… Thank you, Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds, for this freedom and cooperation. …

grahamperrin said:

some suspicion that AI was involved

Twisting the original statement, I asked Reddit (in a private browsing window):

Do Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds cooperate with each other?

Sourced from thirteen subreddits, Reddit's AI-generated answers began:

Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds do not actively cooperate; their relationship is often characterized by ideological differences rather than direct collaboration. While both are foundational figures in free and open-source software, their distinct philosophies and approaches have led to a separation in their work. …

… Linux and BSD … the kernel unites us. …

Not exactly, but I like the sentiment.

Your account is currently suspended (not by us), let's lock the discussion …

The lock was respect for co-moderators, one of whom had locked it.

The post-lock public discussion – a rarity – included some suspicion that AI was involved in the text of the opening post (quoted above). Maybe true; their previous post was more obviously human (lacking punctuation, and so on).

I did't use the Wayback Machine on the day of the lock. The next day, 22nd June, it had 60 points (74% upvoted). Four days later: 161 points (84% upvoted), my logged-in view shows 163.

I doubt that it'll go much higher, views have tailed off:

@grahamperrin said:

Distros do not divide us, because the kernel unites us.

I love this quote. Hear hear

"it isn't AI, it's the Internet,"

@garyhtech@mastodon.bsd.cafe said a little more than that, it's a twenty-minute video.

… slop buckets …

AI Slop... Time to look at that phrase : r/freebsd

• More Than an OS: My Principles, My Freedom

"I discovered that Linux and BSD users are peaceful and helpful despite the difficulties. Distros do not divide us, because the kernel unites us. This is unlike other communities that claim Windows is the best and that other systems are trash.

Without free and open-source software, the world would be a digital prison controlled by big corporations like Google and others. Thank you, Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds, for this freedom and cooperation.

For me, these are not just words on paper; these are my core principles and my way of life. Thank you for helping me and each other, and thank you for this solidarity."

Note the Firefox logo in the old meme, which first appeared somewhere more than twelve years ago. Elsewhere, a recent copy of the post was removed with observations such as:

This isn't even related to Firefox.

Sigh.