Bonum Certa Men Certa

GNU/Linux Advocacy Over the Years (or Why You Should Advocate GNU More Than Linux)

Direct link to video



Summary: Linux is nowadays controlled by vicious monopolies trying to sell proprietary operating systems and proprietary Clown Computing (such as GitHub or Azure); for those who value freedom there's still GNU, which is generally bigger than Linux

THE latest batch of Daily Links contained some of these links (more links will be added to this page as they arrive) about the Linux Foundation pushing Windows and other Microsoft proprietary software over at GitHub. It's no laughing matter and it's not too shocking either, especially given the recent track record of this so-called 'Linux' Foundation. We've already urged readers to contact Linus Torvalds about this (he does read his E-mail, even if he rarely replies), politely expressing their concerns about the demise of Linux as a brand. It's a brand that he still fully controls, at least on paper.



"The shallow PR cannot compensate or fully make up for all the EPO's crimes."For nearly 8 years we've covered EPO corruption, showing how Benoît Battistelli exploited the good name of the institution to basically milk it to death. As the EPO turns about half a century old António Campinos continues to milk it, again capitalising on the name or the brand recognition. But judging by the decrease in patent applications (tucked away in the EPO report), applicants are catching up and waking up. They can see European software patents perishing in European courts; they can finally accept the demise and likely death of the UPC. Nothing good is coming out of the EPO anymore. The shallow PR cannot compensate or fully make up for all the EPO's crimes.

Going back to Linux, later this year it'll turn 30. Actually, as a Free software project it'll turn 29. As for GNU, it's turning 38 this year (or 37 if one counts development, not just the announcement).

Microsoft puts pedal to metal, joins Rust FoundationIf readers feel a tad baffled by all those Stallman videos we've been posting here lately, make no mistake; we think it's imperative that we go back to the roots of the operating system and the movement. Nowadays, judging by the latest news about Rust, Linux increasingly means monopolies, not freedom. In fact, it doesn't seem like Torvalds is even in charge of his project anymore. He's there like a phantom, maybe he even believes he's in charge, but behind his back decisions are being made in defiance of his personal preferences. In 2018 they showed him who's the real boss by sending him to therapists (like he's demented or defective or something).

For those of us who pursue software freedom rather than the triumph of some brand (if it was all just a "branding war", why not just buy Apple?) GNU is the way to go. Copyleft is the way to go. Sharing, protecting users (see Audacity fightback) and all those meaningful values (not mere brands) should be our primary focus. Join the pursuit of what matters; and that ain't branding...

Recent Techrights' Posts

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
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."
LLM Slop Has Virtually Killed unixmen.com and Many Other Sites
There's no longer any incentive to write real articles in there
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
 
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
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
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
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
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?
Open Source Initiative (OSI) Privacy Fiasco in Detail: What Was Reported to the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA)
We hope to finish this whole lot within a week, then move on to election, lobbying etc.
Links 05/04/2025: Tariffs Backfiring, YouTuber Arrested, X/Twitter Set to be Fined
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Offline is For Everyone, Copyright Colonialism, and More
Links for the day
Links 05/04/2025: TikTok Unsold (Still), Royal Society is Dead
Links for the day
Techrights Will Spend the Next Few Years Writing a Lot About Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)
It's a growing problem
The State of EPO Staff's Health in Rijswijk or The Hague
We're going to cover the EPO some more later in the month
NVIDIA Corp Lost 36% of Its "Value" Since Cheeto Inauguration, But "Gen Hey Hi" (GenAI) is Totally Not a Bubble
Selling loads of unneeded hardware based on hysterical hype; like selling shovels during a Gold Rush
GNU/Linux Growing in East Asia, Windows by Default No More?
GNU/Linux is now on the shelf
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux 'Articles' From Linux-Hostile LLMs
It is almost always negative things and nobody can be held responsible for it except the charlatans prompting the LLMs
Links 05/04/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) "Sale Looks Highly Imminent" (US), Stock Market Drowning in Panic
Links for the day
Gemini Links 05/04/2025: Moving Plants, No to Smartwatches, RAID Hygiene
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 04, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 04, 2025