Libreboot Drama Continues, GNU Might Keep The Project

It's been one week since the Libreboot downstream of Coreboot announced it would leave the GNU and denounced the FSF over supposedly a transgendered individual having been fired by the this free software group. Both Richard Stallman and the FSF denounced these claims made by Libreboot maintainer Leah Rowe. Since then, no actual proof has been presented to back up these claims by the Libreboot maintainer but the drama around it has seemingly continued.

Waking up this morning, I received an email as part of a long email chain from Leah Rowe about how the "GNU project refuses to let go of libreboot" and she wrote, "GNU project has told me that they will not allow libreboot to leave GNU. This is quite possibly the biggest insult imaginable, considering what has happened."

Thus there is now the libreboot.org/gnu-insult/ page for those wanting to do some reading this weekend... Long story short, it's believed that Libreboot is still part of the GNU project. With the actions taken by Leah Rowe, they treat it as the maintainer stepping down but will be keeping GNU Libreboot. Leah would be left to fork her own project.

Various emails are cited by GNU maintainers that they are treating it as Leah stepping down but they are able to continue with GNU Libreboot under new maintainership.

It may be a new precedent for a project wishing to leave the GNU. From the GNU.org evaluation page it doesn't provide any guidance about the dismissal of a project from the GNU or a maintainer wishing to remove a project from the GNU. But it is clear that when joining the GNU as a new sub-project, "This program is part of the GNU project." I wasn't able to find any other references to a project wanting to leave the GNU.

Also to point out, not all Libreboot contributors agree with Leah's position. For those that hadn't seen it, there are some differing views made by contributor Damien Zammit.

Assuming no actual proof gets brought out to back up the original claims made, this is probably the last time worth reporting on Libreboot, with it just going further down the rabbit hole.