●● IRC: #techbytes @ Techrights IRC Network: Friday, April 10, 2026 ●● ● Apr 10 [00:12] *x-amarsh04 has quit (Ping timeout: 2m30s) [00:17] *x-amarsh04 (~amarsh04@xk49uzi5amp4u.irc) has joined #techbytes [00:27] *FANTOM has quit (Ping timeout: 120 seconds) [00:36] *FANTOM (~fantom@freenode-6hf.832.ifb87q.IP) has joined #techbytes ● Apr 10 [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] Re: Follow-up on Club Updates and Free Software Hosting [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > Hey Dr. Schestowitz, [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > Thanks again for posting our pictures - you [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > beat the FSF to publication! :-) [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > I wanted to follow up on my message from earlier [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > this week about what's been happening at the Club. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > Were launching an initiative to build a reproducible [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > framework for college students to learn and start free [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > software projects - along side seasoned Free Software [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > developers. Excitingly, RMS has agreed to meet with our [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > extended team from Apereo later this month, and the plan [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > is to officially bring him on as an advisor to Project [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > Super Iugum. (Haven't announced that yet so please keep [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > that on wraps for now!) [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > I also wanted to share some unfortunate news about a free(ish) [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > software project we were hoping to benefit from - BoxyBSD.com [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > shut down a few weeks ago. It was an "open-sourcefocused" [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > initiative by a solo developer in Germany who aimed to provide [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > an environment independent of Big Tech - something we fully support. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > They were BSD-based, as you might have guessed, and had pledged [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > about 15 keys to us months before closing. Can't blame him since [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > we didn't pay anything, but certainly disappointing for us broke [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > college students looking for more compute. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > Weve got several students eager to deploy their own free software [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > projects, and I was wondering if you knew of any other initiatives [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > that support hosting for free or student-led projects ideally ones [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > that are themselves free software powered and can provide starter [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > credits or resources to LibreTech? We're trying to encourage development [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > without resorting to verify your `.edu` email with [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > IBM/Azure/GCP/Oracle/etc. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > and farm their free student credits. That would, of course, be a [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > self own for us. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] > Thanks again for your time and for sharing our work! [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] For hosting something like IRC they'd have IRCNow, but that too is BSD based. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] Due to economic woes many nonprofits that did things for free could not endure and survive. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] See LifeBoat fdn. [04:37] schestowitz[TR3] April 15: Richard Stallman to Speak at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas https://techrights.org/n/2026/04/10/April_15_Richard_Stallman_to_Speak_at_the_University_of_Texas_i.shtml | Gemini address: gemini://gemini.techrights.org/n/2026/04/10/April_15_Richard_Stallman_to_Speak_at_the_University_of_Texas_i.gmi [04:38] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-techrights.org | Techrights April 15: Richard Stallman to Speak at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > Amazon Pulls Support for Perfectly Fine Older Kindles [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-pulls-support-for-perfectly-fine-older-kindles/ [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > In an email to customers, Amazon announced that it would be ending [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > service for Kindle devices older than the 2012 edition. Those [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > devices will lose access to the Kindle Store. [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > --- [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] > https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/amazon-pulls-the-plug-on-older-kindle-models/ [04:55] schestowitz[TR3] Thanks, added to next batch of Daily Links. [04:55] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-Amazon Pulls Support for Perfectly Fine Older Kindles | WIRED [04:55] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-Amazon Is Pulling Support for Kindles From 2012 or Earlier. What to Do Now - CNET ● Apr 10 [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1knqepgw1 [05:07] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1knqepgw1 ) [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] " think there are dozens of lawsuits brewing right now at this exact moment [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] 6 hours ago by Anonymous [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] | 2 reactions (+2/-0) | Reply [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] Post ID: @ep+1knqepgw1 [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] +4 [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] I will never work for IBM again. My first real adult career job back in 2015. I thought that they had jobs available. Nope its all project based. You compete with others for a project. I was trying to get on a project, remote right out of the Lansing, MI center. My manager, Pilton, told me not worry about that (applying) as I was on a PIP and had to get on any project at this time. He had 2 other interviews in the pipeline. I did b [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] oth interviews and they seemed good to me. When it was my last day, never did find out if i got on those teams. My manager, first thing when i went to the office, he handed me some unemployment forms, and said " Oh I wish you would have gotten on that one remote