Bonum Certa Men Certa

History of FSF and Free Software Matters

By figosdev

History of Greece



Summary: Remarks on Richard Stallman, whose signature now emphasises that he founded the FSF and probably belongs back in its board

List of important Pro-Stallman, Pro-Free Software points to maintain at this time:



1. Everything that has happened up to this point is history -- in the sense that history should be preserved and retold, that it contains invaluable lessons for the present and future. We can’t let history be rewritten -- and we should learn and teach more about the history of Free software.

(Note, I find it disgusting the way Open Source has year after year tried to paint his contributions as something relevant to the past only -- as a way of shoving him out of a metaphorical door, and advocate doing precisely the opposite.)

2. Stallman built all of this. Sure he had lots of help -- Every large endeavour is about more than one person. Physics is about more than Einstein. But Einstein changed physics with the theory of relativity and Stallman changed computing with Free software. Apart from simply having integrity, the importance of recognising this as well as point 1, is that it preserves very important lessons about Software Freedom. You can’t preserve history and let credit-stealers speak over the people who deserve the real thanks. Because they will only mislead people.

3. Calling the operating system GNU -- I tell people (whether they are unsympathic or not) that when people call it GNU, this is a good sign they care about your freedom. When they call the OS “Linux” this is not a good sign -- I’ve personally found this holds true as often as not, it’s a good rule.

4. Supporting the FSF is important for several reasons, including holding them to the mission of Free software, keeping up the ratio of Stallman supporters involved, maintaining the Free Software Directory and other valuable infrastructure, as well as their legal team and maintenance of Free software licenses. Some people think it would be better to replace the FSF outright; these are some of the reasons that it would be better to keep the FSF going.

5. RYF is a valuable programme that should continue as well.

6. Copyleft is the reason that many important Free software projects succeed. Open Source aggressively pushes permissive licensing, even for projects that are important which will suffer from such licensing. The FSF recommends a copyleft license such as the GPL (generally speaking, the GPL) for any source over 300 lines.

7. We should defend Free software advocates, particularly Stallman, from any untrue and unfair statements to smear him.

8. Although it is important to preserve Stallman’s legacy, he still has contributions to make and we should make certain he has a vehicle (a metaphorical home, online and in terms of an organisation) for those contributions at all times. A real, literal home is also important of course, but a home in the sense that the FSF was a home is something we should continue to provide. Whatever community standards we keep, they should not exclude RMS.

9. It may take time, but Bruce Perens was able to return to the OSI board after leaving, and we should be certain to get Stallman reinstated to the FSF board at an ideal time in the not-too-distant future. It is one thing to step down as President -- the board is greatly diminished without him and he should have never left the board without great protest and great effort to retain his seat regardless of circumstances. His resignation from the board should not have even been accepted. (I’m not the only person to say this.)

10. There are other points that will prove equally important, but this is a good place to start. Although the importance of Stallman’s work deserves acknowledgement and many of us admire him greatly, none of this is solely about paying tribute, or solely about admiration or respect. In addition to being about respect, these are importantly all points relevant and key to future strategies regarding Free software. We need to build the future on a solid foundation, and Stallman’s work and advocacy is the most solid foundation we could build the future on. So it is not just important to Stallman and to fairness -- it is equally important to everything we do regarding Free software.

Licence: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (public domain)

Recent Techrights' Posts

[Video] IBM Shakes Hands of Prince Mohammed bin Salman
handshake of loyalty
The SLAPPs From Microsofters Distract From Serious Copyright Infringement by Microsoft and Apparent Business Crimes
Aside from other issues, such as strangling women
Trolls With LLM Slop Are Disrupting Communications About Mass Layoffs at IBM
LLM slop to drown out the signal
 
