What will we do without Richard Stallman? Push for more software freedom as per usual.

["J.B. Nicholson" <jbn@forestfield.org>]

fudmier via libreplanet-discuss wrote:
> Forcing human rights and democracy first Icon Stallman to resign..seems
> to suggest a bigger plan with roots in a design that has as its object
> to deny to the world the open source developer invented products and
> instructional expertise.
It would be better not to conflate Stallman or his work with "open source". 
As he (and history) have made clear: he founded the free software movement 
(a social movement) over a decade before "open source" (a development 
methodology). He has mentioned in multiple interviews, articles, and 
virtually every speech I've ever heard him give (including almost all on 
https://audio-video.gnu.org/) that he does not stand for open source but 
for free software. I trust the readership of this mailing list doesn't need 
anyone to recite a long list of links to this end. For anyone new to free 
software: welcome and please do read the essays on 
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ because the issues discussed therein are 
still apropos to the FSF's central mission and what we mainly talk about on 
this mailing list.

> Gee, what will we do without Richard Stallman?

You might not have intended it this way, but I hope that this question is 
taken with utmost seriousness. Fortunately for us he's not dead; RMS can 
continue to publish informative, insightful essays & talks on his own. However:

1. RMS is mortal and (like us all) will someday die,
2. the FSF has begun a search for a new president. (per 
https://www.fsf.org/news/richard-m-stallman-resigns),

Because of these things there is a chance someone will become the next FSF 
president who isn't the sharp defender of software freedom RMS has always been.

It would be a shame if the FSF made a compromise where they favored sating 
a desire for identity politics, say, and occasionally gave into proprietor 
pressure groups or ran proprietary software over someone who consistently 
demonstrated unyielding support for software freedom. I hope they'll pick 
someone who is deeply informed about free software, and who possesses a 
sharp, critical stance in defense of software freedom. The mission of the 
FSF doesn't change just because they get a new president.

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