Today will be my last day using Mozilla Firefox or any Mozilla products...

[Wilikon]

Eich resignation as Mozilla CEO as messy as his appointment
Brendan Eich stepping down as CEO solves Mozilla's immediate publicity problem, but many are torn about consequences of losing him as a leader and free-speech implications.


The resignation of Brendan Eich as Mozilla's CEO is proving to be just about as thorny to handle as his position against gay marriage rights that triggered the problem in the first place.

Even those who believe Eich's resignation is the appropriate solution to Mozilla's problem of leadership and morality are struggling with its consequences. After Mozilla announced Eich's resignation on Thursday, Twitter lit up with conflicted views from those who work the world of the Web.

"I can't process what's happening. So frustrated, sad, angry, and concerned. The right thing happened but at what cost. Stay strong Mozilla," tweeted John Resig, a former Mozilla employee and creator of the jQuery project that expands JavaScript's abilities.

Eich's troubles illustrate the growing power of the gay-marriage movement -- particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area where Mozilla's headquarters are located. San Francisco is a center of political power for the gay-rights movement, and the Bay Area's hyper-connected Internet-infused living can rapidly transform a controversy into a crisis.

Eich had built a strong following as co-founder of Mozilla, a savvy fighter for the Web, inventor of JavaScript, and leader of the Firefox and Firefox OS projects. His promotion to Mozilla chief executive officer from chief technology officer last week was a rare techie triumph over the usual business-school demographic.

Much of that credit evaporated as he struggled to reconcile his 2008 contribution of $1,000 to Proposition 8, a California measure against gay marriage, with Mozilla's explicit culture of inclusiveness. That inclusiveness is central to the world-spanning organization's breadth, and Eich told CNET in an interview that it protected his own views, too.

But his argument didn't persuade critics, and Mozilla management -- accustomed to taking the moral high ground -- had to defend itself from boycotts and outrage.


http://www.cnet.com/news/eich-resignation-as-mozilla-ceo-as-messy-as-his-appointment/

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"I can't process what's happening. So frustrated, sad, angry, and concerned. The right thing happened but at what cost. Stay strong Mozilla," tweeted John Resig, a former Mozilla employee and creator of the jQuery project that expands JavaScript's abilities."

JavaScript. The irony.

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[Spendulus]

Eich resignation as Mozilla CEO as messy as his appointment
Brendan Eich stepping down as CEO solves Mozilla's immediate publicity problem, but many are torn about consequences of losing him as a leader and free-speech implications.


The resignation of Brendan Eich as Mozilla's CEO is proving to be just about as thorny to handle as his position against gay marriage rights....

Why did anyone care?  Did he implement rules at the company somehow anti gay or is this just more Nazi brownshirt stuff?

I can honestly say "I don't support gay marriage", because, well, I've just never cared one way or the other in the least about it.  But I'd hate to be bullied into some kind of position...

[connexus]

It is a shame they are letting him go over an issue that only a minority would be concerned with and most people could care less.

[CoinCube]

I respect that poor fired CEO. The mob wanted a forced apology and a profuse groveling repentance.
Instead he said nope my personal beliefs are personal. So they fired him over a $1,000 political donation 6 years ago.

Only thing good about it is that it is an obvious overreach. It will show people what society is turning into.
Take this as a warning. Protect your identity and anonymity.
If you ever decide to have an independent thought it may be you the establishment turns on next.  

[Ron~Popeil]

I am pro gay marriage and think the idea that people should lose their job and income over their beliefs is abhorrent. When we start punishing people for their thoughts we spend that last precious nickel of freedom and are left with only mountains of fascist debt.

[Rannasha]

First of all, Mozilla made an error appointing him CEO in the first place. Since Mozilla is a nonprofit foundation, it is important for the CEO and figurehead to share the ideology of the foundation, far more so than it is in the case of a for-profit company (in which case the ideology typically just boils down to "make money" anyway). Since equality is one of the core principles of the ideology that Mozilla wants to put out to the world, making Mr. Eich CEO was just a bad idea. In his previous position, as CTO, he didn't have to serve as figurehead of the foundation and the differences in ideology were not as much of an issue.

Furthermore, the problem, in my eyes, is no so much that Mr. Eich doesn't like gay marriage, but that he has actively tried to block it. And by doing so he has actively tried to restrict other peoples freedoms and that is crossing the line in my opinion. A $1000 donation to a campaign to disallow gay marriage is a $1000 donation to impede the freedoms of others. There wouldn't have been nearly as much commotion if Mr. Eich would've said something like "I don't like  gay marriage, but it's their life, so they can do with it what they want" (potentially followed by some religious rhetoric like burning in hell and all that kind of good stuff).

[bryant.coleman]

Anyway the last time I used Mozilla was in 2010. I haven't used it for almost 4 years now. Chrome is much better.

