(02-02-2023) Does Kim Jong-un run Gentoo ?
It's never really sat right with me that things like
Red Star OS
and Astra Linux exist.
Imagining that when someone
submits a Linux kernel patch over the internet North Korea's dictatorship might benefit
from the fix as much as I do ties a unique knot in my stomach. Of course, people will
argue that free software has nothing to do with politics and
I'm not arguing that it does. Clearly it does not. But when I think of
who benefits from the freedom to copy, run and study free software like the
Linux kernel, I usually forget that list includes the state of North Korea (among others).
Don't get me wrong. I wholly support free information, knowledge, education, etc.
And sure: Truly free material must be freely available to everyone and anyone, and that
inconveniently includes dictators and other bad actors. Maybe if everyone benefits then
no one does.
Anyway, happy 2023.