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Gnome Preliminary Election Results In
makapuf writes "First results of Gnome Board elections have been issued. They include some well known gnome hackers, Miguel & others, along with Tesla Gwyne, but RMS has not been elected. Remember this is only temporary and see the results on Gnotices. You can see RMS' responses of the application form."
However, RMS has demanded a recount in 13 counties, claiming that media bias that he is not a team player has offset the public's perception of him, and thus cost him the election.
Reports have come from a source close to Stallman saying that he is stomping up and down his office and muttering " No? NO!?!!? I invented the fuckin' GUI!!"
More at 10.
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as useful as a fire hydrant in the middle of a bike trail.
What kind of analogy is that? I'd say RMS is more of a one-legged cat trying to bury turds on a frozen lake....
> Now the world at large at least takes free software seriously, and Stallman has become as useful as a fire hydrant in the middle of a bike trail.
I must disagree with you here. Stallman, or at least his strong views on the purity of free software are needed more than ever.
Now people are recognising some of the benefits of available source code, they're not seeing the important difference between open source and free software (in GNU terms). And it's all being confused. People are going around thinking that just because it's publically developed, it's free.
We need the FSF as much as we always have, as a voice pointing out why the "viral" clause in the GPL is so important, and why the BSD license gives developers more freedom but doesn't necessarily transfer it to the end users.
- MugginsM
In retrospect the protection against company dominations could have been stronger. Of those elected:
4 are employed by Ximian
3 are employed by RedHat
3 are without affiliation
1 is employed by Compaq
As it is, Ximian and RedHat together have almost 2/3 of the seats. Both are respectable and honourable companies and I am sure that they will try to keep the viewpoints of the whole GNOME community in mind when they decide issues, but it is hard for them to represent important GNOME backers such as Sun Microsystems.
One can hope that the GNOME Board will consult with the greater community when they are facing important issues. They could invite people with different affiliations as non-voting guests for select meetings, perhaps.
Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
... and so on and so forth, but your post just keeps asserting that these things are all so important, without explaining why.
Sure it's a Good Thing that the FSF exists, and of course RMS deserves respect for the dogged exercise of his rights (as everybody always says nowadays). And if he and others like him can convince more people, then more power to 'em. But a lot of us know and understand the message, are not terribly convinced by it, and aren't planning on doing anything particular to promote it in the foreseeable future. In the marketplace of ideas, you win some and you lose some.
Incidentally, since you're evidently a supporter of the FSF and the free software concept, I'd like to advise you, probably for the umpteenth time, that RMS is an extremely poor ambassador for your cause. Let's once and for all be rid of the canard that it's everybody else's fault, because we're all just too lily-livered to cope with someone who is so strongly dedicated. RMS could be just as passionate without being such an insufferable jackass. It is possible to take a strong, principled stance, and nevertheless have some skills at diplomacy and just generally getting along with people. RMS's fans try to redefine his weaknesses as strengths, but that's just an argument born out of desperation, not to mention sheer baloney. He has simply failed to learn some lessons that his mother and kindergarten teacher should have taught him, and it is extremely damaging to the free software cause.
Always keep a sapphire in your mind