From 21f634346d33b6dd439f2e12078215161b91afb6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Leah Rowe Date: Fri, 21 May 2021 12:37:07 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] statement regarding the recent freenode/libera split that's all you'll get from me --- site/news/MANIFEST | 1 + site/news/freenode.md | 138 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 139 insertions(+) create mode 100644 site/news/freenode.md diff --git a/site/news/MANIFEST b/site/news/MANIFEST index 1a77103..bf98e8b 100644 --- a/site/news/MANIFEST +++ b/site/news/MANIFEST @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@ +freenode.md website.md fsf-thank-you.md rms.md diff --git a/site/news/freenode.md b/site/news/freenode.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..58679d4 --- /dev/null +++ b/site/news/freenode.md @@ -0,0 +1,138 @@ +% Statement regarding the recent freenode/libera split +% Leah Rowe +% 20 May 2021 + +Introduction +============ + +Libreboot has long used Freenode for providing IRC chatrooms. Freenode is one +of the most popular IRC networks, and one of the oldest. Recently, there has +been some controversy about its leader, Andrew Lee, and some staff members have +quit to form a new network named Libera. I want everyone to know: I'm completely +neutral about the whole thing. I have no strong feelings one way or the other. +I wish success to both Freenode *and* Libera. + +Libreboot now has a `#libreboot` IRC channel on both the Freenode *and* Libera +networks. The Libera one is to be considered *unofficial*, but it *is* owned +and operated by myself at the present time. I use the same `leah` nick on both +networks. The only reason I'm there right now is to protect the names of my +projects, and also to protect myself, so that someone cannot impersonate me or +my projects. + +Plans for self-hosted IRC +========================= + +I've had a plan on the TODO for a very long time, to self-host an IRC server at +`irc.libreboot.org`. I've concluded that the best decision for Libreboot would +be for me to now press ahead with this plan. The channels on Freenode and +Libera will remain open, but the self-hosted one will become the official +channel. + +I have nothing against Freenode *or* Libera, but I would like to have more +control over my infrastructure. My next target is Git; I will set up a Git +repository, mailing list and (very likely) a SourceHut instance directly on +`git.libreboot.org`. However, self-hosted Git is not currently a high priority +due to the decentralized nature of Git. + +About the Freenode controversies +================================ + +I was offline for several days. I came online again on 20 May 2021, which was +apparently a whole day after the events transpired. What I can gather is this: + +* Andrew Lee, who owns Freenode, wants to run things his way +* Freenode staff were unhappy, because Andrew appointed new staff members + instead +* Those staffers who disagreed with Andrew's leadership have left and now run + the Libera IRC network +* Freenode will now have new staff members, under Andrew's guidance + +Basically, the most natural thing for a Free Software organization is currently +in progress: someone is unhappy, so they made a fork, and the people left behind +now get to run things however they like. The result? Now there are two +organisations, who can both conduct themselves without tension or restraint. +Is that a bad thing? + +Relationships, professional or otherwise, break down all the time. It's life. +However, I do hope that peace can be restored, and that all sides can begin to +cooperate once things calm down. *We* are all in the same fight, namely, the +Free Software movement! + +Life moves on very quickly indeed. I'm here to tell you: Freenode is not the +world, and neither is Libera. Neither will `irc.libreboot.org` be. Neither is +OFTC. Neither is rizon. Neither is snoonet. Neither is EFnet. Neither is that +weird IRC server you found one day on a forum. IRC is IRC. It can sometimes be +a very crazy and chaotic place. + +Anyway, yeah. That's all for now. I really don't have much to say. The rest +of this article will link to external resources, where you can learn more about +the recent events. I only wanted to tell everyone how *I* feel, so that I can +put this issue to rest. I believe that I have now done this! + +Learn more about recent chaos +============================= + +I was going to write more, but I don't think it's needed. Instead, you can +simply refer to the following pages and make up your own mind. I'm only +linking them here so that people have an idea as to what I'm talking about. + +I value my neutrality, so I will not make any statement either way about the +contents of these articles. I haven't read them, precisely because I don't care +but I know you will want to read them, if you're interested enough to read this +article. So here they are! + +News articles +------------- + +Every link below will work with JavaScript turned off, but some of them are +running non-free JavaScript if you have JavaScript turned on. I assume you +already have LibreJS installed anyway, if you care about that. + +The *following* news articles are from media outlets and other people, not from +the people in Freenode and Libera. however, those people also wrote articles +and they are linked in the next sections on this page. + +First though, read these articles: + +* +* +* +* +* +* + +Andrew Lee's article +-------------------- + +Here is Andrew's article: + + +I also spotted this article, which seems to be from Andrew aswell: + + +From Libera (former freenode) staff +----------------------------------- + +The following articles are from those individuals who recently resigned from +their posts at Freenode, and moved over to Libera IRC instead. + +NOTE: for github-hosted links, I've linked to the `raw` pages, because these +pages are plain text and therefore do not force you to run any non-free +JavaScript code. + +* Archive link, because this staff member's article was on the index page, which + will obviously change at some point: + (archive + from 19 May 2021) +* Fuchs' article: - one could + say that Freenode no longer has any fuchs to give! +* Aaron Jone's article: + +* jess's article: +* Marco d'ltri's article: +* Ed Kellett's article: +* Emīls Piņķis's article +* JonathanD82's article: +* mniip's article: +* Svante Bengtson's article: +* This article is in French: