[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia
From: |
Jonathan McHugh |
Subject: |
Re: Guix website and CI is unavailable in Russia |
Date: |
Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:28:36 +0000 |
***no coding but pertinent to this thread***
As somebody who recently experienced collateral effects (seemingly) as an
indirect consequence of the ongoing war, I can attest that the conflict is
multifaceted.
I consider the integrity of operating systems to be so significant that when
confronted with an anomoly I had to risk my personal liberty in the face of
liberal institutions (and all the latency that Western institutionalism
creates) - to minimise any risk of harm to others.
Anybody wanting to understanding the ambiguities that contradict the dualism
which is sweeping over the world may want to consider reading cold war authors
such as Len Deighton (or at least this is my impression from childhood reading
(there is nothing in the world more dangerous to the status quo than a child
with a library card...)).
I recall an anecdote of a new Conservative MP entering the Palace of
Westminster with an experienced colleague:
"I cant wait to get the chance to get at the enemy" he said, beckoning to the
other party's benches.
"You are thoroughly mistaken," his mentor said, "the enemy is over there!",
pointing to the backbench of their own party.
As a professional coder, my renumeration involves providing work as a public
good. Uniquely, I have dscretion regarding which licence to choose.
As somebody who would try to position oneself as close to pacivism as possible
(Im sure I have enough caveats, exceptions and contradictions that impede me
reaching such an honourary status), I tried to identify something which would
'turn swords into ploughshares' and limit the ability for my works to be used
to censor, discriminate or be used against local or foreign populations.
Alas, such 'crayon licenses' seem to be too convoluted to practically work -
rendering legal compatability as obtuse as my my coding, concepts and prose
(indeed that cumbersome...), limiting any of my work inoperabile with non
individual/atomic activity and practically unenforceable.
The logic of GNU's licensing was that like a pen and paper one should not to
able to discriminate and its problematic to accurately and sustainably place
contraints.
Now, it is arguable that the history of MIT funding with connection to American
military funding may have encouraged such an *expedient/pragmatic* position but
I am not positioned well enough to swim up such a fast moving currents.
As coders we have a responsibility to remember the words of Oscar Wilde:
"If you want a man to speak the truth give him a mask"
To those lacking a deeper awareness of the man's work it is perhaps worth
understanding the context behind why he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol. As
well as the reasons as to why it was written under the pseudonym C.3.3. .
The ability to internalise such blemishes on liberal institutions and act upon
them are in many respects my distinction between a "subject" and a "citizen".
To those with the luxury of freedom of conscience or the ambition for greater
autonomy I have further appeal for level headness with regards to the war -
watch out for bullshitters and knaves on your own benches, there is enough
obfuscation within each invididual's nation state for us to counter to help
resolve this conflict, as well as inhibit the drivers that promote our
aggregate insecurity.
Id like to think these thoughts uncontentious. Id personally not like to
further impede coding flow (I hope I have emboldened enough re the paramount
importance of secure, private and accountable information archiecture).
However...
I do have three distracting points to address:
* If you want to extinguish the fire of the Russian military complex (and other
autocratic regimes) we need to heavily invest right now in insulation to
decouple from these pernicious parashites. Do not complain about blood or plead
the need to spaff money on destructive instruments - all political and economic
attention should be made to turning off the taps at our end. Do you desire
peace enough that you would insulate a stranger's home? Or merely bomb anothers?
* I do not prioritise the opinion of hawkish nation states with regards to
their interaction to Putin. Its my bias to consider that Putin would flinch if
he fully internalised why the existence of the Republic of Ireland is not an
aberation but a natural equilibrium (everybody is entitled to consider (in a
normative sense) its current boundaries to be a static or a dynamic point)
* If you think you can sneer at another nation based upon something which your
nation was doing within living memory then you need to remember that societies
dont have the lifespan of mayflies - they are a culmination of hundreds if not
thousands of years of behaviour, please take a long view on where we need to
all go.
Peace to all,
xxx
====================
Jonathan McHugh
indieterminacy@libre.brussels
March 7, 2022 2:57 AM, "Tobias Geerinckx-Rice" <me@tobias.gr> wrote:
> Mykola,
>
> I hope this nightmare for all Ukranians ends as soon as possible.
>
> However, I thought we'd made it clear that these lists are no place for
> hatred.
>
> Those unfortunate to live inside an authoritarian state deserve as much
> freedom and compassion as
> its other victims. They certainly don't deserve to be punished for it.
>
> By denying them the right to facts, privacy, and security you're not merely
> punishing them: you're
> doing your enemy's job for free.
>
> Anyway, back at the topic...
>
> Others in a similar country have previously set up a 'Guix mirror' using
> specialised software:
> <https://www.mail-archive.com/guix-devel@gnu.org/msg55848.html>. I guess it's
> worth trying from
> within Russia?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> T G-R
>
> Sent on the go. Excuse or enjoy my brevity.