Re: Why the "social contract" should not be endorsed

[Jean Louis]

* Ludovic Courtès <ludo@gnu.org> [2020-02-22 20:42]:
> Hi Alex,
> 
> Alex Taylor <altsamtaylor@gmail.com> skribis:
> 
> > Recently we have been "invited" to approve a thing which is being called
> > the "social contract".
> 
> I don’t think you have been invited to anything since you’re not in the
> ‘maintainers’ file.
> 
> I’m fine with you expressing your opinion, but please keep in mind that
> it’s a discussion to be had first and foremost among GNU stakeholders.
> 
> It’s unfortunate that we’ve seen people not involved in GNU be much more
> vocal than GNU hackers on this list.  It’s not been helping.

This below is just hypothetical writing, don't mind to me, I am just
writing to point out to some facts or directions.

There it comes the exclusion and unwelcoming, discrimination among
people participating in discussion based on their status.

You have been proposing and proposing the "GNU" Social Contract,
despite it was rejected by GNU, you are still using the word "GNU",
and despite many people objected, you have not published objections on
your site, yet, by the way, you have been proposing following:

"The GNU Project collaborates with the broader free software
community" -- now in the spirit of collaboration with the "broader
free software community" you are telling Alex, that you don't think
"he has been invited to anything".

Then in the spirit of your proposal as written on the non-GNU and
non-GNU authorized and rejected website:
https://wiki.gnu.tools/gnu:social-contract

"The GNU Project welcomes contributions from all and everyone

The GNU Project commits to providing a harassment-free experience for
all contributors. It wants to give everyone the opportunity of
contributing to its efforts on any of the many tasks that require
work. It welcomes all contributors, regardless of their gender,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, level of experience, or any other
personal characteristics. "

That is so much contradictory to your own rejections and unwelcoming
statements here below:

> I don’t think you have been invited to anything since you’re not in the
> ‘maintainers’ file.
> 
> I’m fine with you expressing your opinion, but please keep in mind that
> it’s a discussion to be had first and foremost among GNU stakeholders.
> 
> It’s unfortunate that we’ve seen people not involved in GNU be much more
> vocal than GNU hackers on this list.  It’s not been helping.

And in general, it is you who is, by GNU project, very welcome, and
good technical contributor, and who despite all the public shamings
and misrepresentation of the GNU project have not been rejected as
contributor to GNU, and I think there was not even one bad word by RMS
against you.

I am sure that RMS would never say "you are not invited to anything",
in fact he respects you and likes your project, and that is what RMS
wrote me recently, and appreciates all your efforts. The official RMS
stance on Social Contract is well known, that it is rejected, that
remains. Yet your Guix and all your efforts are appreciated as
contributor to GNU project, and myself I am also loving Guix, and Lisp
and Scheme. But keep in mind, RMS is kind person and takes care not to
raise tensions or emotions which are not necessary. I would have a lot
to learn from RMS about that.

But RMS did not say you should not discuss here, obviously GNU project
is ignoring your efforts to split "GNU", as you cannot split it
technically without permission, but you can open up your own free
operating system, which you already have -- so I do not see any
technical problem for you to create your own community and get people
to join your own efforts, ideas, goals and purposes.

One thing that I do not endorse is that you are explicitly targeting
the GNU project to gain some kind of "endorsement" and you are trying
to change "governance" but all you created is division, damage to
public image of the GNU, and damage of public image to GNU Guix, and
you personally as engineer.

> I’m fine with you expressing your opinion, but please keep in mind that
> it’s a discussion to be had first and foremost among GNU stakeholders.
> 
> It’s unfortunate that we’ve seen people not involved in GNU be much more
> vocal than GNU hackers on this list.  It’s not been helping.

That is high attitude, this type of pretentious statements I have seen
back in time from people who were not hackers, rather crackers, from
the time period of cracking those games, who could crack it, was a
hacker, even if they only use peek and poke in the memory by random,
without knowing anything, or script kiddies, who were regarded as
"hackers".

If you really wish to draw people to any kind of your own purpose, you
should first and foremost try to demonstrate it yourself. Thus you
should first have to stick to welcome everybody, if you say so.

"People not involved in GNU" -- is really to discriminate this way. Is
that welcoming attitude as written in the non-GNU Social Edict so
called Social Contract that it welcomes all contributors, regardless
of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, level of experience,
or any other personal characteristics.

So the level of experience or "GNU people" is for your opinion
unfortunate. That is unwelcoming. I don't mind you being so or so, I
am fine with you Ludo, but I am pointing out to that exact behavior
which you have written in the "Social Contract" better expressed as
edict. It is because you refer only to technical side?

"It's not been helping" -- we could say that as well for "gnu.tools"
as it is not helping too, that is my opinion. Many people already
expressed that, and now you are not respecting the opinion of those
people, you have not published not even one contrary opinion to
that. You are using the mailing list and collecting information
without permission of people in such manner that is illegal in the EU
(I really don't mind, but I am just pointing to it) -- and you are
thus misusing the GNU mailing list (no, I don't mind, just poining, as
this is very liberal mailing list) -- and then disrespecting the GNU
project, you are trying to divide people from GNU project -- and you
are still forgiven and welcome to GNU project.

I could say "it is not helping" too, but I do share opinion of RMS,
that your technical work is very important, that your Guix system and
contribution to Guix is so much important, appreciated and valued, and
that you should continue doing so, and that your other intentions
don't mind, as your work is greatly appreciated.

That is why I do not want to say "it is not helping", as it is better
to put it on the balance scale and see both sides.

Thus I would say, you are helping, you are valued and appreciated. You
are welcome and valuable contributor to GNU.

Jean