Linux: political correctness vs Gnu-Linux hacker spirit

Unless you have been living under a rock, the turmoil and crisis within the Linux community these past weeks cannot have escaped you. And while not directly connected to Delphi or the Delphi Developer group on Facebook, the effects of a potential collapse within the core Linux development team will absolutely affect how Delphi developers go about their business. In the worst possible scenario, should the core team and it’s immediate extended developers decide to walk away, their code walks with them. Rendering much of the work countless companies have invested in the platform unreliable at best – or in need of a rewrite at worst (there is a legal blind-spot in GPL revision 1 and 2, allowing developers to rescind their code).

Large parts of the kernel would have to be re-invented, a huge chunk of the sub-strata and bedrock that distributions like Ubuntu, Mint, Kali and others rests on – could risk being removed, or rescinded as the term may be, from the core repositories. And perhaps worst of all, the hundreds of patches and new features yet to be released might never see the light of day.

To underline just how dire the situation has been the past couple of weeks, Richard Stallman, Eric S. Raymond, Linus Torvalds and others are threatening, openly and legally, to pull all their code (September 20th, Linux Kernel Mailing List) if the bullying by a handful of activist groups doesn’t stop. Linus is still in limbo having accepted the code of conduct these activist demand implemented, but has yet to return to work.

Linus Torvalds is famous for many things, but his personality is not one of them

But the interesting part of the Linux debacle is not the if’s and but’s, but rather the methods used by these groups to get their way. How can you enforce a “code of conduct” using methods that themselves are in violation with that code of conduct? It really is a case of “do as I say, not as I do”; And it has escalated into a gutter fight masquerading as social warfare where slander, stigmata, false accusations and personal attacks of the worst possible type are the weapons. All of which is now having a real and tangible impact on business and technology.

Morally bankrupt actions is not activism

These activists, if they deserve that title, even went as far as deciding to dig into the sexual-life of one of the kernel developers. And when finding out that he was into BDSM (a form of sexual role-play), they publicly stigmatized the coder as a rape sympathizer (!). Not because it’s true, but because the verbal association alone makes it easier for bullies like Coraline to justify the social execution of a man in public.

What makes my jaw drop in all this, is the complete lack of compassion these so-called activists demonstrate. They seem blind to the price of such stigmata for the innocent; not to mention the insult to people who have suffered sexual abuse in their lives. For each false accusation of rape that is made, the difficulty for actual abuse victims to seek justice increases exponentially. It is a heartless, unforgivable act.

Personally, I can’t say I understand the many sexual preferences people have these days. I find myself googling what the different abbreviations mean. The movie 50 shades of gray revolved around this stuff. But one thing is clear:  as long as there are consenting adults involved, it is none of our business. If there is evidence of a crime, then it should be brought before the courts. And no matter what we might feel about the subject at hand, it can never justify stigmatizing a person for the rest of his life. Not only is this a violation of the very code of conduct these groups wants implemented – it’s also illegal in most of the civilized world. And damn immoral and out-of-line if you ask me.

The goal cannot justify the means

The irony in all of this, is that the accusation came from Coraline herself. A transgender woman born in the wrong body; a furious feminist now busy fighting to put an end to bullying  of transgender minorities in the workplace (which she claims is the reason she got fired from Github). Yet she has no problems being the worst kind of bully herself on a global scale. I question if Coraline is even morally fit to represent a code of conduct. I mean, to even use slander such as rape-sympathizer in context with getting a code of conduct implemented? Digging into someones personal life and then using their sexual preference as leverage? It is utterly outrageous!

It is unacceptable and has no place in civilized society. Nor does a code of conduct, beyond ordinary expectations of decency and tolerance, have any place in a rebel motivated R&D movement like Linux.

Linux is not Windows or OS X. It was born out of the free software movement back in the late 1960’s (Stallman with GNU) and the Scandinavian demo and hacker scene during the 80’s and 90’s (the Linux kernel that GNU rests on). This is hacker territory and what people might feel about this in 2018 it utterly irrelevant. These are people that start the day with 4Chan for pete sake! The primary motivation of Stallman and Linus is to undermine, destroy and bury Microsoft and Apple in particular. And they have made no secret of this agenda.

