his own organisation, which actually tries to accomplish something of importance.”This new press release, which showed up some hours ago in their front page, reaffirms the ‘new’ OSI’s commitment to companies like Microsoft. Most of the OSI’s budget is already devoted to Microsoft boosting.
Just as ‘new’ Freenode has nothing at all to do with Freenode anymore (it’s not even called that anymore; they just hijacked a tiny portions the users and decommissioned the network), the ‘new’ OSI has little to do with Open Source. It milks the name and its past reputation. It is about openwashing and it’s run by people who work for ICE and other forms of racism. And yet somehow they have the audacity to use “diversity” and “inclusion” as a weapon by which to demonise sceptics. These are the very same people who worked overtime trying to oust Richard Stallman from his own organisation, which actually tries to accomplish something of importance. █
Permalink
Send this to a friend
07.30.21
Posted in Free/Libre Software, OSI at 6:18 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Video download link | md5sum 1ff48579187cd76587d121fd6d2d44f6
Summary: A closer look at the dire state of the Open Source Initiative, or OSI, which no longer protects Open Source (let alone software freedom) but instead helps openwashing, Microsoft entrapment, and a coup against the FSF
THE OSI situation which we spoke about last night [1, 2] is further aggravation of an already-fatal prognosis. Things got a lot worse (and very fast) a year ago when the General Manager left and months ago we saw the current (“interim”) General Manager viciously attacking Richard Stallman. Some even accused her of borderline antisemitism (in the mailing list).
The latest episode in this circling-down-the-drain drama isn’t pretty. It looks like they’re once again failing to run an election and people have already noticed the creaks. Their system isn’t working and there’s nobody truly in charge. They lack technical skills and a lack of legal background is impossible to compensate for with shallow politics.
“They keep telling us that the FSF is “irrelevant”, but that’s just a case of wishful thinking and an act of projection.”At the moment the OSI is trying to sink the FSF, hoping that by taking other boats down under the OSI can somehow still maintain some relevance. They keep telling us that the FSF is “irrelevant”, but that’s just a case of wishful thinking and an act of projection. Long live copyleft. Sharing is caring, so happy sharing (and hacking). █
Permalink
Send this to a friend
07.29.21
Posted in Microsoft, OSI at 8:22 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Goodnight and goodbye
Summary: The sad demise of OSI, which has become little but a front group of proprietary software companies in pursuit of openwashing services (and outsourcing to proprietary disservices looking to eradicate copyleft)
THE Oh! Ass! Aye?
It will never die
For Microsoft is can lie
Oh my!
Openwashing as a service
Making Stallman nervous
Driving their Chevies
Collecting their levies
ClearlyDefined sellout
They really needed a bailout
Proprietary breakout
Forgetting what they’re all about
Open Source has won!
GitHub prison can be fun
By Microsoft it is run
Look what we have done!
Herding communities at scale
To ensure they always fail
Dog wagged by its tail
But hey, nobody is male!
Politics of entryism ignored
Integrity is hard to afford
Dirty money they hoard
Hanging themselves on a cord █
Permalink
Send this to a friend
Posted in GPL, Microsoft, OSI at 8:06 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
Don’t worry! Microsoft will save the OSI!
Summary: So what if OSI is run by someone who raised money from Microsoft (to sell Microsoft a keynote slot in a copyleft event — the thing that Microsoft attacks through GitHub!) while funnelling the OSI's funds to a serial GPL violator?
Permalink
Send this to a friend
Posted in Free/Libre Software, Microsoft, OSI at 7:50 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz
OSI privacy issues. I don’t think we’re supposed to see the voters’ data (publicly accessible here as the front end or the corresponding .json file).
Summary: The above, together with an email from the OSI below, serves to show they’re re-running a bad election and — yet worse! — there appears to be a conflict of interest implicating the OSI’s sole member of staff!
THE OSI is in a state of disarray following the abrupt departure of its sole member of staff one year ago. Coordination is poor, the agenda has shifted in a negative way/direction (like attacks on the FSF), and this is what its interim manager said in a message:
As an Individual Member of the Open Source Initiative who joined by March 4th, you are eligible to vote in the re-run Open Source Initiative’s 2021 Board of Directors election. This email includes important information about the election and voting process.
CANDIDATES:
This year TWO (2) Individual Member seats are open. You may view the candidate profiles/bios here:
https://wiki.opensource.org/bin/Main/OSI%20Board%20of%20Directors/Board%20Member%20Elections/2021%20Individual%20and%20Affiliate%20Elections/
VOTING:
Elections for OSI Directors are held according to Approval Voting
- see Wikipedia for more information on Approval Voting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approval_voting
Each voter may “approve of” (i.e., “vote for”) any number of candidates, from none (0) to all eleven (11). The winners of the election will be the two candidates who receive the most votes from the voting Individual Members
IMPORTANT!!!
To cast a vote, you will be led through the following steps.
1. Log into Helios (your credentials are included below).
2. Select (“approve”) your preferred candidate(s).
3. Review/Confirm your ballot (i.e. who you voted for), then “Submit” your ballot.
4. CAST YOUR BALLOT: PLEASE NOTE, YOU MUST ALSO “CAST YOUR BALLOT” on the screen appearing after you submit your ballot.
IF YOU FAIL TO CLICK THE “CAST YOUR BALLOT” BUTTON YOUR VOTE WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL TALLY.
IMPORTANT DATES:
* July 26, 2021 (11:00 am PDT): Elections open
* August 6, 2021 (4:59 pm PDT): Elections close
* August 9, 2021 (11:00 am PDT): : Run-off elections open (if needed)
* August 13, 2021 (5:00 pm PDT): Run-off elections close
* August 23, 2021: New Board Directors seated
* First meeting August 24 and 25, 2021
QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions feel free to contact Deb Nicholson at d.nicholson@opensource.org
Election URL: https://vote.heliosvoting.org/helios/e/JulyIndividual2021/vote
Have lessons been learned from the last time around?
We’re not too sure.
The OSI elections… again seem to have a security/privacy issue, compromising the integrity of the whole process. As one source told us (see screenshot, links etc. at the top), issues linger on “and then there’s this privacy concern.”
“The OSI elections… again seem to have a security/privacy issue, compromising the integrity of the whole process.”“sjvn hasn’t voted yet,” the source noted. Are we supposed to even know that? “Shows all members and whether they voted or not to the general public…”
This is bad enough in its own right, especially given prior events and context (compromised election).
“However,” our source added, “I saw the OSI elections are currently being… reheld. So, not sure because I did not document who was going for elections but… I noticed Salt there. He has a long standing relationship with Nicholson, the Interim General Manager. So, Salt running for a position where he has history with the “manager” is odd, but we are well aware of the cronyism in the past. What really struck me was his bio, where he discusses paid positions for Executive Director and staff.”
To quote:
Why I am running
The OSI is a leading voice when it comes to the conversation surrounding free/libre/open culture and values. It is currently at a point of inflection, transitioning from an (almost) entirely volunteer-driven organization, to one with an Executive Director and paid staff.
Yes, “paid staff.” Like a company. That would more or less confirm what the OSI has become. It diverts more than half of its funds into Microsoft GitHub promotion, i.e. proprietary software. Is this the future of OSI?
“That would more or less confirm what the OSI has become. It diverts more than half of its funds into Microsoft GitHub promotion, i.e. proprietary software.”As our source noted: “This could get interesting!”
The cronyism at the EPO comes to mind (Benoît Battistelli and António Campinos stuffing or staffing up the management with friends of theirs, not qualified people).
We shall patiently watch the next steps. █
Permalink
Send this to a friend
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
Content is available under CC-BY-SA