this post was submitted on 08 May 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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i understand what yankee means and my use of the word "american" here was intentional.
yes, the yankee gov't has captured linux.
a significant portion of the people in this community don't know the word "yankee" but they're capable of understanding it and to express the idea to them, you have to use words or expressions that fit the context this group's frame of reference so that they can fully understand the idea you're trying to express without it getting lost in translation; the people who exist at the intersection of multiple identities call it "code switching".
I'm not going to dispute that. But that got me thinking: how to express what collectivist values entail to a highly individualistic individual? Shared gains aren't a commodity to them. I'd like to hear (well, read) your perspective.
my professional experience in this field for the last 22 years has taught me that a overwhelming majority of the professionals of this community are members of the american/yankee aligned labor aristocracy; that should inform you of their perspectives when it comes to individualistic behavior and shared gains.
nevertheless -- as it is in the real world -- there are still many who believe in collectivism and also believe that we can apply our craft to build helpful/needful technology-based improvements to the human condition.
linux and it foss ecosystem was one of the most recent achievements of these efforts and my comment was intended to lament that it's taken it's first step towards becoming another capitalist tool.
It looks like the fate of FOSS was predetermined to be bleak in the West.
i suppose it was considering the libertarian-esque knee jerk reactionary impetus that came a result of the influence of its initial creators. e.g. stallman.