Expecting Linux or their makers to be politically correct is infantile and naive, because Linux is at its heart a rebellion, “a protest of technical excellence and access to technology undermining commercial tyranny and corporate slavery”. That is not my personal opinion, that is straight out of a Richard Stallman book Free as in Freedom; His papers reads more like a religious manifesto; a philosophical foundation for a technological utopia, seeded and influenced by the hippie spirit of the 1960s. Which is where Stallman’s heart comes from.

You cannot but admire Stallman for sticking to his principles for 50+ years. And thinking he is going to just roll over because activists in this particular decade has a beef with how hackers address each other or comment their code, well — I don’t think these activists understand the hacker community at all. If they did they would back off and stop poking dragons.

Linux vs the sensitivity movement?

Yesterday I posted a video article that explained some of this in simple, easy terms on Delphi Developer. I picked the video that summed up the absurdities involved (as outlined above) as quickly as possible, rather than some 80 minute talk on YouTube. We have a long tradition of posting interesting IT news, things that are indirectly connected with Delphi, C++ builder or programming in general. We also post articles that have no direct connection at all – except being headlines within the world of IT. This helps people stay aware of interesting developments, trends and potential investments.

The head of the “moral codex” doesn’t strike me as unbiased and without an axe to grind

As far as politics is concerned I have no interest what so ever. Nor would I post political material in the group because our focus is technology, Delphi, object pascal and software development in general. The exception being if there is a bill or law passed in the US or EU that affects how we build applications or handle data.

Well, this post was no different.

What was different was that some individuals are so acclimatized to political debate that they interpret everything as a political statement. So criticism of the methods used are made synonymous with criticism of a cause. This can happen to the best of us; human beings are passionate animals and I think we can all agree that politics has taken up an unusual amount of space lately. I can’t ever remember politics causing so much bitterness, divide and hate as it does today. Nor can I remember sound reason being pushed aside in favour of immediate emotional trends. And it really scares me.

Anyways, I wrote that “I stand by my god given rights to write obscene comments in my code“. Which is a reference to one of the topics Linus is being flamed for, namely his use of the F word in his own code. My argument is that, the kernel is ultimately Torvalds work, and it’s something he gives away for free. I dont have any need for obscenity in my code, but I sure as hell reserve the right to do so in my personal projects. How two external groups (in this case a very aggressive feminist group combined with LGBTQIA) should have any say in how Linus formats his code (or you for that matter) or the comments he writes – it makes no sense. It’s free, take it or leave it. And if you join a team and feel offended by how things are done, you either ignore it or leave.

It might not be appropriate of Linus to use obscenity in his comments, but do you really want people to tell you what you can or cannot write in your own code? Lord knows there are pascal units online that have language unfit for publishing, but nobody is forcing you to use them. I cant stand Java but I dont join their forums and sit there like a 12 year old bitching about how terrible Java is. It’s just infantile, absurd mentality.

So that is what my reference was to, and I took for granted that people would pick up on that since Linus is infamous for his spectacular rants in the kernel (and verbally in interviews). Some of his commits have more rants than code, which I find hilarious. There is a collection of them online and people read them for kicks because he is, for all means and purposes, the Gordon Ramsey of programming.

And I also made a reference to “tree hugging millennial moralists”. Not exactly hard-core statements in these trying times. We live in a decade where vegan customers are looking to sue restaurants for serving meat. Maybe I’m old-fashioned but for me, that is like something out of Monty Python or Mad Magazine. I respect vegans, but I will not be dictated by them.

I mean, the group people call millennials is after all recognized as a distinct generation due to a pattern of unreasonable demands on society (and in extreme cases, reality itself). In some parts of the world this is a real problem, because you have a whole generation that expects to bag upper-management salary on a paper route. When this is not met you face a tantrum and aggressiveness that should not exist beyond a certain age. Having a meltdown like a six-year-old when you are twenty-six is, well, not something I’m even remotely interested in dealing with.

And I speak from experience here, I had the misfortune of working with one extreme case for a couple of years. He had a meltdown roughly once a month and verbally abused everyone in the office. Including his boss. I still can’t believe he put up with it for so long, a lesser man would have physically educated him on the spot.

