FSF leadership

[Harald Sitter]

On Thu, Sep 19, 2019 at 10:29 AM Jens <jens at ohyran.se> wrote:
>
> TBH I worry less about past transgressions or the communicative fallout
> than I do a lack of response from us. (this is me not having a blessed
> clue what exactly went down 2009)
>
> I do agree with you on many points and I think you raise a lot of good
> concerns at the same time, we missed the boat then to comment - what
> we're seeing now is not a boat ten years travelled, but a new one
> launched from shore so to speak.
>
> I think with a bit of finesse we can use it as a voice of support for
> FSF, a hope to ensure a leadership that can better serve the FSF as
> well as weave it into a comment on our commitment for the same - AND do
> so in a way that can include the ideological diversity of KDE.
>
> In practice (FOR EXAMPLE):
> "We support the FSF in its work to find a new President and would urge
> them to find one that represent the Free Software movement as a whole
> and can grow the entirety of the community.
> We all (the KDE community included) have to ensure that past biases do
> not limit our choices of leadership and that access to Free Software,
> the technologies and the communities isn't blocked by those same biases
> and cultures."

+1 to what Jens said in the entire thread.

I will add that I don't think we need to publicly talk to or about the
FSF specifically though, but maybe I am just not grasping the scope of
the incident there. Perhaps we should; after all, while the FSF is a
separate organization it is still the figure head of the free software
movement as a whole. We are part of the movement and so our opinion
matters and we should make it heard. At the same time I am not sure
what wagging a finger in the particular direction of the FSF
accomplishes.

With that in mind I would propose that we make a statement, but not to
the FSF... our statement should be one in support of a healthy,
diverse and inclusive free software community to that very community
at large. This applies to the FSF, to GNOME, to us, we all need to be
aware of our own biases so we can prevent bias-driven decision making
and foster diversity.

KDE's statement ought to encourage and light the way.

HS