Richard Stallman admitted that he made mistakes, which he regrets, urged not to shift dissatisfaction with his actions to the Free Software Foundation and tried to explain the reasons for his behavior. According to him, from childhood he was not able to catch the subtle hints that other people reacted to. Stallman admits that he did not immediately realize that his desire to be direct and honest in his statements leads to a negative reaction from some people, causes inconvenience and may even offend someone.
But it was only ignorance, and not a deliberate desire to offend someone. According to Stallman, he sometimes lost his temper and lacked the proper communication skills to cope. Over time, he gained proper experience and began to learn to smooth out his directness in communication, especially when people let him know that he did something wrong. Stallman tries to learn to recognize slippery moments and makes an effort to be better at communicating and not making people uncomfortable.
Stallman also clarified his attitude towards Minsky and Epstein, which has been misinterpreted by some. He considers Epstein a criminal who should be punished, and was surprised to learn that his actions in defense of Marvin Minsky were seen as an excuse for Epstein's actions. Stallman tried to defend the innocence of Minsky, whom he knew well, after someone compared his guilt to Epstein. The unfair accusation angered and outraged Stallman, and he rushed to Minsky's defense, which he would have done against anyone else, whose innocence he was sure (subsequently, Minsky's innocence was shown during court hearings). Stallman believes that he did the right thing when he spoke about Minsky's unfair accusation, but his mistake was that he did not take into account that the discussion could be perceived in the context of Epstein's injustice to women.
At the same time, the SPO Foundation explained the reasons behind Stallman's return to the board of directors. Board members and voting members are said to have approved Stallman's return after months of careful deliberations. The decision was driven by Stallman's tremendous technical, legal, and historical insight into free software issues. The Free Software Foundation lacked Stallman's wisdom and sensitivity to how technology can affect the strengthening and infringement of basic human rights. Also mentioned are Stallman's extensive connections, his eloquence, philosophical approach and conviction in the correctness of the ideas of the SPO.
Stallman admitted that he made mistakes and regrets what he did, especially that the negative attitude towards him had a negative impact on the reputation of the PDF Foundation. Some of the Board of Directors of the Free Software Foundation still have concerns about Stallman's communication style, but most believe that his behavior has become more moderate.
The main mistake of the Free Software Foundation was the lack of proper preparation for the announcement of the return of Stallman. The Foundation did not dot all the “i” in time and did not consult with the staff, and also did not inform the organizers of the LibrePlanet conference, who only learned about Stallman’s return during his report.
It is noted that on the board of directors, Stallman performs the same duties as the rest of the participants, and is also obliged to follow the rules of the organization, including those relating to the inadmissibility of conflicts of interest and sexual harassment. That said, Stallman's views are important in advancing the mission of the Free Software Foundation and in addressing the challenges facing the Free Software movement.
In addition, the openSUSE Project Governing Board joined Stallman's condemnation and announced that they would no longer sponsor any events or organizations associated with the Free Software Foundation.
Meanwhile, the number of signatories of the letter in support of Stallman gained 6257 signatures, while the letter against Stallman was signed by 3012 people.
Source: opennet.ru