Write a press release

[CrazyPython]

No description provided.

[CrazyPython]

To counter widespread sentiment that the free software movement hates Stallman, the press release should note how the support letter has far more signatures.

[AnErrupTion]

This is a great idea.

[cmpunches]

twice as many at this point, and they're actual contributors. most of the corporate virtue signalers don't actually write much code.

[nukeop]

The press isn't very interested.

[cmpunches]

Update: Eek looks like their secret email signatures process is helping them catch up a bit. They're at 4k sigs. Who knows how many are legit, but, at this rate, with no press support, no one will notice.

[greenhorse-effect]

Their owners and ad sponsors are usually large IT companies. They won't publish anything that will harm their masters. What a time to be alive!

[purplesyringa]

@cmpunches rms-open-letter.github.io is at 3013 for me at the moment. Are you sure?

[franpoli]

@imachug, they are going up and down from commit to commit. I have not investigated the reasons for these fluctuations.

[kchanqvq]

A C T I V A T E Q U A N T U M S I G N A T O R I E S

[cmpunches]

@cmpunches rms-open-letter.github.io is at 3013 for me at the moment. Are you sure?

@imachug Thanks for pointing this out -- this came up on IRC last night -- at one point in the day they showed 4k, at another point in the day, later on, they showed 3k. So I don't know what's going on there. I do know that I did not see a regression in count like that until a day or so after they went to "send a private email to sign" for their signing process. The lack of transparency is suspect, but unprovable.

[franpoli]

@cmpunches

On the smear letter repository, commit: 6da126, date Thu Apr 1 10:04:40 2021 +0100:

-**⚠️ As of Mar. 28, 2021 00:00 UTC we are no longer accepting signatures via pull request. You can still send one via email.**
+**⚠️ As of April 1, 2021 00:00 UTC we are no longer accepting signatures.**

Presumably, they checked and closed the counts. They carried out this action to the mob justice. Now they lost and they are struggling to recognize their defeat.

[6r1d]

Presumably, they checked and closed the counts. They carried out this action to the mob justice. Now they lost and they are struggling to recognize their defeat.

We're all sad about what's happened, but we're forgetting one thing.
Could people from the open letter reconsider their signatures from now on? Or is this letter completely frozen currently?

[franpoli]

@6r1d

I don't think it's totally frozen. Neil McGovern must be waiting at least for Debian official statement, in order to definitively close his list FSF/GNU enemies hall of fame.

The best we can do, in my opinion, is to spread the world about our victory over the authoritarianism of our adversaries.

[cmpunches]

It's a PR campaign and they are obviously playing dirty.

I would assume they are stockpiling unmerged sigs to drop a wammy on us at the last minute because they know this counter-campaign is observing them closely -- that way they can let us wind down our effort under the belief that they've stopped while they're still collecting in secret, then merge after we shut down so they can convince the press they got more signatures to further misrepresent the will of the community.

[nemobis]

The press isn't very interested.

This letter has been mentioned in la Repubblica, one of the biggest national newspapers of Italy. Links available also from the author: Gli eretici del web e la cancel culture, Il mondo del software libero si divide sulle accuse al suo “guru” Richard Stallman.

[nukeop]

Wow, this is great. Thanks for letting us know.