Secret Society Ideology/Principles

There is somewhat lively debate about what founding principles should be included in the /prog/ secret society. We need a list of aims on which we can agree, and a list of problems to solve. Here is something to start, neither written in stone nor comprehensive:

Basic goals:
Freedom to conjure the spirits of the computer with our spells, to explore the universe, etc. etc.
Survival of the Society
Arcane power

We need a means for resolving disagreements. I suggested we ignore them insofar as it is possible to do so. E.g. "what is the UNIX philosophy and is it good?" is an entertaining question for debate, and an answer is probably necessary in the long term, but it does not contribute concretely to the goal of writing software. So membership should not require that an individual answer one way or the other on such questions.

Balancing freedom with economic sustainability
We want to give our software away, but we also want to be able to afford to write more software and engage in other activities. This is a structural conflict.
Best known solution: release software for free to the public, but at cost to governments and profit-making entities.

We need a name. We also need a motto. "We conjure the spirits of the computer with our spells" has been suggested, and I support it.

Other?

>>13
An artist writes poetry, or sings songs, or paints pictures. A mime is an artist. The purpose of the artist is to evoke an emotional response; to entertain at best, and provide unsolicited, unwarranted, and unqualified commentary at worst.

To reduce the sorcery a programmer practices to art is a mistake. The realm and responsiblity of a sorceror isn't entertainment, it's to influence the real world by controling abstract and invisible beings. The abstract beings we control are called programs and data.

I consider this such a great insult, such a conflict of understanding and opinions that I have no choice but to leave.

I came here because my wizard's eye caught the unmistakable gleam of the scattering of magic in this place. No doubt this was mostly the trace of the great sorceror Nikita whose Symta was an act of great Lisp wizardry, there is also one or maybe two others, but I don't know if they are here anymore.

The majority here seems to be a bunch of UNIX loving, ``elegance'' loving, ``simple'' loving, ``minimal'' loving suckless.org style beaner morons who hate JavaScript for all the wrong reasons and none of the right ones and have interest in only summoning shitty spirits that just knock things over and don't work because their inferior mastery of sorcery doesn't let them effectively wield and control more complex beings.

Goodbye /prog/.

(also I got a job again so no more fucking around).