[Wilikon]

First of all, Mozilla made an error appointing him CEO in the first place. Since Mozilla is a nonprofit foundation, it is important for the CEO and figurehead to share the ideology of the foundation, far more so than it is in the case of a for-profit company (in which case the ideology typically just boils down to "make money" anyway). Since equality is one of the core principles of the ideology that Mozilla wants to put out to the world, making Mr. Eich CEO was just a bad idea. In his previous position, as CTO, he didn't have to serve as figurehead of the foundation and the differences in ideology were not as much of an issue.

Furthermore, the problem, in my eyes, is no so much that Mr. Eich doesn't like gay marriage, but that he has actively tried to block it. And by doing so he has actively tried to restrict other peoples freedoms and that is crossing the line in my opinion. A $1000 donation to a campaign to disallow gay marriage is a $1000 donation to impede the freedoms of others. There wouldn't have been nearly as much commotion if Mr. Eich would've said something like "I don't like  gay marriage, but it's their life, so they can do with it what they want" (potentially followed by some religious rhetoric like burning in hell and all that kind of good stuff).

So you disagree with this man then:

The guy who had the gall to express his First Amendment rights and favor Prop 8 in California by donating $1,000 has just been scalped by some gay activists…

Will he now be forced to walk through the streets in shame? Why not the stocks? The whole episode disgusts me – as it should disgust anyone interested in a tolerant and diverse society. If this is the gay rights movement today – hounding our opponents with a fanaticism more like the religious right than anyone else – then count me out. If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us.

http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2014/04/03/the-hounding-of-brendan-eich/


There is also this little bit of info that should make everyone working, voting and expressing their free speech using money (money is speech) think twice before doing anything political in that state: Any donation over $100 has to be declared, then have all the names made public. So we are not talking mega billionaire but any small person believing in a cause no matter how  small in California.

Everyone who donated for that Prop 8 stuff in 2008 is on a list. A black list. A searchable list. If your name is found expect the same treatment.


Now to put things into perspective here is the Prop. 8 Black List:
http://projects.latimes.com/prop8/
Do you know anyone on that list? A family member? A neighbor maybe? Try it for yourself.

Of course it is not as if some people who expressed their speech legally were targeted. Where they?

Under mounting pressure, LA Film Festival director Richard Raddon has ankled his post.
Raddon and Film Independent (FIND), the festival’s parent org, have faced a barrage of protests over Raddon’s contribution to the successful Yes on Prop 8 campaign that banned same-sex marriage in California.
After bloggers published his name, culled from public records of donors, Raddon tendered his first resignation on Nov. 13 to Film Independent’s board of directors, which was not accepted. Film Independent then released a statement saying, in part, “Our organization does not police the personal, religious, or political choices of any employee, member, or filmmaker.”
Yet Internet message boards and other published reports kept the issue at the center of a growing protest movement that has targeted “Yes on 8″ donors including the Mormon church and Cinemark Theaters, whose CEO was a contributor.
On Monday, Raddon submitted a second resignation. Those close to the org described Monday’s conference call with the board of directors as emotional. While Raddon’s contribution had caused some internal angst, he was well liked within the org.
On Tuesday, Film Independent issued a statement saying “With great reluctance, Film Independent has accepted Richard Raddon’s resignation. Rich’s service to the independent film community and to Film Independent has been nothing less than extraordinary. He has always shown complete commitment to our core principles of equality and diversity during his long tenure.”

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/25/anti-prop-8-mob-watch-la-film-festival-director-resigns-over-donations/



Abstract: Supporters of Proposition 8 in California have been subjected to harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry. Arguments for same-sex marriage are based fundamentally on the idea that limiting marriage to the union of husband and wife is a form of bigotry, irrational prejudice, and even hatred against homosexual persons. As this ideology seeps into the culture more generally, individuals and institutions that support marriage as the union of husband and wife risk paying a price for that belief in many legal, social, economic, and cultural contexts.

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/10/the-price-of-prop-8


If you are in the tech industry in California this was a pretty clear message to shut people up, those who disagree with their sexual orientation.
I was contemplating getting a Firefox OS phone.
Right now there are no Mozilla products on any of my systems.

[Lethn]

I am pro gay marriage and think the idea that people should lose their job and income over their beliefs is abhorrent. When we start punishing people for their thoughts we spend that last precious nickel of freedom and are left with only mountains of fascist debt.

Gotta agree, people are entitled to their opinions even if they're completely stupid, that's what freedom of speech, expression and thought is, that said, if for instance you have people abusing their positions precisely because of said personal opinions that's when they should lose their jobs, but this guy was just making political donations. If for instance, he was not hiring people because they were gay, or harassing them at work because of them being gay etc. etc. then people have every right to take action, but this is just petty, in fact, they're using the exact same tactics I've seen the people who persecuted them use ages ago.

People like this are always going to die alone, have no friends, no family that likes them and have no authority, they aren't worth the effort because people will find them too unpleasant to hang around anyway.

