hi Andy, I think Mark has explained something, I hope you can rethink about it calmly. It seems a misunderstanding.

A decade ago I came to Guile community, and I've learned many things from the people here. Andy, Mark, and Ludo are the people I really respect.
However, someday if they start to blame each other, what can I do now?
No one can keep a very good relationship after so many years of cooperation. Obviously, in a cooperation relationship, there're always compromises and misunderstandings. 

I think I can understand why many people dislike RMS. When I become a GNU maintainer and start the first conversation, I realized RMS is not so easy to talk.
IIRC, when I first time to contact RMS with mails, at least the first 20 private emails are quarrels. ;-)
However, I still find a way to work with him, because I think his paranoia is the essential factor to push free software so far.

So if anyone dislikes RMS because of that, I fully understand you and I don't think you have to endure. You may find your way out.
But I don't think the moral concerns and personal life should affect a technical community. We're different people from different cultures.
Please let me remind that LGBT was considered immoral previously. Let's be more diversity.

I gradually realized that people blame RMS recently is not because of his misinterpreted comments, it's trivial, just an excuse. I think some people just can't endure RMS, that's the essential reason. I don't know, I'm not sure any new leader of GNU was elected, whether she/he will be still blamed like this, after all, no one is perfect.

To my understanding, Guile is very important for GNU operating system. And we've helped to push it so far till today. Are we doing it wrong?
If Guile quit GNU, then what's its position? IMHO, Guile is on a very good track these years. If Guile quit GNU, is it competitive enough to other Scheme implementation?

I'm the kind of pragmatism people. I hope you can think about it carefully.
After all, the decision includes all our efforts for many years.

But anyway, any of you will not lose my respect. Because I don't think anyone is wrong here, you just try to insist on your faith kindly.

Best regards.



On Fri, Oct 18, 2019 at 9:08 AM Mark H Weaver <mhw@netris.org> wrote:
Hello all,

I just realized that I made a mistake, and my mistake has caused people
to strongly condemn RMS for something that he did not actually do.

RMS has not yet appointed me as a co-maintainer.  To my knowledge, the
only thing he has done so far is to *ask* me if I wanted to be appointed
co-maintainer.  I answered "yes", but I've not yet received any further
messages from him on this topic.  I also note that I'm not listed as a
maintainer in the official list of maintainers.

I misinterpreted RMS's question as an offer, and that was my mistake.
The fault is mine, and mine alone.  RMS should not be blamed for it.

       Mark


Andy Wingo <wingo@pobox.com> wrote:
> Still, it was with surprise that I woke up this morning to a request
> from Mark to re-join the Guile project on Savannah, saying that RMS had
> appointed Mark to become co-maintainer, and that Mark assented -- "given
> recent events".
>
> Now, Richard has no idea about Guile or how it works either technically
> or socially, and has not consulted with me as Guile maintainer, nor to
> my knowledge did he consult with Ludovic.

"Thompson, David" <dthompson2@worcester.edu> wrote:
> But now that I know that the truth is that RMS, as chief nuisance, put
> Mark back into this role without the consent of either active Guile
> co-maintainer, and without even telling them, I am extremely
> disappointed and I do not approve.

Christopher Lemmer Webber <cwebber@dustycloud.org> wrote:
> I'm extremely saddened to see RMS pull this move.  It seriously
> undermines faith for maintainers of GNU projects that ther is any
> semblance of fair governance, and that the rug can't be pulled out from
> under their feet at any time.