●● IRC: #techbytes @ Techrights IRC Network: Saturday, January 24, 2026 ●● ● Jan 24 [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] "Dear colleagues, [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] The present Salary Adjustment Procedure (SAP) has been in place since 2020 and we have lost ca. 1% per year compared to national inflation. The impact for staff is severe encompassing all elements of remuneration, allowances, and pensions. At the same time the actuaries have repeated that all pension liabilities are covered, and the EPO, a not-for-profit organisation, has made hundreds of millions of euros in annual surpluses, has [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] 14.4 billion reserves in the RFPSS and 5.3 billion reserves in the EPOTIF. [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] A new SAP for 2027-2032 has been designed by the administration and shared with Staff Representation. The initial documents outline a salary adjustment method that would be even more detrimental to staff than the present one. We would like to raise awareness with respect to the long-term, irreversible impact on our salaries and pensions. For example, the huge impact of an adjustment below local inflation that is applied also to the [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] capped defined benefit of the New Pension Scheme (NPS). With the continuation of the rate of salary erosion we have experienced over the last 6 years, the already low NPS monthly pension will steadily move towards the poverty line. [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] Staff Representation were invited to the first Orientation Meeting with the administration on 14 January. There are three more meetings planned in short succession before the final proposal will be submitted to the GCC on the submission deadline of the 9 February. This incredibly short timeline, set by the administration, means that there is only a very limited period for us to influence the direction of the outcome, and we n [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] eed to act quickly. [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] Please attend the General Meeting of Staff on Monday 26 January, 11:00 hrs [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] We will present the next steps and what staff can do to protect their rights. [06:04] schestowitz[TR2] Read the full invitation with the provisional agenda." [06:13] *Techrights-sec has quit (Ping timeout: 120 seconds) [06:13] *techrights-sec4 has quit (Ping timeout: 120 seconds) [06:13] *techrights-sec3 has quit (Ping timeout: 120 seconds) [06:13] *techrights-sec1 has quit (Ping timeout: 120 seconds) [06:14] *techrights-sec4 (~quassel@freenode-ju7vlv.ldvb.0amm.hij1op.IP) has joined #techbytes [06:14] *techrights-sec1 (~quassel@freenode-ju7vlv.ldvb.0amm.hij1op.IP) has joined #techbytes [06:14] *techrights-sec3 (~quassel@freenode-ju7vlv.ldvb.0amm.hij1op.IP) has joined #techbytes [06:15] *Techrights-sec (~quassel@freenode-ju7vlv.ldvb.0amm.hij1op.IP) has joined #techbytes ● Jan 24 [09:23] *x-amarsh04 has quit (Quit: Konversation terminated!) [09:27] *x-amarsh04 (~amarsh04@kcb99h722ua4g.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Jan 24 [13:06] schestowitz[TR2]
  • [13:06] schestowitz[TR2]
    Why Ubuntu? And the answer is, why not.
    [13:06] schestowitz[TR2]
    [13:06] schestowitz[TR2]

    Every few weeks, this question comes up (via email), usually after I publish a negative review of yet another of my bittersweet Linux endeavors, which almost always revolve around Ubuntu and its derivatives, or, more specifically, Kubuntu, my distro of choice. These articles prompt my readers to challenge my choice of software. In parallel, the readers also usually recommend I try a differ [13:06] schestowitz[TR2] ent distro or two, which could hopefully resolve my angst and my usage problems.

    [13:06] schestowitz[TR2]
    [13:06] schestowitz[TR2]
    • [13:06] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-www.dedoimedo.com | Why Ubuntu? And the answer is, why not. [13:08] *psydroid3 (~psydroid@36imbvshpgubk.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Jan 24 [14:25] schestowitz[TR2] > Oh and before I forget! [14:25] schestowitz[TR2] Thank you. [14:25] schestowitz[TR2] https://techrights.org/n/2026/01/24/Richard_Stallman_s_First_Talk_in_US_College_Since_2018_Videos_a.shtml [14:25] schestowitz[TR2] Enjoy the rest. Then we can chat and catch up with all those questions. [14:25] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-techrights.org | Techrights Richard Stallman's First Talk in US College Since 2018: Videos and Photos ● Jan 24 [15:52] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [15:55] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Jan 24 [16:01] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [16:04] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes [16:10] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [16:13] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes [16:19] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [16:21] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes [16:29] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [16:35] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Jan 24 [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mikesworley_richard-stallman-a-true-freedom-fighter-activity-7420748621186256897-M5qn/ [17:41] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-www.linkedin.com | Richard Stallman, a true freedom fighter: https://lnkd.in/eieA8XS9 | Mike W. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] "20 hours ago Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] In 1984, a programmer quit his job at MIT without a backup plan, without investors, and without a salary. His reason? He was done watching companies lock down code that used to be shared freely among programmers. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] This is Richard Stallman, and he basically started a revolution. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] Back in the early 80s, Stallman was working at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, surrounded by brilliant programmers who shared everything. Someone wrote a cool piece of code? Everyone could use it, improve it, and learn from it. That was just how things worked back then. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] Then corporations moved in. Suddenly, there were licenses, restrictions, and software you weren't allowed to look inside. Stallman had modified their old printer to send notifications when it jammed. When a new Xerox arrived, he wanted to add the same features, but the source code was locked. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] He announced GNU in 1983. The name is a nerdy programmer joke, it stands for "GNU's Not Unix." But what does the G in GNU stand for? Also GNU. It refers to itself, over and over again. Recursive humor, love that stuff. His goal was to build a complete operating system that would be free forever. Not free as in "no money" but free as in freedom. The freedom to run it, study it, share it, and modify it however you want. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] People thought he lost his mind. Why would anyone work for free when you could make money selling software? [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] In 1990 he received the MacArthur "Genius Grant" worth $240,000 [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] His compiler GCC and other GNU tools became the foundation that Linus Torvalds used to build Linux [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] His idea for a "free online encyclopedia" directly inspired what became Wikipedia [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] He convinced 12,500 schools in Kerala, India, to switch from Windows to Linux [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] In 2013 he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] The guy who quit his comfortable MIT job to fight for software freedom ended up shaping the entire tech industry. Torvalds used Stallman's GNU tools to build Linux. What we call 'Linux' today is actually GNU and Linux combined. Without his philosophy, the whole open source movement might look completely different today. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] He's 72 now, still traveling the world, still giving talks about digital freedom, still fighting for what he believes in. And honestly, we owe him a lot. Every time you use Linux, every time you modify open source code, every time you have the freedom to look inside the software you run, that's because of what this man started over 40 years ago. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] He gave everything up for an idea. That idea runs the internet now. [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] David Reed Did you meet him personally? [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] " [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] "" [17:41] schestowitz[TR2] Richard Stallman, a true freedom fighter: https://lnkd.in/eieA8XS9 [17:42] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-lnkd.in | LinkedIn ● Jan 24 [20:15] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has left #techbytes [20:48] *psydruid (~psydruid@jevhxkzmtrbww.irc) has joined #techbytes ● Jan 24 [22:02] *psydroid3 has quit (Quit: KVIrc 5.2.6 Quasar http://www.kvirc.net/)