this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Linus' thread: (CW: bigotry and racism in the comments) https://social.kernel.org/notice/AWSXomDbvdxKgOxVAm (you need to scroll down, i can't seem to link to the comment in the screenshot)

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[–] eighty@lemmy.one 100 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I can relate to the "how the fuck is being a concerned human being extreme/poltical?" energy in the post hard.

[–] argv_minus_one@beehaw.org 46 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Hate is mainstream politics now, sadly. So yes, not hating is political as well.

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[–] flibbertigibbet@feddit.de 95 points 2 years ago (11 children)

Political? For everyone outside of America that's just common sense.

[–] LlamaSutra@sh.itjust.works 33 points 2 years ago (2 children)

In Canada it’s starting to become “political” since our morons are egged on by the morons down south.

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[–] Plasma@lemmy.ml 90 points 2 years ago (2 children)

FOSS is an active political statement!

[–] Adderbox76@lemmy.ca 43 points 2 years ago (18 children)

Was just coming here to say that. The entire Ethos of Open Source is basically the people owning the digital means of production. So some people really not grasp that?

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[–] lightrush@lemmy.ca 19 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This fact eludes some folks.

[–] Meganium97@beehaw.org 29 points 2 years ago

"Wait, FOSS is political?"

"Always has been."

[–] empireOfLove@lemmy.one 89 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Linus gives exactly zero fucks about saying exactly what's on his mind. And it's almost always massively based. He's always been great about that, we don't deserve such a great mind.

[–] CrownCrafter@lemmy.ml 40 points 2 years ago

Remember the time with the anti vaxxer, man was firing with all cylinders

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[–] xenago@lemmy.ml 52 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Linus has always been political and principled, I mean he chose the GPL for a reason! Glad to see him state all of this outright though, it only makes me respect him more.

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[–] RenaHersch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 42 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Holy shit a based Linus is not what I expected to see today. Makes me prefer Linux even more than I already did.

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[–] DidacticDumbass@lemmy.one 38 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Linus is stellar example of "good is not nice."

He will rake you over the coals because he cares about quality and expects better from everyone.

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[–] maddison@lemmy.ml 37 points 2 years ago

average based Linus take.

[–] raccoon@lemmy.ml 37 points 2 years ago (7 children)

Hard fisagree. Linux isn't political. Everyone has an opinion, it's obvious Linus would too. But I am pretty happy that his opinion is one I personally agree with. Linux can be uaed by anyone though, and nothing stops far right activists (terrorists) from making a distro, which would still be Linux. There's a heavily religious distro too, but that doesn't make Linux as a whole religious.

[–] raresbears@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Does that really make it totally apolitical though?. Like obviously it's not inherently attached to a wide reaching political ideology, but it still is political in the same way that any free software is kind of political.

[–] cnnrduncan@beehaw.org 14 points 2 years ago

IMO the GPL and similar licences are inherently political, and Linus very intentionally chose to release the Linux kernel under the GPL licence rather than under BSD or a proprietary licence.

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[–] seahorse@midwest.social 34 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (10 children)

I half agree with his gun regulation stance. While ideally there would be more caution given to who owns guns that is unfortunately not the world americans have been living in the last 80 years or so. The fascists have guns, lots of them, and I'm not giving mine up while they have them.

Everything else he said is 100% based.

[–] Metallinatus@lemmy.ml 23 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Well, yeah, fascists having guns is a "randomly giving guns to any moron with a pulse" problem.

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[–] vanderbilt@beehaw.org 32 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Linus delivering the well-deserved beatdown as always.

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[–] thatonedude1210@beehaw.org 31 points 2 years ago

This is one of the reasons why I respect him so much.

[–] comfy@lemmy.ml 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)

"Commies? In MY computer?" More likely than you think.

[–] PorkrollPosadist@lemmy.ml 17 points 2 years ago (1 children)

BSD, Lunix, Debian and Mandrake are all versions of an illegal hacker operation system, invented by a Soviet computer hacker named Linyos Torovoltos, before the Russians lost the Cold War. It is based on a program called " xenix", which was written by Microsoft for the US government. These programs are used by hackers to break into other people's computer systems to steal credit card numbers. They may also be used to break into people's stereos to steal their music, using the "mp3" program. Torovoltos is a notorious hacker, responsible for writing many hacker programs, such as "telnet", which is used by hackers to connect to machines on the internet without using a telephone.

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[–] krolden@lemmy.ml 26 points 2 years ago (2 children)

You should only support gun regulation if it applies to cops as well.

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[–] NotSteve_@beehaw.org 25 points 2 years ago

It makes me very happy to hear Linus say this

[–] SolNine@lemmy.ml 25 points 2 years ago

Incredibly sensible take on all accounts in my opinion! I share all of the same opinions, though I lack the platform to be listened too haha.

[–] mbp@lemmy.ml 25 points 2 years ago

Linus is based as fuck as always. Level-headed and agreeable as always.

[–] Puls3@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 years ago (11 children)

One great thing about about software is you don't have to agree with or care about what the creators thoughts and beliefs are, software is at the end of the day just software.

Doesn't get any less political than that.

[–] ravermeister@lemmy.rimkus.it 19 points 2 years ago (26 children)

I create software by myself and disagree. First it's very political where and for whom I choose to develop software. Second, software is always made for a purpose and the purpose can be indeed (and is) very often linked to political or social cause. E.g. a software which only purpose is to harm people, say for controlling mass destruction weapons is in my point of view a very political software

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[–] matir@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 years ago

I've never been made happier by one of his rants.

[–] FiskFisk33@lemmy.world 24 points 2 years ago

All sensible points, nothing extreme, except maybe the Linus trademark super blunt delivery

[–] k_o_t@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 years ago (13 children)

comrade linus 🫡🫡

but also he’s finnish, which is communist, so he’s obviously a communist smh 🤷‍♀️

[–] aninorganicorganism@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 years ago

Mommmmmm, linus is doing a communism!!!

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[–] lemme@lemmy.ml 23 points 2 years ago

Did you know that linux kernel source code was leaked to the public? Go see for yourself how political it is!

/s

[–] Metallinatus@lemmy.ml 21 points 2 years ago

Holy fuck, I love that guy even more now. I didn't know that was possible.

[–] josm@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 years ago

This is one of the many reasons I look up to this man.

[–] bobslaede@feddit.dk 18 points 2 years ago (24 children)

I don't see how his, very reasonable, views makes Linux itself (more?) political. What is the point of this post?

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[–] Hexorg@beehaw.org 17 points 2 years ago

I’m also happy to discover social.kernel.org instance!!!

[–] original_ish_name@lemmy.ml 17 points 2 years ago (3 children)

THE LINUX KERNEL HAS A FEDIVERSE INSTANCE??????? :D

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[–] LolaCat@beehaw.org 14 points 2 years ago

Common Linus W.

[–] thilo@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 years ago (6 children)

In my experience, people who explicitly state to be apolitical or demant non politicality happen to have worldviews which only in the best of cases fall under the label controversial.

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