cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/35625610

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/35625554

About programming and using computers as a liberating piece of magic, in a time that faces growing coercion and attempts to reduce freedoms by software and computing systems.

I’ll leave you with one final message, addressed to people of all ages, whether you are younger than me, a peer, or my elder.

We don’t have to take it lying down.

Next time you’re feeling alone, count your allies: VideoLAN Organization, Blender Foundation, Software Freedom Conservancy, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Linux Foundation, Signal Foundation, KDE e.V., the PostgreSQL Community, the Debian Community, and so, so many more.

Just look at how eager people were to come together, even from places as far away as Greece, for the inauguration of a conference with a manifesto as simple as “software should work”.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The battle against Coercionware is only beginning, and we find ourselves on the frontlines whether we like it or not, because we are the ones who make computers do what they do.

But we are not alone, and computers truly are magic. Do not mistake lost ground for lost hope. We can win this thing if we collectively choose to believe it and bet on it.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/35625554

About programming and using computers as a liberating piece of magic, in a time that faces growing coercion and attempts to reduce freedoms by software and computing systems.

I’ll leave you with one final message, addressed to people of all ages, whether you are younger than me, a peer, or my elder.

We don’t have to take it lying down.

Next time you’re feeling alone, count your allies: VideoLAN Organization, Blender Foundation, Software Freedom Conservancy, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Linux Foundation, Signal Foundation, KDE e.V., the PostgreSQL Community, the Debian Community, and so, so many more.

Just look at how eager people were to come together, even from places as far away as Greece, for the inauguration of a conference with a manifesto as simple as “software should work”.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The battle against Coercionware is only beginning, and we find ourselves on the frontlines whether we like it or not, because we are the ones who make computers do what they do.

But we are not alone, and computers truly are magic. Do not mistake lost ground for lost hope. We can win this thing if we collectively choose to believe it and bet on it.

I’ll leave you with one final message, addressed to people of all ages, whether you are younger than me, a peer, or my elder.

We don’t have to take it lying down.

Next time you’re feeling alone, count your allies: VideoLAN Organization, Blender Foundation, Software Freedom Conservancy, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Linux Foundation, Signal Foundation, KDE e.V., the PostgreSQL Community, the Debian Community, and so, so many more.

Just look at how eager people were to come together, even from places as far away as Greece, for the inauguration of a conference with a manifesto as simple as “software should work”.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

The battle against Coercionware is only beginning, and we find ourselves on the frontlines whether we like it or not, because we are the ones who make computers do what they do.

But we are not alone, and computers truly are magic. Do not mistake lost ground for lost hope. We can win this thing if we collectively choose to believe it and bet on it.

Arch Linux was my distribution of choice for more than a decade. With its rolling-release model, minimal base, and the invaluable ArchWiki, it felt like the final distribution I would ever need.

My primary Linux machine is a dedicated home server, handling services like Home Assistant, local DNS, background jobs, and developer sandboxes. For a server running 24/7, long-term stability and maintainability are critical. Over years of incremental tweaks, configuration entropy inevitably crept in. System state became scattered across /etc, /usr, systemd service units, and package manager transactions. Whenever I made changes, I had to keep diligent notes about which files were edited, when, and why.

Recent events, such as the Arch Linux AUR security incidents (which I touched upon in my previous post on Caddy) and developments around Omarchy, prompted me to re-evaluate my setup. I wanted an operating system that was declarative, reproducible, and manageable entirely in code.

GNU Guix shares the same core architectural foundation as NixOS (functional package management, declarative configuration, and atomic rollbacks), but its design choices felt much more cohesive:

1. Language (GNU Guile Scheme vs Nix DSL): Nix uses its own bespoke domain-specific language. Guix configurations are written entirely in GNU Guile, a general-purpose Scheme (Lisp). As an Emacs user accustomed to Emacs Lisp, Scheme felt familiar and expressive. Rather than learning a specialized configuration syntax, I could leverage a real programming language with first-class functions, macros, and modules.
2. Init System (GNU Shepherd vs systemd): NixOS builds on systemd, while Guix System uses GNU Shepherd as its service manager. In Guix, Shepherd services are also defined in Guile Scheme. Everything from package recipes to system daemons to PID 1 shares a unified language and data model.
3. Documentation: Guix’s documentation is remarkably cohesive. Even though some community tutorials can be dated, the official GNU Guix reference manual is consistent, comprehensive, and avoids the fragmented wiki landscape of Nix.
4. Philosophy (GNU Libre Standards vs Pragmatism): NixOS takes a pragmatic stance, offering toggles for proprietary software and unfree drivers. GNU Guix strictly adheres to the GNU Free System Distribution Guidelines, shipping the Linux-libre kernel and free software exclusively by default.

Cited from the article:

[…] the Void Linux project does have a contributing policy over AI usage that reads:

"In this section, “AI” refers to generative artificial intelligence tools, including Large Language Models and similar technologies.

All contributions are expected to be made by humans. AI tools may be used for research and learning, but all content in contributions must originate from and be understood by the contributor. This includes code, documentation, issues, security reports, pull request descriptions, and comments in all Void Linux community spaces.

ALL usage of AI tools MUST be disclosed.

Do not bring AI review tools into pull requests.

Usage of AI-powered human-language translation tools is acceptable to facilitate contributions across language barriers."

(Link to full text of the policy.)

Pressemeldung:

Nach Einschätzung der Enquête-Kommission des Bundestags zum Schutz der Erdatmosphäre kann es als “wissenschaftlich gesichert” gelten, daß der wachsende Ausstoß von Kohlendioxid eine Aufheizung der Erdatmosphäre bewirkt. Zu diesem Ergebnis kam sie nach einer zweitägigen Anhörung internationaler Experten. Ihr Vorsitzender Klaus Lippold (CDU) warnte anschließend vor der Presse auch vor dem wachsenden “Ozonloch” über der Antarktis. Er bedauerte die “kommentarlose” Absage der USA und Großbritanniens auf eine an 40 Staaten ergangenene Einladung, Repräsentanten an der Arbeit der Kommission teilhaben zu lassen.

Das Handelsblatt (21.1.) meinte dazu: "Niemand, kein Politiker, Wirtschaftler oder Privatmann, kann künftig eigene Gleichgültigkeit mit der brumm-dummen Ausrede entschuldigen, noch seien die bösen Folgen eigenen Tuns nicht wissenschaftlich erhärtet - eine Haltung, die besonders in angelsächsischen Ländern bis in Regierungskreise salonfähig war, aber auch im sich ökologisch so avantgardistisch gebärdenden Deutschland noch Anhänger fand."