Post #3882607
2026-07-17 09:51 UTC
Society depends on software. Software encodes a model of the world—but the world changes. Thus, society needs software to change. This requires maintenance.
The reality is that 70% of all software running in production is FOSS (Synopsis, 2020). FOSS has won, and is bigger than you think. Yet, FOSS in the vast majority of cases is “one person” and 60–85% of FOSS is a hobby (Tidelift, 2024)—and there is no link to the criticality of a package.
#GUADEC2026 #GUADEC #GNOME
Replies (1)
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@gnome@floss.social 2026-07-17 10:07
Historically the model of FOSS has been “Swords”: a fight where users choose between proprietary and FOSS even if both can be commercial. FOSS tries to get community, is centered on user’s rights, and is driven by foundations, digital rights orgs, etc. And it makes sense for sovereignty. But Thomas posits that the model has its problems as well, especially when you compare it to the goals of FOSS, the constraints of reality, and our means. https://www.youtube.com/live/EGazCEww9II #GUADEC2026 #GUADEC #GNOME