Octave.app is not itself a GNU effort, but depends heavily on and is involved with the work of the GNU Project, especially GNU Octave itself. As such, we feel the need to speak out about the issue of GNU founder Richard Stallman’s behavior.

Octave.app’s maintainers believe that the Free and Open Source community should be welcoming to a wide population of users and contributors. We also believe that the ideals of Free and Open Source software can best be supported through inclusion, equality, and respect for diversity. Our community’s leadership needs to support those goals, in both words and actions.

The Octave.app maintainers are deeply troubled by Stallman’s recent statements trivializing sexual assault, and by his history of other exclusionary or offensive statements and behavior. We join the Software Freedom Conservancy in calling for Stallman to step down from positions of leadership in the Free Software movement. We are glad that he has resigned from the Free Software Foundation, and call for the GNU community to reassess his role as head of the GNU Project, and to find a governance arrangement that better supports the need for an inclusive, welcoming community.

Andrew Janke, maintainer

Sebastian Schöps, maintainer

References