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DATE | 2020-02-08 |
FROM | John Darrington
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SUBJECT | Re: [Hangout - NYLXS] What's GNU -- and what's not
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On Sat, Feb 08, 2020 at 11:57:45AM -0500, DJ Delorie wrote: > ams-at-gnu.org (Alfred M. Szmidt) writes: > > You make the assumption that the views of the maintainers are the > > views of the GNU project -- this has never been the case. GNU > > maintainers do not define what the GNU project is. > > Because we are all code monkeys, aka programming slaves. As long as we > do what we're told we can be as mean and horrible as we want, because > GNU only cares about results, not whether people like us or not.
That's a somewhat negative way of putting it, but I think it is more-or-less accurate. The GNU system exists primarily for the benefit of its users and not its authors. What people think of us is not of the highest importance.
Having said that, I hope that all GNU contributors do get a sense of purpose, recognition and self-worth. For that reason I do not subscribe to the opinions of some, who wish to dictate that contributors must concur with their populist ideas.
There are a number of technical and organisational decisions within GNU, which I personally disagree with. But an environment where every decision was what I wanted would be despotic.
We must all learn to be tolerant of others - even those who are intolerable. Note that tolerating others does not mean we have to agree with them. Those are two different things.
J'
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