Stepping down as Framework Linux Community Ambassadors

We are Tommi and Fraxinas, Framework Linux Community Ambassadors since September 2024.

We apprehensively followed the developments and the debate concerning Framework’s endorsement and support of Omarchy. We have no direct experience with this Linux distribution, its community, nor with the political environment around it. We did not speak up before now because learning about all of it and keeping up with all the commentary would have been a full-time job. Unfortunately we do not have the time to read every single comment on the dedicated forum thread.

Despite our admittedly limited and superficial understanding of this matter, we believe we have witnessed and read enough to make an informed decision and take a clear position.

The statements from Framework and from Nirav Patel (its CEO) made it very clear for us that Framework is not a company we feel represented by any more, and surely not a company that we want to represent as Ambassadors.

To be frank, it is not even necessary to dive into the petty drama about the recent events in order to provide an explanation of our decision. We are deeply disappointed by a company that is self-proclaimed as the resistance of the tech industry, the good David that intends to stand against the big tech Goliaths that are devouring it. Framework’s behaviour brought to surface an embarrassing and absurd inability to take an explicitly political position, blinded by the Western patriarchal narrative that technology in itself is not political. By trying to keep everyone happy (or at least not to make anyone mad) inside a fictitious “big tent”, the company proved to be no better than any of its Silicon Valley peers, dismissing comments about DHH, and comments about fascism and racism as not strictly related to the main mission.

We were proud to be ambassadors because we believed that Framework not only made products that empowered those who purchase them to fully own and repair their devices, but most importantly because we wrongly expected that this would imply changing the paradigm and the narrative about tech companies altogether.

We were offered the possibility of having a 1:1 conversation with Nirav Patel. We did not take it, because it is self-evident that our opinions are in contrast with the statements that he already made. Too bad, Framework is going to lose much more business than it would have if it simply acknowledged a mistake, took a deep inward look, and questioned its own values and stance.

In a world that is burning, thorn by conflict and greed, it is not enough to be *less evil, to be radical only in some cases, and be moderate in others. We wanted to be ambassadors of a company that does not see fascism and proprietary software as two distant topics, but that recognised **the entanglement of politics and technology, of capitalism and authoritarianism*. It seems that this is not the case.

Farewell, Framework. We will miss the shining brave idea we had of you.

— @tommi and @fraxinas

The following statement was cross-posted on Framework’s Community Forum.

#Framework #politicalTechnology #SiliconValley #CalifornianIdeology

I would like to propose we start using the term "pro-craft" to describe our movement, rather than anti-AI.

craft as a verb:
to make or manufacture (an object or product) with skill and careful attention to detail

craft as a descriptive noun:
an art, trade, or occupation requiring special skill, especially manual skill

I am not "anti-AI"…I am pro-craft.

I've dedicated my life to being a good craftsperson, in a variety of disciplines, and I'll be damned if I let craft be devalued or dismissed.

Want to avoid AI gen on Steam? This browser userscript might save your day

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/10/want-to-avoid-ai-gen-on-steam-this-browser-userscript-might-save-your-day/

#AI #AIGen #Steam #PCGaming #Gaming

"I'm a programmer with a Fediverse account. I spend *most* of my programming hours on this OS:"

Please consider boosting for a more statistically significant result.

#poll #programming #operatingsystems

Whether you missed it or want to relive the excitement, you can now watch every moment from #Akademy2025. Talks, panels, keynotes, and more!

Watch now on your favorite platform:
PeerTube: https://tube.kockatoo.org/w/p/14aypZbV4wwZxQf5XzkNvS
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsHpGlwPdtMrmR5QxoSYGbuiy2we0uMmt&feature=shared

#KDE #Akademy #FOSS #OpenSource #TechEvent

@akademy@lemmy.kde.social

Now that quote posts are a thing on Mastodon, we need an insufferably cutesy nickname for them that everyone hates but still gets used anyway.

To that end I nominate “Quoots”, a portmanteau of ‘quote’ and ‘toot’. I believe it’s the worst possible option, solidly cementing Mastodon in particular and the Fediverse in general as having the worst slang on the internet.

Please quoot to spread the word.

A very happy #HackersDay to all who celebrate

#HackThePlanet

It's #BandcampFriday again! Bandcamp waives their fees and all proceeds go towards the artists today!

I haven't released anything new in a hot minute (been working on the Neon Roar OST), but if you haven't checked out my music I'd definitely appreciate it!

https://diym.bandcamp.com/

#furrymusic #synthwave #music #mastomusic

I want to share something I'm really proud of.

In late July, I came across a 2016 article from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It discussed intersex women, including those with XY chromosomes, but the language was outdated, reductionist, and stigmatizing. It called them "genetically men," leaned on biological determinism, and framed their lives through a medical lens that undermined their dignity.

I couldn't let that stand, so I wrote to them. I explained why the language was harmful, pointed to current science and bioethics, and asked them to take responsibility.

To their credit, they listened. They replied quickly, acknowledged my concerns, and began reviewing the article. A couple of weeks later they sent me a revised draft. They had already removed the misgendering, replaced pathologizing phrases, and shifted the framing away from chromosomes as destiny. I suggested a few more adjustments to make the language even more accurate and affirming.

At the end of August, they published the updated article in English and Danish. The harmful wording is largely gone. The framing now centers human diversity, patient-centered care, and informed consent.

It may not sound dramatic, but these changes matter. Words shape how people see themselves, how they are treated by doctors, and how society understands trans and intersex lives. Correcting language in a piece like this helps chip away at stigma that has caused harm for decades.

Here's what this looked like in practice for me: I was assertive. I named where I disagreed. I brought factual evidence. I kept the exchange in good faith. I stayed open to change and supported it when it happened.

It is one article, one institution, one moment. Little by little, contribution by contribution, we are changing things. I'm proud that I stood up and made a difference here, and I'll keep doing what I can to push for a world where our communities are seen, respected, and affirmed. 💜

Link to the revised article: https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/news/more-women-than-expected-are-born-with-a-hidden-variation-in-sex-development/

#Intersex #Trans #LanguageMatters #PatientCenteredCare

Mermaid's Message

#webcomic #krita #miniFantasyTheater

I just read a merge request on #KDE Invent. The author did hand sketches in their paper notebook and photographed it to describe something.
We need more of that.

Are you in the UK and opposed to providing ID to use social media in the coming weeks?

There’s an official parliament petition to repeal the Online Safety Act, and it’s already at 13,000 signatures and growing: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/722903

(Not UK? Please spread the word!)

If you're a desktop Linux user, would you mind answering this quick poll? It's for... a thing.

My desktop environment is

"I do not want to be exposed to LLM output at any time." is the money quote, as far as I'm concerned, from https://eev.ee/blog/2025/07/03/the-rise-of-whatever/ ; the whole post is worthy reading.

I see a bunch of "guys" discourse happening. Well, I talked with @Patricia (*seven* years ago already? OMG) at Foss North once, and she/they changed my mind about many things.

One of the things that came out of that sitting-at-a-bar was this lightning talk https://euroquis.nl/presentations/20191111-guys/#1 (like, a year later, at the Linux Application Summit).

So if you need a married, cishet, white, tall, blonde blue-eyed man to give a diversity talk, I'm your guy. Dude. Man. Whatevs.

I'm your Leonard Cohen fan.

That story about an AI startup collapsing after it turned out to be 700 Indian developers in a Trenchcoat? It was a made up story by a crypto guy that became clickbait, published unchecked by tech media everywhere. Read the real story behind Builder.ai here: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/builder-ai-did-not-fake-ai/