🧵
The other day I learnt that @kde is brewing their own Linux distribution, and it’s been living rent-free in my head since. And I think I’ve come to a conclusion.
I am 100% sure that those involved are 100% vested in the idea - but yet, it sits 100% wrong with me.
Why? What if GoodYear starts making their own cars? They would tight-fit their tyres to their own cars, not all cars in general. Same if Pirelli starts makeing their own cars.
Yeah… Except GoodYear is a commercial entity. While KDE is not.
The reason corporations pull that kind of shit, is because there’s money in it.
Why the fuck would a FOSS project start locking down functionality? They don’t sell anything. Even when FOSS projects charge, the second they’re unfair about it, people will just fork the project and take it for free.
KDE doesn’t have “sales”. They don’t care whether they have a thousand users or a million. The money they “make” is the same. Because KDE isn’t a product you buy. Their revenue doesn’t go up or down depending on how many people they can get to use their desktop environment and applications.
In fact, if anything, doing what you suspect would cause people to donate less to the project.
The thing about FOSS projects is that if they forced you to use them in a way that upsets you… You can just not pay. With GoodYear, making you unhappy is worth it, because you still have to buy the car.
@MentalEdge Thank you for twisting everything I said with an unstable mental state and a lot of anger directed at a random person on the internet.
In the replies to my post I did get one *proper* reply that clears up the confusion.
You however should go take a long cold bath to see if you can calm yourself down.
You walked in with a lot more anger, and pointed it at a VOLUNTEER PROJECT that produces FREE SOFTWARE. You attributed profit motivations to them like they’re some kind corporate landlords out to capture the “market”.
The other person commented with info that shows KDE does not have the goals you suspected.
My comment explained why you were insane to have suspicions in the first place.
KDE is not a company, and doesn’t have profit incentives. I’m sorry if I corrected you on that a little too vehemently, but that doesn’t invalidate the point.
Or even my heated tone in response to your heated post.
Volunteer projects, have volunteers. Not project managers you can punish by “assigning” them to do stuff they have no interest in.
@MentalEdge I had no anger, only worries and a need for a discussion or clarification. I would however clarify that I am selective about who I talk to or take crap from. So please rest assured that it is entirely personal when I block you.
Sure.
Saying people would end up “cowering in fear” and telling KDE to reassign the person who came up with making their own distro to kcalc was entirely pragmatic on your part.