Post #2117047
2026-04-28 18:59 UTC
@toxi
> A programmer has power as long as the software has not been written.
> unless you do DRM.
Well ok, this is not entirely true - you could keep the only copy on an encrypted disk that only you know the password for.
We could extend this reasoning to a group of mutually trusting people - a guild could have software that is only distributed within the guild, and as long as it's not been shared outside, it empowers the guild.
You could even have free collaboration inside such a guild.
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Replies (1)
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@wolf480pl@mstdn.io 2026-04-28 19:07
@toxi But the process of introducing new people to the guild would have to be very stringent, since a single member who betrays the guild would put all the other members back at square 1. (NB: it seems funny how people complain about maintainers "gatekeeping" these days, when the alternative is pretty much a secret society...) And if "FOSS" becomes an exclusive club that you cannot join without knowing the right people, then it's just another vehicle of social stratification :/ 2/2