The Evil Beaver's Journal: Think you're anonymous on Slashdot? Well, think again!

I've found myself unable to post comments after delivering this reply attacking RMS for being so hardline when it comes to open source. Don't get me wrong, I'm no M$ supporter, but I'd feel more comfortable about being a member of the open source community if someone such as ESR was the godhead.

To me, Stallman and his Free Software Foundation do nothing but scare away businesses interested in getting involved in the open source community. While Raymond's writings and Open Source Initiative have actually coerced (to use a harsh word, my thesaurus isn't available) businesses into the community, when was the last time that RMS or his FSF have accomplished that? Have they ever?

Perhaps using demented was a little too strong a word for describing RMS, but if he thinks his way will actually make things improve, there must be something wrong in his head. These days, too many things depend on business interests. By alienating them, he's only turning resources we need away from us.

To the person who modded my scathing reply down, please read these words, and understand the motive behind my comments. Because of you, I'm currently unable to post any.

Which brings me to my latest complaint. Even when you post as an Anonymous Coward, Slashdot still knows that it's you, as long as you're logged in. Which means that if you post against the established 'party line' (as I'll call it), CmdrTaco and his buddies can still come up and attack you for it, directly to your account. And even if you make AC posts only, if the moderators (the CIA, or perhaps more appropriately the KGB of Slashdot) keep modding those AC posts down, your account can still be affected, by things such as the temporary (if it is temporary) 'time-out', or by a complete and utter ban. Therefore, censorship is still imposed.

And why not, huh? Why not censor and ban all those with views different from the herd of Slashdot moderators and editors? After all, they might not support RMS! They could support (gasp) Eric S. Raymond! Or worse yet, Bill Gates! Such delinquents don't deserve to be on our happy Slashdot.org site!

Give me a break. That people can still be banned from posting, temporarily or otherwise, for posting things as anonymous cowards, is horrible! It just makes the people in charge here as bad as any tinpot dictator around the world.