Seriously stop polluting my $HOME!

.pki .mozilla .java .gnupg .emacs.d .cargo .thunderbird .steam

dotfiles and their consequences were a disaster for the penguin race.

This is a very petty issue but I’m still PISSED.

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TL;DR because free software is so transformative and diverse, simply calling the whole system “Linux” is inaccurate. Linux is the name of the operating system kernel. but the kernel itself isn’t an operating system and is quite useless by itself as all it does is be the gate between the hardware and the software of a computer (putting it simply).

A lot of people don’t know about the GNU Project and how its mission was to create a completely free operating system while the rest of the tech world was being gobbled up by the capitalist ruling class through licenses and patents in the 80s and early 90s. Calling the operating system GNU/Linux helps shed a light on that history.

Conversationally, people know what you mean when you say Linux, but in writing the term Linux can be very ambiguous. Android uses the Linux kernel, but calling it a Linux system akin to Ubuntu or Fedora is an apples and oranges comparison.

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Welcome to libre

A comm dedicated to the fight for free software with an anti-capitalist perspective.

The struggle for libre computing cannot be disentangled from other forms of socialist reform. One must be willing to reject proprietary software as fiercely as they would reject capitalism. Luckily, we are not alone.

Resources

  1. Free Software, Free Society provides an excellent primer in the origins and theory around free software and the GNU Project, the pioneers of the Free Software Movement.
  2. Switch to GNU/Linux! If you’re still using Windows in $CURRENT_YEAR, flock to Linux Mint!; Apple Silicon users will want to check out Asahi Linux.

Rules

  1. Be on topic: Posts should be about free software and other hacktivst struggles. Topics about general tech news should be in the technology comm or programming comm. That doesn’t mean all posts have to be serious though, memes are welcome!
  2. Avoid using misleading terms/speading misinformation: Here’s a great article about what those words are. In short, try to avoid parroting common Techbro lingo and topics.
  3. Avoid being confrontational: People are in different stages of liberating their computing, focus on informing rather than accusing. Debatebro nonsense is not tolerated.
  4. All site-wide rules still apply

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