free software resistance

 the cost of computing freedom is eternal vigilance

### list-of-less-free-software *originally posted:* aug 2024 this is a list of software that may give you the 4 freedoms on paper- via a license, but still exhibits proprietary behaviour. this generally does not include software with simple imperfections or reasonable limitations due to skill or developer time, it includes software with deliberate limitations which simulate or imitate non-free software, for reasons other than sheer compatibility (this isnt about emulators per se, for example). generally speaking, the software on this list treats users like a lower class than developers, rather than as equals. ### systemd systemd is not designed to give users control of their computing- the purpose, expressed by its own developers- is to make everyone use systemd, and it gives disproportionate control of operating systems to large corporations. systemd may be freely licensed, but behaves like non-free software. there is a reason that the free software foundation, and the gnu project will never protect from such a takeover: systemd was released in 2010. in 2011, richard stallman added a line to his website which says he has "chosen not to have any preferences" among distros that consist only of freely licensed software. in practice, this has proven to mean that any software which is free licensed, regardless of the outcome, can take over all other distros in this fashion. which would be fine, if everyone associated with the fsf didnt relax their standards about such behaviour to be no higher than stallmans own standard. if he will not condemn this, the fsf will not either. ### gcc, gdb and libc these projects are controlled by the same companies that control systemd- to the point where the fsf, on behalf of the gnu project, has written to these companies begging them not to do what they are doing. this is (was) the flagship of the free software movement- the crown jewels, essentially. if the fsf, or the gnu project actually had control of THEIR computing, they would not have to beg ibm or microsoft, but here they are, begging monopolies not to abuse "their" own project. as an operating system, the fsf and gnu either will not, or cannot defend against its takeover. as a compiler and c library, the fsf and gnu either will not, or cannot defend against its takeover. gnu has fallen, and is certainly less free than its creators intended it to be. this is the sort of situation that people from the fsf and gnu gaslight developers and members about. their mission has failed- but the marketing lives on. ### gnome while gnome did not develop gtk originally, it has leveraged gtk against other projects (including competing desktops) that use the library- to push around and essentially control what other desktop developers do. this is microsoft-like, monopolistic behaviour, and if gnome had anything to do with freedom, this would not even be possible. ### opt-out or mandatory advertising for other parties includes: * mozilla ### nag software includes: * xscreensaver * pygame * kde the above software contains intrusive messages that bother users about authorship, updates and/or funding. xscreensaver nags users of older versions and deliberately makes it difficult to disable the message. pygame litters the console with text, and kde actually has a nag window that comes up once a year. no one wants this. its just developers imposing themselves, taking advantage of how difficult is to maintain a soft fork of a project that harasses the user this way. license: 0-clause bsd ``` # 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 # # Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any # purpose with or without fee is hereby granted. # # THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES # WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF # MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR # ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES # WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN # ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF # OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. ``` => https://freesoftwareresistance.neocities.org