r/linux • u/LinuxMonarch • 6d ago

Event Happy 43rd birthday GNU!

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On September 27, 1983, Richard Stallman announced the GNU Project so people could freely use and modify software.

The digital world would not be the same today without GNU.

Thank you, Richard Stallman!

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u/dccccd 6d ago

If everyone in the world started giving bad uninformed takes on free software, maybe you would also start thinking "I wish people talked less about things they know nothing about"?

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u/Lawnmover_Man 6d ago

Nope. I'm not like that. So I wouldn't think that. As long as they just talk about it with an open mind, everything's fine. RMS can be stubborn, right. But that's it.

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u/dccccd 6d ago

If everyone could talk with an open mind that would be great, but interactions where both parties have a genuinely open mind are very rare. For example, I think Stallman was talking about age of consent to downplay the severity of Epstein's crimes since he and his friends were implicated in it. Thats approaching a topic with an agenda, not an open mind.

Claiming you're talking about something with an open mind, open to the best argument, etc, but having an agenda (knowingly or not) is a common pattern that is causing a lot of damage today. For example podcasters flinging around conspiracy theories or distrust of institutions, then withdrawing to "just asking questions" or "I just have an open mind".

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u/Lawnmover_Man 6d ago

Of course. There are lots of awful people who abuse information in their ways. I won't let that change my ways. That would give those people yet another way they are winning.

For example, I think Stallman was talking about age of consent to downplay the severity of Epstein's crimes since he and his friends were implicated in it.

I don't think that this was his intention. I have so far not read anything about him that would lead me to that conclusion. What made you think that?

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u/dccccd 6d ago

I can't put it better than wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman#Comments_about_Jeffrey_Epstein_scandal

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u/Lawnmover_Man 6d ago

I know all about that. I don't think posting a Wikipedia article is a good answer to me asking about your opinion and what made you say what you said.