this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2024
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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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Why is software development political ?
2 things:
Literal politics. Rarbg had project members volunteer to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war....... For both the side of Russia, and the side of Ukraine
Drama. Contributing takes a lot of time and effort. People get attached to their ideas and contributions. When people start drifting apart and fighting, third parties have to play politics to keep people happy and working towards a common goal
Those are only secondary politics in software development. You missed the primary politics of software - the power struggle expressed through code itself. It comes in many forms. But perhaps the most obvious one is the attempt by software corporates to wrestle control and freedom away from the user using DRM, Trusted computing, locked down devices, dark patterns, etc and relegate the user to the status of a renter.