project.". I said "What, the one you told me not to fully apply too". Made him feel like sh-t after on purpose. Walked out the door with my head high, and onto other advent [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] ures. [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] 6 hours ago by Anonymous [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] | 4 reactions (+4/-0) | Reply [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] Post ID: @ej+1knqepgw1 [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] +4 [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] Youll get your unemployment because if not IBM would be opening themselves to a lawsuit if they just let you go because of a PIP [05:07] schestowitz[TR3] " [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1knswdccw [05:08] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1knswdccw ) [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] " [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] can the AI agent steal other people's work [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] ask useless questions and create useless Powerpoints [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] does it only work from 10am to 3pm [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] what sort of catch phrases does it have [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] these are the necessary skills [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] 4 hours ago by Anonymous [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] | no reactions | Reply [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] Post ID: @an+1knswdccw [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] +3 [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] Is he re--rded? Boy is a little special aint he [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] 6 hours ago by Anonymous [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] | 3 reactions (+3/-0) | Reply [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] Post ID: @ae+1knswdccw [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] +4 [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] Virtue signal Dave. Ranked the #5 cheerleader at IBM. A nothing burger. Looked at his LinkedIn and you will see he cannot hold a hold for more than 1 or 2 years. That is the sign of someone with no skills and just hops from lilly pad to lilly pad. Typical IBmer these days. [05:08] schestowitz[TR3] " [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1knc3tpsb [05:10] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes- ( status 403 @ https://www.thelayoff.com/t/1knc3tpsb ) [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] " [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] He will simply be removed and then reassigned and installed as the new director in another department. Question is what will he be the director of in 6 months? [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] 33 minutes ago by Anonymous [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] | no reactions | Reply [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] Post ID: @13j+1knc3tpsb [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] 0 [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] @q3 ALB here. Yes 100% correct. Except he will be just fine. Thats how ALB works. [05:10] schestowitz[TR3] " ● Apr 10 [06:23] schestowitz[TR3] SLOPSLOP: [06:23] schestowitz[TR3] "Reports indicate significant layoffs at Red Hat in China as of April 2026, with claims that all engineers in certain teams were terminated and VPN access revoked. These actions are part of a broader, long-term restructuring and "bluewashing" process where Red Hat employees are integrated into IBM, with roles frequently being offshored to locations like India." ● Apr 10 [07:51] *liberty_box_ (~liberty@uwb8s9bfzeyh4.irc) has joined #techbytes [07:51] *liberty_box_ has quit (connection closed) ● Apr 10 [12:29] *psydroid3 (~psydroid@36imbvshpgubk.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Apr 10 [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] "Dear Colleagues, [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] Today, at 2pm, we had a meeting with the administration to discuss the draft of wording to be included in the Service Regulations defining the salary adjustment procedure that they provided to us at 8pm last night. [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] Instead of solving any of the issues that we outlined in our previous meeting last week, they made further concessions to the delegates. The method now includes an entirely new anti-staff clause; the high inflation clause. This clause imposes an upper limit to the predefined reference, currently set to Eurozone inflation, of 6%. Any amounts above that will either be delayed to later years or cut and paid as a lump sum after s [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] ix years of the method being applied. Should inflation reach high levels near the end of the six-year period, this could result in a substantial additional cut of our adjustment. For example, if inflation reaches 10% in the sixth year, 4% would be permanently lost from our salaries and pensions for every remaining year of our careers and retirement. [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] The inclusion of this clause is yet further evidence of the desperation of upper management to please the Administrative Council, because of a self-serving desire to secure the renewal of their own, exceptionally highly paid positions (well-above rocket scientist level). The codex shows us that our president earns 135% of G17 step 3, with an extra 10% supplementary allowance, and a monthly 5K housing allowance, which seems enoug [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] h for him to use us as a bargaining chip. The President's resolve to make efforts to protect our working package against the calls for cuts is in question. [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] They underestimate our capacity for solidarity and determination to continue with the actions. In February alone, through strike and work-to-rule actions, we have achieved a 29% reduction in grants compared to last year. During the March Council meeting, one delegate complained about a 20% reduction in grants in 2022 and warned the Office that this must not happen again. The reason is clear: many of the national patent offices are [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] financed in a large proportion by the renewal fees generated from patents we grant. [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] While our upper management may believe that yielding to the delegates demand for cuts is the only route to their re-election, they will soon be forced to reconsider. The delegates, in turn, will come to recognise the full extent of the impact on their income resulting from our industrial actions. We therefore call on all colleagues to remain united and resolute, as only our continued solidarity will ensure that our voices are heard [21:02] schestowitz[TR3] and finally respected." [21:58] *psydroid3 has quit (Quit: KVIrc 5.2.6 Quasar http://www.kvirc.net/)