atomicthumbsNov 15, 2022

I've discovered that currently, as of Ubuntu 22.10, Ubuntu distributes a package called "fortunes-off" that is full of homophobia, Hitler quotes, virulent misogyny, racism, and more, for the "fortunes" program

All the text in it is ROT13'd so it doesn't show up on searches. Text pulled from the .deb available live on Universe: https://packages.ubuntu.com/kinetic/fortunes-off

Ubuntu – Details of package fortunes-off in kinetic

Show threadatomicthumbsNov 15, 2022
These fortunes were originally part of the standard fortune package, to be printed with fortune -o, until this poor lady split them out and categorized them in 1995. It used to be easier to configure your computer to randomly print a swastika or passage from Mein Kampf on login. https://github.com/Distrotech/fortune-mod/blob/master/Offensive
fortune-mod/Offensive at master · Distrotech/fortune-mod

ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/games/amusements/fortune/fortune-mod-9708.tar.gz - fortune-mod/Offensive at master · Distrotech/fortune-mod

GitHub
Show threadcdr

@atomicthumbs "the original author(s) of the
fortune distribution state that "racist, mysogynist [sic] (sexist), or
homophobic ideas" should never be included in the fortune database.

This was not the case when the database came into my possession"

Now I want to know when/how those were added, I thought they were always there.

Nov 15, 2022 at 10:19pmWeb
Show threadnone gender with left politics Nov 15, 2022
@cdr @atomicthumbs I'm gonna blame ESR even though it's probably not his fault
Show threadcdrNov 16, 2022
@vikxin @atomicthumbs I can't say I wasn't thinking it, but 95 would have been before he got ahold of the jargon file, right?
Show threadnone gender with left politics Nov 16, 2022
@cdr @atomicthumbs I believe so yes, I think that was a few years later.
Show threadcdrNov 16, 2022

@vikxin @atomicthumbs archive.org has a good selection of old versions of debian

https://archive.org/details/debian_1.1 has the fortunes/fortunes-o files before the re-sorting mentioned above, way less Hitler than the current .deb

Debian 1.1 : Debian Project : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Obtained here (Contains both i386 binaries and sources.) Debian Linux Distribution Release 1.1 Now Available To: [email protected] Subject:...

Internet Archive
Show threadnone gender with left politics Nov 16, 2022
@cdr @atomicthumbs it might be worthwhile to try and find when they were added to try and, you know, blacklist some shitheads. But I have better things to do, personally.
Show threadColin WatsonNov 16, 2022
@vikxin @cdr @atomicthumbs My best guess at the origin of at least the pile of Nazi crap is https://bugs.debian.org/95588 since most of it seems to be in the 'atheism' file. I ran out of stomach for investigating the history in detail though.
#95588 - please add 'atheism' to fortunes - Debian Bug report logs

Show threadcdrNov 16, 2022
@vikxin @atomicthumbs I still doubt it'll have been recent enough to show up in source control, with more work at least I'll be able to know when, and how suddenly it came in.