Bonum Certa Men Certa

Large Corporations Aren't Going to Save the Real GNU/Linux Community Because That's Not Their Goal (They Just Want to Dominate Everything)

Three Panel Car: Microsoft in Linux Foundation, Microsoft in OSI, Like COVID in your body



Summary: Old and new monopolists aren't allies of convenience and aren't to be counted on when it comes to salvaging GNU/Linux autonomy and community-like traits; their sole aspiration is to gain greater control over code (e.g. systemd monoculture) and over all governance structures (e.g. via the OSI and LF as submissive, supine front groups)

WHEN the Linux Foundation (LF) let Microsoft in about 4 years ago we knew it was the beginning of the end; the Foundation had already done other bad things, like outright rejection of community representation, amongst other things which infuriated the real community (not monopolies that call themselves "community" or "open org" or whatever)...



Later came the code of conduct (or conflict, both abbreviated as "CoC") and the de facto suspension of Linus Torvalds, who 'merely' created Linux itself (like ESR being banned by the OSI, which he had created). In recent months we also saw more and more elimination of words -- sometimes words that are used to express concepts like a master-slave relation (what many Free software developers are to those monopolistic corporations -- zero-cost labour).

Last night figosdev wrote to me regarding "Unacceptable comments toward a company: 1" (as we noted here). He told me: "I am really glad to be done with "Linux"."

"But notice the response from LF," I told him. "They did not take action. BSD also has a CoC issue."

WindRMS recently told me that he rejected the concept of a CoC and GNU did not have a CoC (they used a different template and name for their kind communication guidelines). RMS understands the importance of free speech, even if he's losing his freedom of speech over time (due to fear of retaliation). It should be noted, yet again, that many of those looking to silence if not oust him (as recently as this year) are IBM/Red Hat employees. They just put a different hat on (not the red one), hoping the association/affiliation would not be too obvious. Many of them use Microsoft's GitHub for development.

We've long argued that an elephant in the room -- other than Microsoft -- is IBM. It's not hard to see that IBM played a role in ousting RMS based on false pretenses. Are GNU and the FSF better off for it? Nope. Does IBM care? No, not really...

"IBM's neglect of Fedora has been rather telling, as was the outsourcing which makes no practical sense unless the sole goal is cost-cutting."IBM is too busy caring about IBM, which is only shrinking over time. Its previous CEO saw a decrease in revenue for almost 100 consecutive months. The customers are gradually going away. Will Dr. Krishna save IBM? Time will tell... there's certainly no turnaround, at least not yet (COVID-19 has not helped, has it?), and there are Red Hat layoffs. Red Hat's growth does not seem to have much of a sway on IBM's decision; there's duplication across operations (HR, marketing, administration, legal team etc.) and in threads "regarding layoffs at Red Hat" someone pinned the promotional link (from Wall Street-centric media) "IBM Hopes to Double Sales at Red Hat in Next Three Years" only to receive this reply a couple of days ago:

Doubt it. Unless it’ll be the only unit that’s actually making money. It will soon die because no one will want to run an app on mainframe. Red hat tech is cool but not mainframe cool.


We've repeatedly been told by our server administrator (thrice at least) that IBM seems to be shifting towards distros other than RHEL and likely has "buyer's remorse" (based on what IBM has been doing lately, directly engaging/working with Red Hat's competition). IBM's neglect of Fedora has been rather telling, as was the outsourcing [1, 2] which makes no practical sense unless the sole goal is cost-cutting.

Recent Techrights' Posts

How Corporations Such as Microsoft Try to Crush Critics and Dissolve Activism
Stay focused
Wikipedia Can Lower Its Hosting Bill by Going More Static, Not Just by Caching, But It Would Not Solve Its Biggest Problems (Bribes and AstroTurfing)
For about 15 years we had a Wiki in this site
Urgent Need for SLAPP Litigation Transparency
Microsofters really want to shut us up
On Shutdowns and 2,000 More Layoffs at Microsoft (10,000 Microsoft Staff May Have Already Been Laid Off in 2025)
Microsoft tries to hide and belittle mass layoffs; its data centre business also flounders, so it issues puff pieces about some anniversary over and over again
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: A "Deep Dive" Into the Complaint at the California Privacy Protection Agency
There are many facets to it and it may be the first complaint of several
Microsoft Problems in Europe Even Before the Cheeto Tariffs
The case of Romania, Europe's notorious Microsoft fan
Oman in 2025: GNU/Linux Growing to 5%
what can Microsoft do about it except sabotage the PCs?
Microsoft Shares Collapse Again (Down $101), Fifth Round of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in Less Than 100 Days in 2025
disaster
 
