Re: (renamed) Misc mailing list

[andrew]

The reason I posted this here are:

(1) During the lockdown, we are obligated to use the following nonfree
    software:

    1. Tencent Meetings for school;
    2. 随申办 for getting a QR code as a token for mandated COVID tests;
       Simply swiping a second-generation citizen ID cart is
       "deprecated" for some reason;
    3. Nonfree online shopping platforms, mainly used by my family,
       because that's the only way people get food.

(2) Even if we ignore the fact that this is related to free software
    (which I should have mentioned earlier):

    1. I see social issues like this an important extension of the ideas
       of the movement---our goal is not free software, it's a free
       society, while free software is indeed one of the first steps
       (paraphrasing RMS);
    2. Sorry, I'm just a bit raged at the policy, and thinking it's
       freedom related I kinda need somewhere for it to go (not a good
       reason, bruh);
    3. The lockdowns here depict authoritarianism and DISRESPECT for
       individuality, it's kind-of like how people are forced to use
       Zoom and WhatsApp and GitHub because everyone is on it (also why
       federated and distributed things like GNUnet are cool).

Either way, I do believe a -misc list makes sense.  Free Software is our
first step to a free society, but we needn't conquer all of computing
before peeking at other parts of problems.  One might have a Librebooted
RISC-V libre-design libre-FGPA computer, which is a good thing, but once
they walk out there are cameras everywhere (or they can't walk out at
all) and the government is constantly shouting into their ears.  Anyways
I've made my point on this; I do have a tiny list for those purposes but
they're, well, tiny.

signature.asc
Description: PGP signature