Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Corporate Coup Against the Soul of the Free Software Community Is Not Over

Video download link | md5sum 7aae2b19743ecec30dc69a131f5871dd



Summary: The erosion of community role in the development of GNU/Linux is a growing problem; part of the problem is that large corporations target technical and philosophical (perceived) leaders in coordinated smear campaigns, led by media they own

THE operating system many people who read Techrights are using was developed in the mid 80s. It was developed initially by a man in his 30s, who recently embarked on a visit to eastern Europe to give talks in spite of all the mobbing from the media, mostly distracting from actual Epstein enablers and allies such as Bill Gates.



In the early 90s a young student from Finland developed an operating system kernel known as Linux. Together with the former, GNU, it adds up to a solid operating system with many pertinent programs, including GNU core utilities (new major release yesterday).

"Just like the Web, which was captured by large and monopolistic corporations that eventually put DRM in it, Linux is being captured by some of those same corporations and their agenda is similar."These two gentlemen and their friends spent decades developing a system which some have dubbed "revolution OS" -- an operating system (OS) which gradually replaces proprietary ones in every sector, whether it's servers or small devices (like phones). With locked-down things like handheld consoles and Chromebooks -- not that they advance freedom in any meaningful way -- this "revolution OS" (GNU/Linux) is fast becoming the de facto standard everywhere.

It's not too shocking that the big corporations are trying to control both GNU and Linux. But in order to accomplish this they've been trying to implement coups, a slow process by which they gradually weaken a community role or ownership (Linux Foundation is all about passing ownership to its sponsors).

“The trouble started when it [the Linux Foundation] cancelled the community representation...”
      --Techrights Associate
The video above is inspired by a chat we had this morning.

since doing this video the total number of known (to Lupa) Gemini capsules jumped a couple more to 1,668. We'll exceed 2,000 some time soon, maybe in a couple of months. Just like the Web, which was captured by large and monopolistic corporations that eventually put DRM in it, Linux is being captured by some of those same corporations and their agenda is similar.

We need to resist the coup. This means we need to support the founders, even those we don't always agree with. Power vacuums are almost always being filled by corporations, which sometimes themselves engineer those vacuums based on false pretexts. This accurately describes what has been done to Linus Torvalds, the founder of Linux.

“That CoC crap did its job in distracting from the infiltration and destruction. Heck, they even signed Linus up for unnecessary treatment.”
      --Techrights Associate
"Linus needs to take his trademark, fork the code, and walk," an associate of ours notes. "I hope he has at least given the idea consideration. I presume that regardless of his inclinations he is afraid of the huge amount of administrivia and financing required to start anew. The trouble started when it [the Linux Foundation] cancelled the community representation [...] the removal of community representation was a huge warning [as] the corruption arrived quickly. What could be done to ensure a slower takeover of a replacement institution? A lot of it comes down to the individuals participating and their integrity. However, they are supported in staying on track by sound guidelines and maybe the right charter. That CoC crap did its job in distracting from the infiltration and destruction. Heck, they even signed Linus up for unnecessary treatment."

"In Business Insider," I've noted, "they stated clearly that he had been signed for therapists as if he was mentally ill. Smacks of Communist Russia. I regard that a form of self-humiliation and degradation, akin to what was done to Assange to demoralise him [and] the stallman.org site has not been the same. RMS-lite, Linus-lite. That's how the authorities like it. Self-censorship. Lithuania says that China now enforces this using 'phones'."

“With Assange lies and disinformation still circulate. And some of those who were actively spreading those lies are still around in FOSS circles...”
      --Techrights Associate
The associate says that "inappropriate, wrong, and unnecessary medical treatment was / is used as a form of torture."

"With Assange lies and disinformation still circulate. And some of those who were actively spreading those lies are still around in FOSS circles..."

It may sound like it's all just "old news", but it is not. "The important thing is to show both that it has been a long-term problem and that it is highly relevant in the current environment," the associate stresses.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Richard Stallman Gives Talk in 20 Hours at Ostschweizer Fachhochschule Campus in Rapperswil-Jona
The talk is in English
 
