On 09/04/2021 16:40, Christopher Dimech wrote: >> Sent: Friday, April 09, 2021 at 10:37 PM >> From: "David Brown" <david.br...@hesbynett.no> >> To: "John Darrington" <j...@darrington.wattle.id.au>, "David Malcolm" >> <dmalc...@redhat.com> >> Cc: g...@gnu.org >> Subject: Re: GCC association with the FSF >> >> On 09/04/2021 08:37, John Darrington wrote: >> >>> >>> Nobody is suggesting that RMS should be regarded by everyone or indeed >>> anyone as "mein Führer". I think he would be very much concerned if anyone >>> tried to confer a cult hero status on him. >>> >>> Sooner or later, if for no reason other than his age, RMS will have to step >>> down as leader of GNU. Rather than calling for his head on a block it >>> would be more constructive to think to the future. Unfortunately to date, >>> I have not seen anyone who in my opinion would have the qualities necessary >>> to take over the role. >>> >> >> And I don't think people (at least, not many) are "calling for his >> head". My thought is that he should be encouraged to step down from all >> his positions within GNU, FSF, gcc, and any other projects he is >> involved with. Retire now, while he can do so with dignity and without >> harm to the free and open source software worlds. > > David, I oppose your thought that he should be made to step down from ALL > his positions. That's the fundamental philosophy of China and Russia. >
Different opinions are fine. Bringing national or international politics into the discussion (presumably meant to be as an insult) is not fine. This is not a political discussion - please stop trying to make it one. >> It is only if it is left too late that people will be /forced/ to call >> for his head. You can be very sure that complaints about his behaviour >> and attitudes will not diminish - they will grow, and the result will >> not be good for RMS, GNU, gcc, users, developers, or anyone else except >> the sellers of tabloid newspapers. I would rather see him leave quietly >> now with respect, than be hounded out later and his statues pulled down >> - along with the careers and reputations of many who work with him. (I >> am not saying that such a destruction would be correct or appropriate - >> I am saying it will happen in the end if the free software community is >> not careful.) > >> (I agree that there are few, if any, people who had the qualities of RMS >> to do the job he did. But IMHO that role is over - we don't need >> someone to fill his shoes.) > > I do not see that a person with the qualities of RMS would ask permission for > the job. I certainly don't! > We (the free software world) does not need a person with the qualities of RMS any more - that is the point. There should not be such a position as "Chief GNUsance".
