On Mon, 23 Sep 2019 11:04:46 +0200 Daniel Pocock <[email protected]> wrote: > On 23/09/2019 05:18, Leah Rowe via libreplanet-discuss wrote: > > > > I take issue with this: there is the issue of vetting regular > > members. What if a bunch of members are present who do not share > > the FSF's hardline stance on free software? > > If I understand correctly, RMS was always true to the philosophy and > he may well be the gold standard. His resignation coincided with > vocal pressure from certain donors and partners. So the importance > of money is already getting an edge over the importance of philosophy. > > What you describe is a problem that is well understood and shared by > many organizations. There are many articles and books about it, for > example: > > https://sheilamargolis.com/core-culture-and-five-ps/the-five-ps-and-organizational-alignment/philosophy/ > > Going forward, do you think FSF will be more successful with a > fear-based approach or by exploring and consulting more widely on how > to ensure an enduring philosophy?
Money is the main cause of fear in any movement. Fear of something to lose. This is especially true the larger you get. I can't speak for the efficacy of FSF's board of directors in terms of integrity to the movement. My experience has been that the FSF, despite taking money from some questionable sources, has maintained its integrity. At times, I've raised by eyebrows about certain members of the board. At present, I don't think the FSF is in a bad spot. Of course, my answer is always: Fuck the money. You have to stand by your convictions. This is how the free software movement started; RMS was saddened deeply by the increasing dominance of proprietary software in the hacker community. He could have gotten filthy rich, but instead he created the GNU project and the FSF. *That* is what we need. RMS has always made a point of not being paid by the FSF for instance; this means he is not influenced by whomever donates to or sponsors the FSF. He is his own person. When you have something to lose, it better be your ideology and not money. If you have money to lose, you've already lost everything. This is why I'm a perfect leader in my (albiet much smaller than the FSF) organisations, because I'm not wealthy at all. Wealth is what kills all ideological movements. You don't make progress with money; you can build bridges with money, write software with money and build infrastructure with it, but you can't buy ideology. Ideology exists in its own universe. -- Leah Rowe <[email protected]> Company Director & Libreboot developer https://minifree.org/ https://libreboot.org/ Do you know you have rights? The right to privacy, free speech, the right to read and the right to learn. The right not to be spied on and censored by the government. Defend freedom. Use free (free as in freedom) software. Spread freedom. Tell everyone you know about it! https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html Minifree Ltd, trading as Ministry of Freedom. Registered in England, registration No. 9361826 VAT Registration No. GB202190462 Minifree Ltd, 19 Hilton Road, Canvey Island Essex SS8 9QA, United Kingdom United Kingdom
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