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Anonymous 08/19/2025 (Tue) 17:36:04 No. 23980
In a world where Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) communities thrive, a lone drifter stumbles upon a hidden truth. Behind the seemingly ordinary digital landscape, proprietary software secretly controls and manipulates users, disguising itself as harmless and essential. These proprietary systems, owned by powerful corporations, use their dominance to subtly influence behavior, pushing users toward dependence and conformity. Their messages, embedded in every click and download, reinforce a culture of consumption and restriction, all while hiding their true intent. The drifter, a curious and determined member of the FOSS community, discovers a unique tool—a metaphorical pair of "source code glasses." These glasses reveal the hidden layers of control, exposing the proprietary software's true nature. They show how seemingly benign applications and services are designed to lock users into ecosystems, limit customization, and prevent collaboration. The glasses also uncover the subtle but pervasive messages encouraging users to prioritize convenience over freedom and to accept restrictive licenses without question. As the drifter delves deeper, they realize the extent of the proprietary software's influence. It permeates every level of the digital world, from operating systems to everyday apps, shaping user behavior and stifling innovation. The drifter decides to act, spreading awareness and advocating for the principles of FOSS—transparency, collaboration, and user empowerment. They join a growing resistance of developers and advocates who believe software should be a tool for liberation, not control. The struggle between the proprietary software overlords and the FOSS resistance becomes a battle for the future of technology. The drifter and their allies work tirelessly to create alternatives, fostering a community that values openness and decentralization. They fight against the forces of monopolization, challenging the status quo and inspiring others to join the cause. In this world, the line between freedom and control is clear, and the drifter's journey becomes a symbol of the ongoing struggle for a more open and equitable digital landscape.
>>23980 >The struggle between the proprietary software overlords and the FOSS resistance becomes a battle for the future of technology. What leads you to believe that the FOSS resistance isn't financed and controlled by the 'proprietary software overlords'?
OP smells like a prompter. >>23994 This is the much more distopian and realistic plotline. >Fuck FAGMAN! I'm using Linux! >Who's the Linux foundation?
>>23995 >OP smells like a prompter. Ay, yep. For those who think the Linux Foundation converts air to code for free ... +----+----------------------+---------------------+ | Rank | Contributor | Estimated Amount | +----+----------------------+---------------------+ | 1 | IBM | €100 million | | 2 | Microsoft | €75 million | | 3 | Google | €70 million | | 4 | Intel | €60 million | | 5 | Red Hat | €50 million | | 6 | Cisco | €40 million | | 7 | Oracle | €35 million | | 8 | Facebook | €30 million | | 9 | Samsung | €25 million | | 10 | Alibaba | €20 million | | 11 | VMware | €18 million | | 12 | Dell Technologies | €15 million | | 13 | Huawei | €12 million | | 14 | Qualcomm | €10 million | | 15 | AMD | €9 million | | 16 | SUSE | €8 million | | 17 | Twitter | €7 million | | 18 | LinkedIn | €6 million | | 19 | PayPal | €5 million | | 20 | Slack | €4 million | | 21 | Spotify | €3 million | | 22 | Canonical | €2 million | | 23 | Mozilla | €1.5 million | | 24 | GitHub | €1 million | | 25 | JetBrains | €0.5 million | +----+----------------------+---------------------+ How long would it take to audit the ~20 million lines of code in Linux, plus an additional 20 million to 30 million lines of code for associated applications... What are the chances that something was slipped in? *** Sources: ChatGPT estimated the lines of code and aggregated the financial data - take it all in stride.
PS: Here's the top 25 for the Tor Project: +----+---------------------------+---------------------+ |Rank| Contributor | Estimated Amount | +----+---------------------------+---------------------+ | 1 | U.S. Government Agencies | €10 million | | 2 | Open Technology Fund | €5 million | | 3 | Ford Foundation | €4 million | | 4 | Mozilla Foundation | €3 million | | 5 | Electronic Frontier Foundation | €2 million | | 6 | Google | €1.5 million | | 7 | The Knight Foundation | €1 million | | 8 | The Rockefeller Foundation | €0.8 million | | 9 | The Internet Society | €0.5 million | | 10 | The Tor Project Donors | €0.3 million | | 11 | Various Individual Donors | €0.2 million | | 12 | Privacy Advocacy Groups | €0.1 million | | 13 | Academic Institutions | €0.05 million | | 14 | Tech Companies | €0.03 million | | 15 | Nonprofit Organizations | €0.02 million | | 16 | Community Contributions | €0.01 million | | 17 | Crowdfunding Campaigns | €0.005 million | | 18 | Other Foundations | €0.003 million | | 19 | Research Grants | €0.002 million | | 20 | Sponsorships | €0.001 million | | 21 | Local Governments | €0.0005 million | | 22 | International NGOs | €0.0003 million | | 23 | User Donations | €0.0002 million | | 24 | Small Business Donations | €0.0001 million | | 25 | Miscellaneous | €0.00005 million | +----+---------------------------+---------------------+
>>23994 At least the nature of open source requires any "control" exerted by corporate donors to be much more concealed and subtle. Look at the gymnastics required to push a 0day into xz only for it to get btfo in ten minutes lol compared to how glowies can just ask Microsoft for user data without even a subpoena. A bigger concern is donors deciding what gets worked on and what doesn't, like killing interoperability for profit.
>>24061 >At least the nature of open source requires any "control" exerted by corporate donors to be much more concealed and subtle. Your absolutely right. Anything inappropriate would take a lot of work. I should also clarify a little. I don't want to imply that these corporate benefactors did shit the bed, but it would be poor planning to assume they didn't or wouldn't. I prefer FOSS over closed source any day. It's just give the terrifying rise of surveillance capitalism and human greed, I can not longer trust that just because the source is published that it hasn't been corrupted in some subtle way to benefit the overlords.


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