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[06:39] schestowitz "/join_sublin"

[06:39] schestowitz "I have changed the title from "Truth Social as an example of the

[06:39] schestowitz limits of free software."

[06:39] schestowitz Abe Indoria wrote:

[06:39] schestowitz > > I understand the limits of free software. One problem I identify is

[06:39] schestowitz > > that some people use free software not because they value freedom, but

[06:39] schestowitz > > simply because it is economical to do so.

[06:39] schestowitz > Why is this a 'problem?'

[06:39] schestowitz Simply preferring free software for its economy is not a problem.

[06:39] schestowitz Exploiting free software for its economy will lead to problems. Those

[06:39] schestowitz who take economy too far consider gratitude a waste. Whenever I see

[06:39] schestowitz lack of gratitude, I sense a problem.

[06:39] schestowitz 1. I recall the days before Linux when only GNU software was

[06:39] schestowitz available. GNU tools were better than those that came bundled with a

[06:39] schestowitz Sun workstation. We respected the authors of GNU software.

[06:39] schestowitz When Linux appeared, it was promoted to the general public with a

[06:39] schestowitz catchy phrase: "It all started with one e-mail." I found this highly

[06:39] schestowitz problematic. What does "all" mean? If it is "all of the kernel" then

[06:39] schestowitz it's okay. However, the term "Linux" was commonly used to refer to

[06:39] schestowitz the entire OS. For most people "all" meant "all of the operating

[06:39] schestowitz system." Spreading a slogan like this discouraged users from thinking

[06:39] schestowitz about the engineers who worked on vital components in an earlier

[06:39] schestowitz phase. Ever since, telling people the real development history has

[06:39] schestowitz been an uphill struggle.

[06:39] schestowitz I believe that this was a deliberate campaign to discourage people

[06:39] schestowitz from feeling and expressing gratitude. It is manifest in persistent

[06:39] schestowitz opposition toward usage of the term "GNU/Linux." Conversely, those

[06:39] schestowitz who say "Linux OS" often believe that Linus Torvalds wrote the entire

[06:39] schestowitz OS, or at least laid down the foundations upon which his supporters

[06:39] schestowitz built. Yet, those with such misguided belief may be better than those

[06:39] schestowitz who don't care.

[06:39] schestowitz In general, understanding of a useful tool or skill or a fair social

[06:39] schestowitz institution is accompanied by respect toward the people who toiled to

[06:39] schestowitz bring it into existence.

[06:39] schestowitz 2. Four years ago Richard Stallman was harshly criticized for allegedly

[06:39] schestowitz defending Jeffrey Epstein. Lack of understanding and respect toward

[06:39] schestowitz Stallman made the campaign possible. To defend Stallman, one often

[06:39] schestowitz has to start with: "Please visit the site stallmansupport.org and read

[06:39] schestowitz 'Who is Richard Stallman?'" To those who agree that he has made

[06:39] schestowitz contributions toward a fair and just society we can say: "It is rude

[06:39] schestowitz to treat him this way. Please do not be misled by fabrications."

[06:39] schestowitz Unfortunately it is difficult to request a prudent approach to the

[06:39] schestowitz common man who feels: "I don't see anything wrong in being sloppy and

[06:39] schestowitz rude. This man deserves no better."

[06:39] schestowitz 3. There is an abundance of information on computers and software.

[06:39] schestowitz Much of it is composed by people with a stake in a particular product

[06:39] schestowitz and propagated without much critical examination. I notice that the

[06:39] schestowitz articles fit with one another poorly. One may read many of them only

[06:39] schestowitz to end up bewildered.

[06:39] schestowitz Indeed many people do not desire new information about information

[06:39] schestowitz systems for this reason. As a result they know too little of the

[06:39] schestowitz technology that shapes their daily lives. This makes them feel

[06:39] schestowitz powerless. Some believe that major tech companies are exploiting

[06:39] schestowitz their ignorance; this is not altogether false. Ignorance also has

[06:39] schestowitz security implications. Sadly most people are not able to overcome

[06:39] schestowitz such ignorance, in spite of the severity of the problems it invites.

[06:39] schestowitz To overcome ignorance, one should keep in mind to be grateful during

[06:39] schestowitz the inquiry. That way the pieces integrate better. In the end one

[06:39] schestowitz gets to see the big picture.

[06:39] schestowitz 4. It is possible to get people to understand technology better and

[06:39] schestowitz respect Richard Stallman more in a single stroke. The key is gratitude.

[06:39] schestowitz Tell people how the GNU project made replacements of UNIX programs

[06:39] schestowitz one by one. This approach worked well because the Bell Labs researchers

[06:39] schestowitz had done a great job in breaking up the OS into distinct units. When

[06:39] schestowitz telling this story, I stress that we should thank the Bell Labs team.

[06:39] schestowitz Stallman shows little gratitude toward Bell Labs; his primary concern

[06:39] schestowitz is the non-free nature of original UNIX programs. I identify a

[06:39] schestowitz weakness here which I believe has cost him and his followers dearly.

[06:39] schestowitz 5. Gratitude also means gratitude toward people who read our messages

[06:39] schestowitz in mailing lists and such, including this one. Some readers send

[06:39] schestowitz responses, and it may contain criticism. Those who value gratitude

[06:39] schestowitz appreciate criticism while those who don't turn hostile.

[06:39] schestowitz Nobody has yet commented on the last paragraph of my opening message,

[06:39] schestowitz in which I summarize classical Chinese philosophy. "Gratitude" (li) is

[06:39] schestowitz a word that appears frequently in "The Analects of Confucius (Lun Yu)."

[06:39] schestowitz According to Confucius, in the absence of gratitude, many things go

[06:39] schestowitz awry.

[06:39] schestowitz I give several examples above. Confucius taught me where to look.

[06:39] schestowitz In Japan or China, instead of writing in detail like this, sometimes I

[06:39] schestowitz can just quote a phrase from "The Analects" and it will satisfy most

[06:39] schestowitz people. This is not appropriate here where we have people with

[06:39] schestowitz various cultural backgrounds.

[06:39] schestowitz Even in East Asia, few people look for solutions for social issues

[06:39] schestowitz surrounding modern technology in the teachings of Confucius who is

[06:39] schestowitz widely considered to be a conservative philosopher. Not infrequently

[06:39] schestowitz people are astonished when I demonstrate that his teachings resonate

[06:39] schestowitz with the doctrine of free software.

[06:39] schestowitz Thank you for reading.

[06:39] schestowitz "

[06:39] schestowitz https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/libreplanet-discuss/2023-09/msg00012.html

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[06:42] -TechBytesBot/#techbytes-lists.gnu.org | On gratitude and free software

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