[sidhujag]

didnt a 14 yr old kid program firefox? Why is eich the center of the universe all of a sudden?

[Wilikon]

I am pro gay marriage and think the idea that people should lose their job and income over their beliefs is abhorrent. When we start punishing people for their thoughts we spend that last precious nickel of freedom and are left with only mountains of fascist debt.

Gotta agree, people are entitled to their opinions even if they're completely stupid, that's what freedom of speech, expression and thought is, that said, if for instance you have people abusing their positions precisely because of said personal opinions that's when they should lose their jobs, but this guy was just making political donations. If for instance, he was not hiring people because they were gay, or harassing them at work because of them being gay etc. etc. then people have every right to take action, but this is just petty, in fact, they're using the exact same tactics I've seen the people who persecuted them use ages ago.

... 6 years ago!
Everyone working with him knew him well enough to know his view on gay marriage. There is no discrimination at Mozilla. He worked with gays all the time. He left his belief at the door.
But all of that wasn't good enough.

[Wilikon]

didnt a 14 yr old kid program firefox? Why is eich the center of the universe all of a sudden?

Co founder of Mozilla I believe. Big open source believer. Creator/inventor of a little thing used all over the web called JavaScript. Ever heard of it? You are using part of it even if you don't know it right now.

[bryant.coleman]

didnt a 14 yr old kid program firefox? Why is eich the center of the universe all of a sudden?

Are you talking about Blake Ross? When he developed Firefox, he was 19 years old.

[Lethn]

I am pro gay marriage and think the idea that people should lose their job and income over their beliefs is abhorrent. When we start punishing people for their thoughts we spend that last precious nickel of freedom and are left with only mountains of fascist debt.

Gotta agree, people are entitled to their opinions even if they're completely stupid, that's what freedom of speech, expression and thought is, that said, if for instance you have people abusing their positions precisely because of said personal opinions that's when they should lose their jobs, but this guy was just making political donations. If for instance, he was not hiring people because they were gay, or harassing them at work because of them being gay etc. etc. then people have every right to take action, but this is just petty, in fact, they're using the exact same tactics I've seen the people who persecuted them use ages ago.

... 6 years ago!
Everyone working with him knew him well enough to know his view on gay marriage. There is no discrimination at Mozilla. He worked with gays all the time. He left his belief at the door.
But all of that wasn't good enough.

Well I found a video of Ron Paul saying he thought evolution was just a theory and he didn't believe in it, still respect the guy though, especially if he's not going to let his personal beliefs affect his decision making.

[sidhujag]

didnt a 14 yr old kid program firefox? Why is eich the center of the universe all of a sudden?

Are you talking about Blake Ross? When he developed Firefox, he was 19 years old.

Ya him maybe he started at 14 lol

Ya I program in JS everyday.. sad I didnt know he invented? Thought it wad Brendan? He stepped down in april.

[AnonyMint]

I don't support government issuance of licenses to marry and divorce.

If Eich was wise he could have argued that he was trying to reduce slavery.

[bryant.coleman]

Ya him maybe he started at 14 lol

Yeah... he joined Netscape when he was 14 years old.

[rohnearner]

 I use firefox, and will continue to do so..! till i Find any particular reason to not to do so..! even If i think about switching to some other i can't find any other alternate..! Chrome  I hate.. Opera , safari... naah.. Firefox is way better ..! other than Firefox Tor is the only browser i use..! and The reasons you pointed out to switch from Firefox are not enough for me.

[Spendulus]

I use firefox, and will continue to do so..! till i Find any particular reason to not to do so..! even If i think about switching to some other i can't find any other alternate..! Chrome  I hate.. Opera , safari... naah.. Firefox is way better ..! other than Firefox Tor is the only browser i use..! and The reasons you pointed out to switch from Firefox are not enough for me.

So the leader of a company which produced a browser which is the best in the market at protecting YOUR PRIVACY - is hounded and forced to resign by those which don't respect HIS PRIVACY.

And if you don't like it, you can use Chrome or IE.

Have to ponder that one.  Are the pro-gay-nazis in league with the NSA/totalitarians now?   I guess we have to add them to the thread on this forum about "are feminists and environmentalists hatable" or whatever it's name is.  But that's such a strange twist, that emerging from a world with a fair amount of hate of gays, into an accepting world, the activists of that subgroup would find themselves having shaped themselves into an eminently hatable category.

As said by Instapundit.com on this matter:  "Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich forced to resign for supporting traditional marriage laws. To be clear, for holding, in 2009, the view of gay marriage that Barack Obama held, instead of the view that Dick Cheney held."

[Wilikon]

I don't support government issuance of licenses to marry and divorce.

If Eich was wise he could have argued that he was trying to reduce slavery.

So speaking legalese BS is being brave and wise nowadays? How about "I will rather quit my job than bow to the pink mafia and lose my right of free speech?"