81
this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2025
81 points (97.6% liked)
Linux
58260 readers
1709 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
We're obviously talking about corporations intentionally using open source software with the intention of eliminating it as competition, we aren't talking about the literal definition of the word "stealing", which you seem smart enough to be able to recognize, but you're insisting on being pedantic.
You twisted that into an argument about what the author of the code has the right to do... No one gives a shit, and we aren't obligated to support it.
That's not what corporations do when they use MIT/BSD code. They rely on that code; it's not their "competition". Unless you are talking about stuff like WhatsApp using libsignal, where they do use code from a direct competitor, but that's far less common, and also not going to have a negative effect on Signal. I can't speak for Signal of course but they are probably quite happy with WhatsApp using libsignal, as it both spreads Signal's beliefs about communication being E2EE, and it makes WhatsApp reliant upon Signal. FOSS projects like ffmpeg, curl, etc, are (reasonably!) happy that the entire industry depends on the tool they wrote. And they are kept alive because they are so widely depended upon. Corporations donate to FOSS projects because they need them.
wtf is a non-literal definition of "stealing"? The idea of stealing is stupid enough already, I can't play your games to figure out how you extrapolate something sillier from it. I'm a communist. I don't believe in private property and I don't give a shit about stealing.
They steal labor. You would think someone with the username communism would instinctively understand that.
And no, it isn't "far less common", and you have already been provided with examples of what we mean, so I'm not playing your games of providing examples (that don't even use the MIT license, but now I'm the one being pedantic).
"Stealing labour" is not the issue with capitalism, but in any case, using materials freely provided to the commons is not extraction of surplus labour.