Skip to main content

#RFC: Unionize Free Software.

Today #FOSS can be exploited by #BigTech. We need to united free software development and collectively provide a counter to big and exploitative tech, that takes free software as gratis labor and undermines it as soon as free software developers demand anything in return - even if it's just to release your own source code depending on #FOSS as #FOSS.

Thus I present to you: "Unionize Free Software".

discuss.coding.social/t/unioni…

#SocialCoding


Unionize Free Software

In the article “The changing economics of open source” Ken Mugrage present the Free Software Sustainability problem from the perspective of companies depending on free software developed by hobbyists.
Discuss Social Coding
#foss #socialcoding #rfc #bigtech
in reply to CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️

alcinnz
alcinnz
• •

I'd like to comment that my advocacy in response to seeing this exploitation of our labor is to advise being more mindful in regards to the projects we tackle.

Centralized services, JavaScript frameworks, big data analysis, etc are always the first things to be exploited. So try going more decentralized... Try making a GTK or Qt app...

This approach can go far, but sure. Not all the way.

in reply to alcinnz

Tim Makarios
Tim Makarios
• •

Yeah, my concern about this proposal is that it seems to propose more centralization for free software, without addressing the dangers that come with centralization, such as the amplification of the effects of poor decisions, spreading the costs of them across many more people than just those who supported the poor decisions.

@csddumi

@CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
in reply to alcinnz

CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
• •
> to limit or define what constitutes “proper”,“sustainable” or “reliable” free software is to limit these freedoms by limiting how they are exercised “properly”, “sustainably” or “reliably”.
/1
in reply to CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️

CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
• •
I say that because of just such considerations: Free Software shouldn't change the problems that it works on just in order to avoid exploitation. Instead we need to challenge the exploiters and demand equal and fair treatment. Whether this means that big tech should open source the projects they developed based on #FOSS or that they have to financially support #FOSS developers depends on the developers themselves
#foss
in reply to CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️

alcinnz
alcinnz
• •

I can appreciate such a viewpoint, but I do question the utility of these most-exploited domains.

Centralized services require, even more than anything else, require additional governance to deliver the benefits of free software. Not to mention p2p tech is advancing...

JavaScript (or rather the DOM) I don't view as sustainable, once Google for whatever reason looses interest the ecosystem will crumble.

And the only valid use for big data I see is science...

in reply to alcinnz

CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
CSDUMMI✝️🕊️🏛️
• •

those are fine arguments and discussions to have.

But I do not think we should build these considerations into the system for sustaining free software.

Sustaining Free Software should not change free software's subjects - the freedoms of the developers.

⇧