@berkough I think in part that might be what Alexey is referring to and he is opting to go for one side more than the middle; which is basically in strong favour of the corporate / industrial things ('the opposition team' let's say or the monopoly makers) who now are feeding from both worlds rather than just one - AND not paying anyone unless they really have to from having the almost abundant free labour!

Another example might be like giving Unix / Linux for free, for mass advertising server farms, AND starving ourselves for constructing it for the wrong types of people (though I don't know if that is a good example).

He might be saying, "At least the other way we would get paid, and maybe more control".

+ I think there is another point or another way of saying something there that is about us constructing or contributing anything that now needs more defence / expecting the usual tactics over taking over than just innovation and for advancing tech or for advancing science or anything- because it comes under threat from being uncapped in the wrong hands.

@freeschool The RMS view of things has definitely started to get muddied by generative AI. The argument has been that software should be free and open source because people will pay you for your programming services if they aren't able to do it themselves. Now that space is being abstracted out by ML algorithms. The irony being that the machines will most likely have learned from all the freely available code out there.

@berkough Yes, almost can't blame good people or those designing in good faith or assuming we will make the world more cost-less or freedom-loving...

BUT if you know you're history half-well and lessons learned from history, then it's almost opposite all the time or irresistible as time goes on (even if not explicitly said by antagonists of what they are doing but their actions stand true) and they will take whatever and bastardise / weaponise whatever they can to get what they want like power and money (forgive the dramatic sounding words but just practically I mean). It's another form of war and I think people don't see that...

Can't fault RMS for not thinking about it that far (and I think he did and was thinking but the rest aren't so much) and that basic mechanisation, weaponisation, colder form of whatever you make and invent, *needs* to be countered and protected like an insane form of CreativeCommons.org to enforce share-alike or our own personal licenses to choose where to get money in the right way (from big bad companies but allowing people like me to use it free which even GPL etc might not do or is getting better at doing without loopholes)... Just people themself needto make sure it's not failing into the wrong hands by giving it too fast and easy and them deciding what is right more often... at least not just free to take without education and goodwill somehow.
People are just dumping all the hard work of programmers as top level / big pipes can just switch things up suddenly to something else or incentivise the other stuff into existence rendering other stuff unpopular / leveraging 'idiots' or non-carers.
Walled-garden things or hybridising like you said. Patenting as basic ways to get things into gov hands, Working for government overall as job etc... all these levels.

I know I / we don't have it all here on one page and I / we are leaving gaps between but these basics I think stand for themselves - don't make anything more almost until you solve *this*! Else serve it to the wrong people at the same time and yes they are much faster at doing damage..

Yes AI as well as well. Example is @wfryer who suddenly isn't responding after a good start of asking about things... soon as I mention google usage and AI a bit more I get nothing back- even just to say "I will answer soon". I ask of people if they would respond but people are going to go on the AI train and all sorts for unknown reasons - perhaps money.
See my Wizard of Oz pics to show that in a fun meme way... since this post might sound too serious!

I don't want to harass people but they do tend to answer and then suddenly don't for quite simple stuff. You just say if you like google or AI to do stuff faster (including damage to us all and doxing us almost)

Basically anything more by them than us can be seen as a threat - sad not trying to be extreme but if money and banks and gov are aligning (and we're not) and pumping money there is working (it's obvious in that way, for example if they come to #Fediverse) and clear why they all are aligning... for just more of the same... even if early stages we have it good etc with AI... it's always made too easy by the wrong people.

Without some way of literally the author + fans + general population being more together + wary + protective (and involved) it's just another thing to use and lose as the user is taking what they want constantly and dumping the rest and even the 2nd best programs are lost.

Programmers should know that.

It's not far from our food getting worse as we're less part of the ecosystem, this seems exactly the same. (again another jump sorry but perhaps some programmers should consider growing food too as things in programming world can simply be switched off or overwritten ultimately). Most of the things people do for food anyway...