Gemini Links 16/05/2025: "Repairing Our Way out of Commodity Fetishism" and Pre-librebooted Computers
Links for the day
The Microsofters Have Just Shared Privileged Trial Data With Microsoft
There are serious ramifications for liability accountability as Microsoft salaries sponsor these SLAPPs
Enshittification is Everywhere: You Pay More, the Services Get Worse
"Enshittification" is a term coined by an online friend; I increasingly use this term to describe what's happening even outside the realm of technology (which it was adopted to describe)
Microsoft Reduces Office Space Ahead of More Waves of Mass Layoffs
"The Gerstnerisation of Microsoft"
Anti-Linux FUD Produced by Microsoft LLMs to Blame "Linux" for Microsoft's Own Failures
We call out some of the worst culprits
Gemini Links 16/05/2025: Hoking GPS, Grabovac, and Tanana
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, May 15, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, May 15, 2025
Microsoft WARN Notices Proliferate in the United States
From what we've seen, this wave was more than 3% (a lot more) and the next wave/s will be even bigger (possible as imminent as weeks from now), based on insider leaks
Links 15/05/2025: Google Betrays Publishers Again, Openwashing by Sysdig
Links for the day
Richard Stallman Still Respected by Many in the Libre Graphics Community
Richard Stallman and Professor Moglen never harmed anyone
If You Read Techrights, Then You Probably Want to Read Tux Machines as Well
That site is more active than this one
Gemini Links 15/05/2025: Forced Music in Publicly Accessible Space and ~silv is Online
Links for the day
Links 15/05/2025: KOSA Censorship (USA Becomes More Like KSA) and More National Cuts
Links for the day
Bing Might Shut Down - Just Like Skype Did - Some Time in the Coming Months/Years (Parts of It Already Shut Down)
they try to bring the losses under control
Your Real Ally Would Not Defend the Company of SLAPP and Strangling of Women
who's left to tell us what's true?
Breakdown of Microsoft Layoffs Shows It's About Cost, Not Performance or Hype (Like "AI")
MSN (Microsoft) reposted this with some unnecessary spin
The Lawyers Working for the Serial Strangler From Microsoft on SLAPPing Techrights Have Apparently Lost Their Voice
the moment we mentioned that their media lawyer is leaving they went all quiet in social control media
At IBM, Relocation Can be a Trick or a Trap (IBM Gets Rid of Staff Under the Guise of "Relo")
IBM is not being honest with employees
Microsoft Rumours: This Week's Scale of Layoffs "Higher Than Reported" and More Coming Soon ("A Lot More Severe" Than May's)
The "3%" figure is false
Slopwatch: Sloppy Brian, Brittany Slop, and General Observations
Creative people don't need slop; there's just nothing good about it, slop appeals to lazy people careless about quality
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Beyond Mass Layoffs at Microsoft: Entire Units Shut Down for Good
And it's far from over
Links 15/05/2025: Crikvenica, Analog Computer, and Slop 'Hallucinations'
Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Links 14/05/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) Harms Kids, Russia Refuses to Defuse
Links for the day
Gemini Links 15/05/2025: Poseur Nerds and Mennonites
Links for the day
VS Code Is Not FOSS, And Neither Is the Site "It's FOSS"
VS Code is proprietary spyware of Microsoft, yet this site keeps promoting it like it's FOSS
No, Microsoft Didn't Lay Off So Many People Because of "AI" "Innovation" or "Efficiency" or "Era" or "Revolution" Etc.
Debunking one very common lie
What We Do When We Say "GNU/Linux" to People
It talks about "Linux", "GNU", and what it means to say "GNU/Linux"
Links 14/05/2025: Facebook And Instagram Risk Nationwide Bans, Microsoft Subsidiaries Have Mass Layoffs Too
Links for the day
Canonical Will Give You Money Only If You Work for Microsoft!
Only if you are servicing (being a slave to) proprietary forges that Microsoft and the NSA control while violating the GPL will Canonical give you money
If Microsoft Staff That Strangles Woman Pays You to Write Lies, It Will Not End Well
The past couple of years were our most productive ever
Gemini Links 14/05/2025: "Writing My Story with Inspiration from Notable Lives" and People Start Shovelling Up LLM Slop Onto Geminispace,
Links for the day
Microsoft is Very Highly Stressed About Adoption of GNU/Linux at Windows' Expense (on Former "Vista 10" PCs)
What does this tell us?
Slopwatch: BetaNoise (BetaNews), LinuxSecurity, and Slopfarms Still Promoted by Google News
The primary goal is to demonstrate the problem persists
Links 14/05/2025: Google Agrees to $1.3 Billion Settlement After Spying, China Tariffs Don't Work
Links for the day
There Are Also Loads of Microsoft LinkedIn Layoffs Today (Keep Track of the Subsidiaries They Keep Out of Headlines)
Perhaps lost in the smokescreen
There Are Bigger Rounds of Microsoft Layoffs Coming, a Cull of 10% Implemented in Waves (the "3%" Figure is Misleading, Face-Saving)
Last night we said they might do the layoffs in three or at least two waves
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, May 13, 2025