Re: [GNU-linux-libre] license of 'yggdrasil' software

[bill-auger]

On Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:22:40 -0300 Alexandre wrote:
> Asking the FSF what it needs and how we could help it solve
> this problem?  I suspect such approaches might be more fruitful than
> calling it out.

we tried that diplomatic approach for years, fruitlessly, almost
entirely ignored, in fact - we even resorted to pleading with
RMS to interject on our behalf, again to no avail

i dont think that much is needed in terms of resources - i think
this is only a matter of priorities or perspective - as a matter
of perspective, all that can be done it to "call it out", and
hope that some clarity rings true "upstairs"

the FSDG seems to have been written like the GPL and other
documents on the GNU website, to be "carved in stone" so to
speak, rather than as a living document, with a vigilant
community of stewards, ever-ready to change with the times

the FSDG work-group has a great potential as a shared
(cross-distro) venue for everyone to voice their opinions,
techies and non-techies alike, regarding what the GNUs of the
future will actually look like, at the point "where the metal
meets the road" - that is the distros - i see the FSDG distros
as "GNU in practice" (the implementations), where the FSF and
GNU are more like "GNU in theory" (the specifications and
management)

i put it that way; because the user-community does not use GNU
directly, and most are not FSF members - people use distros, and
tend to associate themselves more with their distro - when
people have problems or freedom concerns, they ask us, not the
FSF or GNU - most users have no say in what the FSF or GNU does
- but (i can only speak for parabola) we consider all users as
fully-fledged stake-holders, with the most essential vote about
what parabola becomes, and how it serves them directly

we only need some guidance (and a wee bit of authority) from the
FSF, regarding the tricky or controversial issues, so that all
distros could respond to the same common questions with a
unified voice - if the distros must (or even have the option to)
decide those controversial issues for themselves, the FSDG isnt
worth very much - like most of the GNU website, its only a list
of ethical imperatives and success stories for RMS to reference
in his talks, and a trophy for distros to present on their
websites

there is an important, under-utilized community element, which
could be cultivated around the FSDG - we try very hard to
cultivate user engagement - to encourage people to influence the
decisions of the distro maintainers and software upstreams, and
ideally to learn how to hack, so they can become contributors -
that is what every project needs more than anything

i dont see the GNU or the FSF doing much of that - besides
encouraging evangelism, the FSD is the only example i can think
of; but that is only a boring catalog - it does not have the
consequence, or the presence and palpable reward of
accomplishment, like actively helping to shape the future of the
software that people actually use - the FSF should emphasize
that "stone soup" ethos, above all, not merely counting the
lentils and enticing people to try some

the top rung of the FSF's "freedom ladder" is to "try" a libre
distro - IMHO, that is only the beginning of the journey, the
on-boarding process, the gateway to "software freedom in
practice" - parabola is the "freedom tree-house" at the top of
that ladder - thats where the really fun stuff happens -
climbing ladders is tedious - hacking is fun - yet the FSF does
not mention all the wonderful things you can do, once you reach
the top, as if that is the end goal, to steal passive users away
from the proprietary competitors - from my perspective, that is
falling short of what software freedom is all about, and needs
the most - it needs people to help make the free software work
well, have good documentation/translations, and be vigilant that
it lives up to it's promises

that would be my advice to RMS and the FSF - to de-emphasize
software freedom as such a dire ethical imperative - start
convincing people that participation is fun and rewarding (plus
your efforts are "good deeds" as a side-effect) - participation
and contributions are needed much more than anything else - the
FSDG work-group could be a relatively "low-bar" point of entry,
for people to experience "whats this all about?" first-hand