Stolen Credit Card and LinkedIn. DHS Spies on Immigrant Social Media.
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
At 50, Microsoft Has Over 100 Billion Dollars in Debt and Less Than 25% "Market Share" (Windows)
statCounter basically sees less than a quarter of Web requests coming from Windows
linuxhint.com Died 12 Months Ago (After Adopting Image Slop)
Zombie sites
LLM Slop Will Eventually Stop Due to High Costs, Worse Training Sets (Polluted Models Ingesting Their Own Junk), and No Real Returns
This too shall pass
Courage is Contagious
I became a witness to acts of great courage from EPO examiners
Gemini Links 08/04/2025: Gabbro 0.1.4 and Disillusioned With Social Control Media
Links for the day
Microsoft Windows in Jordan: From 99% Down to 10%
This is becoming more "normal"
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, April 07, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, April 07, 2025
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Stock Market, Galène, and DMT Entities
Links for the day
During the Weekend We Said Fedora DEI Requires Proprietary Software, Now the Chat About It Is No Longer Accessible Over the Open Web
is this just a coincidence and an habitual change in Element?
Links 07/04/2025: US Measles Fatalities and China Launches HDMI and DisplayPort Alternative
Links for the day
Links 07/04/2025: More Cuts to Science Funding, Snail-speed Internet in Germany
Links for the day
Gemini Links 07/04/2025: Leasehold and Safe Gifts
Links for the day
In Some Countries, Laptops and Desktops Become a Dying Breed (Even Before Tariffs), Windows Has Nowhere to Go
expect more GNU/Linux on new and existing laptops
When the Credibility or 'Quality' of Clients Ceases to Matter, It's About Helping Rich Companies Like Microsoft Censor Critics (No Matter the Risks)
Bad ideas typically result in undesirable outcomes
UAE: GNU/Linux and Android at Record Levels, Windows at New Lows and Falling Below Apple
Even iOS is measured as bigger than Windows this month
Links 07/04/2025: Reddit Occupied (Social Control Media Controlled by Oligarchy), Demise of Globalisation Ongoing
Links for the day
Windows Has Fallen to All-Time Lows in Switzerland Since GNU Celebrated 40th Anniversary (GNU’s 40th Birthday in Biel, Switzerland)
GNU/Linux has been doing well in Switzerland
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 06, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, April 06, 2025
Links 07/04/2025: Leaving Gemini/smolweb and Mastodon Migrations
Links for the day
In Iraq, Windows 3.1 (Percent)
There's also zero
One Person's Take on Jef Spaleta, the New Fedora Project Leader
"With a little searching, I wonder what else may be found regarding Microsoft."
Links 06/04/2025: Flood, Cool Gemini Capsule, and Long Form
Links for the day
Links 06/04/2025: Science, Politics, and Pricier Goods
Links for the day
LLM Slop Has Virtually Killed unixmen.com and Many Other Sites
There's no longer any incentive to write real articles in there
Sharp Declines for Microsoft Windows in Bangladesh (Pop. ~175,000,000), Big Gains for GNU/Linux
Microsoft Windows has been having a really hard time in poor countries
Links 06/04/2025: Fake Reviews, Privatisation Heists, and "AI" as Smokescreen for Impoverishing Humans
Links for the day
Taking a Moral Stand Against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and the Worst Offenders/Facilitators
Any other stance would sidle with moral depravity or moral hazard
Links 06/04/2025: Many New Acts of Repression and Elements of Financial Depression
Links for the day
In Qatar GNU/Linux Rose From Under 1% to Over 4% in Two Years (or Over 5% If Counting ChromeOS)
It's a big improvement compared to what we saw last year
LLM Scrapers Are a Nuisance, But They're Also a Reminder It's Time to Make Your Site Static
Perhaps the best protection is the ability to endure surges
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 05, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 05, 2025
Links 06/04/2025: Attacks on Education, Fake Patents, and Fake (Illegal) Patent Courts
Links for the day
France: Apple and Microsoft Down, GNU/Linux Up to New Record Levels
How will tariffs against France impact things in the coming months?