Bonum Certa Men Certa

Working Document: Strategy for Tackling Tech Abuse and Our Long-term Plans

A decade
Preparing for the next decade



Summary: We're making plans for the coming decade or decades; generally speaking, we plan to write more not just about software freedom or software patents; the issue of Internet freedom (e.g. centralisation) becomes a high priority too

THIS week we commenced the drafting of this crude list of so-called 'tech' companies and what they do (for profit and to society). I put tech in scare quotes for reasons some people can guess; I'm very cynical about the direction technology has taken, not because I'm unfamiliar with tech (my degrees are in technical fields) but because I think it's overused, misused and abused. One classic example of that is voting machines; who ever said paper ballots were so problematic? Is advancement defined as "embracing tech"? Automation? Counting a few millions of ballots once in several years isn't a massive endeavour.



In any event, we're planning to present the data we've gathered more visually. There's also this Free Software timeline from FigOSDev, who meticulously prepared the Librethreat Forecast and Librethreat Database, dealing a lot with inside threats.

tuxmachines.org turns 18 one week from now, we in Techrights turn 16 later this year, and it seems increasingly likely that I will be semi-retired (part time work) some time later this summer, which means I'll be able to spend a lot more time reading and writing.

ICANN on tuxmachines.org
Yes, tuxmachines.org is really that old and we've renewed the domain until 2027



Watch this space as we'll probably have a lot to say in weeks to come.

We've repeatedly stated that the number one priority is EPO coverage. It has had a profound positive effect and we wish to keep that. But when things are relatively calm at the EPO we want to issue 3-4 batches of Daily Links, aside from detailed articles, especially commentary about the state of Free software. Last week I registered our home as a high-priority address for power supply because we're hosting Gemini and other services from home. The expectation is that I should be able to run the site, along with our associates and awesome geeks, for decades to come. If the Web is waning, that's fine. We've been about more than the Web for 2 years already and we have our own IRC network, our own Git server, and our self-signed certificates (the centralised CA model seems to be optimised for censorship in the long run).

Stay tuned for further news and updates.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Proprietary Software is Bad for Your Health, Not Just Your Finances, Privacy and So On
It would be interesting to see some charts, based on some long-term study, comparing the general health (blood pressure, BMI etc.) of people who use proprietary stuff and people who do not
Microsoft Admits Business Perils as Windows Continues to Fall
‘Microsoft missed the biggest business model…’
Technical Specifications at Times of Tyrannies
Specifications (specs) must evolve with the times
In Case Rust Censors It (Rust Has Long Been All About Censorship), Here's a Critical Look at Rust's Goals
In the case of Rust, instead of "the liberation of the digital society" we have empowerment of Microsoft GitHub and of GAFAM in general. Guess who funds this...
Gemini Links 23/02/2025: Respectful Platforms Manifesto and Internet Archive
Links for the day
The Significance of the Timing of the Ridiculous Letters From Brett Wilson LLP, Acting on Behalf of People From Microsoft
A preliminary look at the timeline and what it tells us
Politicians Ought to Invite Dr. Richard Stallman and Prof. Eben Moglen to Speak About Policies, Licensing, Digital Sovereignty
Is there something in Europe other than RMS' talk this coming Monday (that we're not yet aware of)?
The So-called 'IT' Industry Became Somewhat of a Fraud Where People Equate Usage and Power Wasted With "Value" or "Success"
When did 'IT' become a weapon rather than technology/science?
Things to Like About London
Many important or "powerful" people leave near there
 
Links 24/02/2025: Germany Looks to Distance Itself From US, Environment at Risk, Mass Layoffs at Zendesk
Links for the day
[Meme] It's Over, Microsoft
an obligatory meme
Even Worse Than LLM Slop and Linkspam From UNIXMen
UNIXMen is basically a defunct spamfarm at this point (the author is "sarwarSEO")
Gemini Links 24/02/2025: Osiris 0.1.0 Release (File Sharing in Gemini Protocol), NetBSD 10.1 on the Pi
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, February 23, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, February 23, 2025
Links 23/02/2025: Democracy Backsliding and German Election
Links for the day
Joining APRIL(.org), AGM weekend, Paris, 15-16 March 2025
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 23/02/2025: Zuckerberg Despised, US Government Does Not Obey Judges, France Grapples With Terrorism
Links for the day
Links 23/02/2025: Apple Back Doors, Ukraine Updates, and Gemini Leftovers
Links for the day
Recent Improvements in Techrights
minimalism works fine when the main goal is to relay information
Slopwatch: Brian Fagioli, Brittany Day (linuxsecurity.com), and Microsoft Misinformation, False Marketing
Serial Sloppers
Censored: Debian Zizian transgender vigilante comparisons in open source Linux communities
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, February 22, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, February 22, 2025
Links 22/02/2025: OpenAI Plans to Possibly Abandon Microsoft, Facebook Doubles Execs' Bonuses While Sacking Thousands
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/02/2025: Weekend Chill and Programming Thoughts
Links for the day
Good Explanation of Why IBM Has Chosen to Conceal Mass Layoffs (of 'Expensive' Staff) as "R.T.O." (Even For People Who Never Worked at the Office to Which They're Ordered to "Return")
Many remaining IBM (or Red Hat) workers in Europe are in "cheaper" places such as Brno
Microsoft's Serial Strangler and Matthew J. Garrett Join Forces in Trying to Gag Techrights (for Exposing Microsoft Corruption and Crimes Against Women)
Whose terrible idea was it?
Links 22/02/2025: Labour Department Investigates Microsoft Infosys Amid Mass Layoffs, Large Law Firms Caught Red Handed With LLM Slop (Defrauding Clients and Courts)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/02/2025: Analog Stuff, Sigil, and SSGs
Links for the day
Microsoft's Market Share in Cameroon Falls to New Lows
This means a lot of Android users (iOS is about 4 times smaller), but Android does not mean freedom
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, February 21, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, February 21, 2025
The Streisand Effect is Real
So don't be evil. Also, don't strangle women.