The sensitivity movement

But (and this is important) like always, a stereotype is never absolute. The majority within the millennial age group are nothing like these extreme cases. In fact we have two administrators in Delphi Developer that both fall under the millennial age group – yet they are the exact opposite of the stereotype. They are extremely hard-working, demonstrate good moral and good behavior, they give of themselves to the community and are people I am proud to call my friends.

The people I refer to as the sensitivity movement consists of men and women that hold, in my view, demands to life that are unreasonable. We live in times where for some reason, and don’t ask me why, minorities have gotten away with terrible things (slander, straw-men tactics, blame shifting, perversion of facts, verbal abuse, planting dangerous rumours and false accusation; things that can ruin a person for life) to impose their needs opposed to the greater good and majority. And no, this has nothing to do with politics, it has to do with expectation of normal decency and minding your own business. As a teenager I had my share of rebellion (some would say three shares), but I never blamed society; instead I wanted to understand why society was the way it is, which led me to studying history, comparative religion and philosophy.

The minorities of 2018 have no interest in understanding why, they mistake preference with offence, confuse kindness with weakness – and are painfully unable to discern knowledge from wisdom. The difference between fear and respect might be subtle, but on reflection a person should make important discoveries about their own nature. Yet this seem utterly lost on men and women in their 20s today.

And just to make things crystal clear: the minorities I am referring to here as the so-called sensitivity movement, are not the underprivileged or individuals suffering a disadvantage. The minorities are in fact highly privileged individuals – enjoying the very freedom of expression they so eagerly want taken away from people they don’t like. That is a very dangerous path.

Linux, the bedrock of the anti-establishment movement

The Linux community has a history of being difficult. Personally I find them both helpful and kind, but the core motivation behind Linux as a phenomenon cannot be swept under the carpet or ignored: these are rebels, rogues, people who refuse to bend the knee.

Linux itself is an act of defiance, and it exists due to two key individuals who both are extremely passionate by nature, namely Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds.

Attacking these from all sides is shameful. I find no other words for it. Especially since its not a matter of principles or sound moral values, but rather a matter of pride and selfish ideals.

Name calling will not be tolerated

The reason I wrote this post was not to involve everyone in the dire situation of Linux, at least not to bring an external problem into our community and make it our problem. It was news that is of some importance.

I wrote this blogpost because a member somehow nicknamed me as “maga right-wing” something. And I’m not even sure how to respond to something like that.

First of all I have no clue what maga even is, I think it’s that cap slogan trump uses? Make america great again or something like that? Secondly, I live in Norway and know very little of the intricacies of domestic american politics. I have voted left for some 20 years, with exception of last norwegian election when I voted center. How my respect for Stallman and Linus, and how the hacker community operates (I grew up in the hacker community) – somehow connects me to some political agenda on another continent, is quite frankly beyond me.

But this is exactly the thing I wrote about above – the method being deployed by these groups. A person read something he or she doesn’t like, connects that to a pre-defined personality type, this is then supposed to justify wild accusations – and he or she then proceeded directly to treating someone accordingly. THAT behavior IS offensive to me, because there should be a dialog quite early in that chain of events. We have dialog to avoid causing harm – not as a means to cause further damage.

Is it the end of Linux as we know it?

No. Linus has been a loud mouth for ages, and he actually have people who purge his code of swear words (which is kinda funny) – but he has accepted the code of conduct and taken some time off.

The threat Stallman and the core team has made however is very real, meaning that the inner circle of Linux developers can flick the kill switch if they want to, but I think the negative press Coraline and those forcing their agenda onto the Linux foundation is getting, will make them regret it. And of course, articles like the New Yorker published didn’t help the situation.

Having said that, these developers are not normal people. Normal is a cut of average behavior. And neither Stallman, Linus of the hacker community fall under the term “normal” in the absolutesense of the word. Not a single individual that has done something of importance technologically fall under that group. Nor do they have any desire to be normal either, which is a death sentence in the hacker community. The lowest, most worthless status you can hold as a hacker, is normal.

These are people who build operating systems for fun. They are passion driven, artistic and highly emotional. And as such they could, should more gutter tricks be deployed, decide to burn the house down before they hand it over.

So it’s an interesting case well worth keeping an eye on. Preferably one that doesn’t add or subtract from what is there.