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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 6th, 2023

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  • janAkali@lemmy.onetoMicroblog Memes@lemmy.worldScript kiddies
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    5 months ago

    Github is not a software distribution platform, it was never meant to be one. It’s a developer platform for code distribution and collaboration. And UI is designed around that.

    A lot of projects use it as a distribution platform, but they’re wrong - it’s always better to have a web page with simple download button for casual “ordinary” people.

    But, this case is special: this mostly harmless tool is designed and almost exclusively used to stalk / doxx / hack people =|. So, it’s not in developers interest to make it widely available and easy to install.



  • Well, then you have to find another name for that kind of software and define it that way. I certainly would support such an effort, i.e. to make software available to everyone at no cost.

    There’s no need to come up with new terms or change the existing ones. Free software is inherently free in price. And you can’t enforce paying for software without the restrictions put in place (e.g. drm). Here’s a quote from https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.en.html :

    With free software, users don’t have to pay the distribution fee in order to use the software. They can copy the program from a friend who has a copy, or with the help of a friend who has network access. Or several users can join together, split the price of one CD-ROM, then each in turn can install the software. A high CD-ROM price is not a major obstacle when the software is free.

    Free software can have a price, but paying it is optional.


  • I meant that free software is inherently can’t have a price. Even if you provide source code only to your users, they are free to share that source code for free.

    Thus there can’t be piracy because piracy of free software is inherently allowed.

    And if you try to prevent your users from sharing the source either legally or with drm - you add restrictions to software, making it less free for your users.

    The recent situation with RedHat provides good demonstration and example of this.


  • It’s free as in freedom, not as in free beer.

    But you can’t have one without the other. Putting a cost on software is adding a restriction, thus making it less free (as in freedom).

    Free software should be available to everyone, even to people who don’t have money to pay for it (poor third world countries, students, kids).

    I personally believe, that you should pay for software that helps you earn money. For everything else - it’s everyone’s own decision to donate or not, based on a financial situation, beliefs, political position and what not.





  • janAkali@lemmy.onetoProgrammer Humor@programming.devFLOSS communities right now
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    5 months ago

    only a small number will sign up for a specific forum

    Most people don’t have to sign-up, 90% of cases should resolve on just searching the problem. Good chances it was already asked and answered.
    Most of the time, forums with few users aren’t dead, they’re just really slow, whenever you post a question - expect at least 12-hour delay. I’ve never seen a message on Discord answered 12 hours later - you either get somewhat instant response or it’s ghosted forever. Also good luck asking questions if there’s heated/rapid discussion in the room, or you have a little time and other responsibilities other than checking discord every couple minutes.