Following the recent crisis with Richard Stallman (RMS), the Free Software Foundation (FSF), and the whole free software and open source software movements, see:
- https://rms-open-letter.github.io/
- 💙Charles ☭ H❤: "The Great Man theory of social progress or art or…" - LGBT.io
- https://social.polymerwitch.com/@polymerwitch/105968645601379307
- https://epicyon.freedombone.net/@bob/105978107530511145
There is quite some awareness that this goes way beyond just topics about licensing, and I find these three movements/initiatives/commentaries interesting in articulating how that could look:
There is not agreement across all of those things, particularly in the role that licenses have to play in this. Some still argue for very permissive licenses that let people use the software for whatever they want, whereas others want to restrict who is able to use the software using other criteria (e.g. not allow human rights violators to use it).
“open source” is essentially a capitalist-friendly variant of “free software” (which has wider goals) and at this point quite co-opted by existing power structures, and “free software” has not quite kept pace with increasing social awareness, there is a new space available, one that takes a broader perspective on how our software should be designed, built, and governed, and who should be involved.
I’m very pleased with the concepts we try and embody within karrot, and would love to align with these emerging wider movements for a truly co-operative and emancipatory approach to technology.
One to watch 