Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed perspective. I won’t pretend to debate these topics in depth as they go far beyond my field of expertise. As someone from this community once told me not so long ago, I don’t have a background in social and human sciences (one of the reason why I should not apply for SC), but in IT. I am not an expert in these matters and I do not claim to be, so I will refrain from commenting on them directly.
However, I believe there is a fundamental tension at the core of this debate that deserves careful acknowledgement. This connects closely to the comment I made in Leaving the Nix/NixOS community - #50 by drupol.
No matter how much energy one spends trying to persuade others or change their minds, the reality remains that if you contribute to Nix, you also contribute to the success of any organisation that uses it (oh no — avert your eyes!™) including those you may strongly oppose. Even simply taking part in these forums is, in a sense, part of that collective contribution.
Of course, you may disagree with how certain companies use Nix, but no amount of discussion will prevent them from doing so. Open source, by definition, is open to everyone whether for peaceful, commercial, or military purposes.
The recurring conflicts within our community seem, in my view, to reflect a deeper struggle: an inability to accept that uncomfortable truth. Some are torn between their ethical beliefs and the very open-source principles they have chosen to uphold.
Changing that reality is not possible. Accepting it may be difficult, but it is the only way forward. Writing longer and louder will not change it… only understanding will.
Perhaps the real existential threat to Nix is not who uses it, but our community’s inability to accept what open source truly means.