Carla Schroder lays out why real expertise, not clickbait, matters — and why FOSS Force is turning to readers like you to keep going.
The following delightfully entertaining and true story is a pitch for your financial support. Even if you don’t want to give up any money do please enjoy it anyway. FOSS Force is the real deal, dedicated to independent Free/Linux/Open Source software news. Real news written by real professionals who have been involved in F/LOSS for years.
Tl;dr: FOSS Force needs money to feed the writers and keep the lights on. Support authentic independent tech journalism at FOSS Force’s 2026 Independence Drive.
But They Said the Hunger Games Would Be Fun
You’re reading this, so that shows you have an attention span, and value news that is ethical, authentic, and meaningful. Christine Hall, the managing editor of FOSS Force, has been running the site since forever. (Pretty sure that means we’re both old now.) Christine is the real deal, a journalist who has been writing news since the print newspaper and news magazine era, and she was also a radio news journalist. She’s not an “influencer” or whatever silly word you prefer to describe hucksters who say or do any sketchy thing to make a buck, like copying material published by someone else. Which is bad enough, but it would be nice if their copy-pasta wasn’t rubbish. Trash circles the globe a hundred times while accurate information is still tying its shoes.
FOSS Force’s writers are a splendid gaggle of experienced knowledgeable tech pros and writers. Ken Starks ran Computers 4 Kids/Helios/Reglue for years, refurbishing and distributing computers to children who could not afford them. He’s pointy and opinionated and fun.
Larry Cafiero is an old F/LOSS guru, supporter, and journalist who seems to know everyone and everything in the industry.
Jack Wallen is an actor, novelist, F/LOSS expert, and all-around cool dude.
Ace writer/nerd Marco Fioretti keeps an eye on the EU and UK, and tries to make sure that “open” is never confused with “stupid.”
FOSS Force also publishes guest pieces from industry experts like LibreOffice co‑founder Italo Vignoli, Nextcloud communications director Jos Portvliet, and Bruce Byfield, who you might remember from his book, “Designing with LibreOffice.” You will never see both-sides junk or warmed-over ads masquerading as news. Nor stupid listicles like “Five Best Android Phones” that are poached from other clickbait sites, nor so-called product reviews cribbed from Amazon reviews.
Outrage Is Crack for People Who Don’t Like Drugs
Ninety percent of everything is crap, said fabulous author Theodore Sturgeon. He was right… but that was then. Now that any barriers to publishing one’s own deep thoughts to the world are nearly non-existent, it’s more like 99%.
“Influencers” with no expertise or skills of any kind generate petabytes of clickbait crapola to get you angry so you don’t notice they’re feeding you propaganda and ripping off your personal data. All that clickbait trash is more than cheap emotional jolts, it’s manipulation and wholesale data theft. Zillions of Web sites exist only to capture every morsel of information about you, and then buy and sell it.
None of them care if it’s moral, or legal, or accurate, or how it is misused. It’s all abstract, so it’s not dramatic like someone breaking into your home to steal stuff. But the effects are way worse than any robbery. There is no accountability, control, or oversight. Anyone who could see what information is collected, and how it is used to snoop and manipulate people, would be horrified.
Genuinely Independent Voices
Ethics and expertise matter. Truth matters. Independent voices matter.
Our friends the insanely rich techbro overlords see us as wealth machines they can exploit and abuse any way they want. FOSS Force, on the other hand, is the real deal; a genuinely independent tech news publication that is beholden to no one but readers.
Please send a few bucks their way. This kind of journalism requires a lot of effort and knowledge. They’re doing the hard work and sharing it freely. Support authentic independent tech journalism at FOSS Force’s 2026 Independence Drive on GoFundMe. Remember, the one who pays the piper calls the tune.
In addition to countless Linux howtos for various online publications, Carla Schroder wrote The Linux Cookbook, The Linux Networking Cookbook, The Book of Audacity, and The Linux Cookbook Second Edition. She’s also worked for open source companies like SUSE and ownCloud. She’s retired now, “enjoying not being crushed under deadlines and not having to deal with weird bosses.”
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