Using Slop (and Slop in Articles) to Attack Copyleft 'on Budget'
This article is pure BS from an anti-GPL and anti-RMS 'activist'
Why The Register MS Sold Out to Microsoft: They're Losing Lots of Money, The Register MS is Bleeding to Death, Based on Its Own Financial Records
With over 6 million pounds in debt (nearly 10 million US dollars) we guess it's likely some other company will take over the site (if it deems it worthwhile)
Microsofters' SLAPP Censorship - Part 7 Out of 200: Like With the Serial Strangler From Microsoft, Misuse of UK-GDPR to Try to Hide Embarrassing Facts
They do and say really bad things, then allege it's a "privacy violation" to mention those things
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 08, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, March 08, 2026
Gemini Links 09/03/2026: Exponentials and Tailscale
Links for the day
Sloppyleft
Article by Alexandre Oliva
Hard to Replace 'Human Touch'
The reason many people insist on using GNU
The Slop Companies Gamble at Our Economy's Expense and They Know It's a Losing Bet (So It's a de Facto Robbery)
The crash of this bubble isn't just inevitable, it's already happening and receding sporadically because of false announcements about money that does not actually exist (to "buy time")
Suppressing Speech by Blackmail, the Iran Story
When Debian wanted to stage a seemingly legitimate election it needed to have more than one candidate running; so eventually the female partner of a geek rose to the challenge (had no coding skills at all, no technical history in Debian) and lost to the "incumbent German"
Too Focused on Buzzwords the Media is Paid to Saturate the Collective Mind With
Just because companies do really bad things in the digital realm does not imply "AI" or follow from "AI"
Discrimination and Prejudice Against Female Journalists
we can shame people who attack a reporter on the grounds of gender
An American War on GNU/Linux, Software Freedom, and British Investigative, Science-Based Reporting - Part II - Trying to Put People in Prison for Committing the Act of Journalism
This is abuse of process
Attack on Copyright and Copyleft by Code Conversion Is Nothing New, It Predates Slop (Code Produced by LLMs) by Several Decades
Even back in the 90s many people converted programs from one language to another. That could invalidate copyleft (and copyright), which already existed
Almost a Slopless Weekend for "Linux"
Let's hope slop will come to an end or sites will cease linking to slop
Insiders Explain Why IBM is Dying and the Inherent Culture Problem
There are many ways to shave this IBM cat
Links 08/03/2026: Microsoft Lost $400 Million on "Project Blackbird" and Half the States Sue Over Illegal Tariffs
Links for the day
Links 08/03/2026: Cisco Holes Again and "Blatant Problem With OpenAI That Endangers Kids"
Links for the day
Activism/Journalism in Our Blood
one must fight for one's principles
Gemini Protocol in Its Prime
What's particularly neat about Gemini Protocol is that it's fast and cheap
Microsofters' SLAPP Censorship - Part 6 Out of 200: Intentionally Misnaming Women, People Who Offered to Testify That They Too Had Been Subjected to Similar Abuse
Today it is International Women's Day
Even Fedora Leadership Cannot Figure Out the Microsoft Kill Switch/Back Door, 'Secure' Boot
It does not actually enhance security
Bruce Perens: Richard Stallman "Has Achieved His Goal"
Stallman's next talk is tomorrow
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 07, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, March 07, 2026
Gemini Links 07/03/2026: Buying Woodland, Indra 1.3.0 Available, and LLM Exhaustion
Links for the day
The Harder They Attempt to Take Down This Site (and Take Away Liberties), the More People Will See This Site
We'll carry on as usual, as from sunlight comes justice
An American War on GNU/Linux, Software Freedom, and British Investigative, Science-Based Reporting - Part I - A Matter of National Security
Those people are Americans who try to advance the interests of American corporations by weaponising courts abroad
Why They Always Try to Shoot the Messenger (When the Message Harms Profits)
A matter of economics
Coinbase - Like Block - is in Huge Trouble, Its Debt Nearly Doubled in Half a Year
The real reason Block is collapsing is its debt
Starting Another New Series This Evening, It's About American Folly
today commences a series long in the making (years)
Nations Stand to Benefit From Gender Equality and Increased Participation by Women
International Women's Rights Day starts in about 6 hours in the UK
Microsoft is Losing It, Now It's Censoring Its Critics and Sceptics
Whether the measurements made by statCounter are accurate or not, the trends (long-term) typically make sense
WIRED (Conde Nast) Reviews Are Paid-for Marketing Spam, They Change Dates on Old 'Articles' to Make Them Look Relevant and New
The Web is fast becoming a burial ground for ads, trash, spam, and slop
Gemini Links 07/03/2026: Humour, Chilling, and Oversized 'Phones'
Links for the day
Cyber|Show by Andy and Helen Recommended by Techrights and Tux Machines
If your time is limited and you look for informative essays and shows (audio)
Links 07/03/2026: CJEU to Finally Examine Behaviour of the Illegal and Unconstitutional Unified Patent Kangaroo Court, Creative Commons (CC) Hosts Open Heritage Statement Event in Amsterdam
Links for the day
Microsoft's Thailand Problem
It's definitely not Windows
New Lows for Microsoft in Micronesia
GNU/Linux has shown some growth there too
Microsofters' SLAPP Censorship - Part 5 Out of 200: Clearly Not a Security Professional/Expert, Only Ever Pretending to be One
"The Claimant says he is “a computer security expert”, but his background and his track record in the education sense (genetics) does not support this assertion."
Links 07/03/2026: Fuel Already Running Low and "Economic Crisis of the Iran War"
Links for the day
The Corporate Media Repeated the Lies Told by Jack Dorsey ("AI" Hype), Now It Does the Same for Larry Ellison
Disregard the hundreds of headlines that say mass layoffs at Oracle are due to "AI" something
The Free Software Community is Gaining Momentum as Its Importance is More Broadly Realised
As long as "trendy" technology goes in a negative direction there will be a growing portion in society looking for alternatives
Spooking or Chasing Away Women (From Computer Science)
The status quo discourages women from even trying to study Computer Science and related disciplines
"IBM Has Changed So Much in the Last Decade to the Point It's Completely Unrecognizable."
IBM is a dying, rotting company with a morbid culture
The Register MS, Sponsored by Communist Party of China (CPC)
What will happen when the bubble crashes the economy?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, March 06, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, March 06, 2026
Gemini Links 07/03/2026: Coffee Problem, Marchintosh, Learning, and "Selectively Disabling HTTP"
Links for the day