Post #4068079

2026-07-24 17:01 UTC

made the mistake of reading some of the hacker news comments and they're even worse. it's so odd how some people desperately cling to whatever the free software foundation says rather than developing their own opinions on what it means for software to be "free." it has vaguely religious vibes, not in the sense that they believe the foot-cheese-eater is a prophet, but in the sense that they really want a set of values accompanied by arbitrary rules to be delivered to them from on high.

Replies (1)

@nmott@infosec.exchange 2026-07-24 17:09

this is probably related to why so many folks seem to be obsessed with the "enforcement" angle whenever restrictions like this are introduced. "how will this be enforced?" "this rule is unenforcable." "I wouldn't have a problem with this, but [some gibberish about enforcement.]" there's a weird fixation on consequences--often framed as punishment--as if they are the only reason to have a rule in place. on the one hand, yeah, a "rule" without consequences is really more of a guideline. on the other hand, why is it so fucking hard for you to follow a rule if it's unclear how exactly you'll be punished for breaking it? couldn't you just not be a dick and either do what you're told or fuck off somewhere else? why is the default response "you better tell me how hard you're gonna spank me if I'm naughty" every fucking time?

Open ##4068218