Nora ReedAug 6, 2023
anything to avoid actually calling in your boys to tell them to shut the fuck up sometimes lol https://cosocial.ca/@evan/110839737998715967
Evan Prodromou (@[email protected])

Hi, fediverse Web and mobile client developer. What if you added a speed bump in the reply flow to slow down users for just a moment? "Do you really want to reply to X? Will they appreciate your reply?" Maybe just the first time they reply to someone; maybe easily turned off in settings. If it makes people think for just a moment, it might help with making the fediverse a more welcoming place for women.

CoSocial
Show threadNora ReedAug 6, 2023
the mansplaining problem is a cultural one with mastodon because it's full of cis men who have put more thought into their linux flavor of choice than they ever have about whether their behavior is useful or wanted. it cannot be solved with the twitter popup that says "are you sure you want to post this?" when you tell someone to eat shit
Show threadNora ReedAug 6, 2023
i don't get mansplained to nearly as much on bluesky, and that's not because bluesky stumbled on some kind of magical feminist UI design, it's because mastodon is dominated by FOSS nerds, who have a terrible culture
Show threadCharlie StrossAug 6, 2023
@NoraReed FOSS as a movement owes a lot to Richard M. Stallman and Eric S. Raymond—in all the worst ways imaginable.
Show threadSean Eric Fagan

@cstross @NoraReed I have very strong opinions about both those people.

(For RMS, it's mostly: ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh, but the GPL and FSF have been huge, positive influences on my portion of the world.)

Aug 6, 2023 at 1:10pmWeb
Show threadCharlie StrossAug 6, 2023
@kithrup @NoraReed Just think how much more good the FSF and GPL could have done if they were the product of someone who was charming, diplomatic, erudite, and not a serial abuser with bad personal hygeine!
Show threadSean Eric FaganAug 6, 2023

@cstross @NoraReed Tell me about it.

But the person that describes? Michael Tiemann, for whom I worked for a few years.

Show threadSteve DowneyAug 6, 2023

@cstross @kithrup @NoraReed
Being surrounded by hero worshipers who excuse, validate, and valorize all your bad behavior is a recipe to convert people into monsters.
Rock stars on tour, golden age SF authors at SF cons, techbro VCs, etc

Edit, for clarity: Doesn't make them not monsters, or excuse them.

Show threadKyrre SjøbækAug 6, 2023

@cstross
Someone more like Thorvalds?

But yeah. I've never been a fan of ESR, but my view of RMS has dimmed significantly over the last decade or so, basically going from "a bit extreme to be practical, but ok" to "wtf is wrong with him".

@kithrup @NoraReed

Show threadKyrre SjøbækAug 6, 2023

@cstross

I do however really like the GPL and ideas underpinning the free software movement, and these ideas are probably needed more now more than ever.

But new leaders, less hero worship, and practical and open discussion on financing, is needed. AFAIK almost all of it is built by professionals industry and academia during working hours, while somehow some of the more toxic people are most visible to outsiders.

@kithrup @NoraReed

Show threadAtomic OrbitalsAug 7, 2023
@kyrsjo @cstross @kithrup @NoraReed The hero worship is so toxic - some people will not tolerate any criticism and attack the critics, accusing them of being liars or shills for Microsoft.
Show threadflere-imsaho 🇺🇦Aug 7, 2023

@kyrsjo so all direct personal accounts suggest that torvalds is quite charming.

while reports of direct contact with both esr and rms generally go along the line of “what an odious twerp”, or worse, if the unfortunate person reporting the encounter is not a man.

@cstross @kithrup @NoraReed

Show threadSean Eric FaganAug 7, 2023
@mawhrin @kyrsjo @cstross @NoraReed I'm assuming you mean Linus Torvalds by "thorvalds"?
Show threadflere-imsaho 🇺🇦Aug 7, 2023
@kithrup indeed. that's what i'm getting by writing comments while insomniac; corrected now.
Show threadCharlie StrossAug 7, 2023
@kyrsjo @kithrup @NoraReed People become more themselves as they grow older—especially when they're famous. And in doing so they inevitably show you more of themselves, and it's often really unpleasant.