From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Authentication-Results: nullring.xyz; dkim=pass header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com; spf=pass reason="matched ip" smtp.helo=mail-pl1-x641.google.com smtp.mailfrom=gmail.com; dmarc=pass header.from=gmail.com Received: from mail-pl1-x641.google.com (mail-pl1-x641.google.com [2607:f8b0:4864:20::641]) by nullring.xyz (envelope-sender ) with ESMTPS id 8b77e20a; Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:22:41 -0800 Received: by mail-pl1-x641.google.com with SMTP id d9443c01a7336-2a8fba89cb5so1022225ad.2 for ; Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:22:41 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20230601; t=1771230160; x=1771834960; darn=nullring.xyz; h=mime-version:message-id:date:user-agent:subject:to:from:from:to:cc :subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=MuePjMXMA0KypGZSquW55PGI6/EnrH8fH2/9fd4GkRM=; b=B7E2P7KYzayEYadr6LkyfxJR7DdkZDLtbmSIeXwae9clPzODQH0MwlVsjONi/+/a9T 03hyY1ZDZDsip3oSBzR168x73e+9/bn/aMG075asaceEhpufg1GiO/fDjSdMMJu5wzXx fW/I1/4Mdx9C0iHy5734tXU0Sx+Zwt0qlNG0i4+ew7Sg0QyFrFbaiaLaYI2Xpt2owhdX N9HzONuZAJetpXacpRkOETiaQrLBObbKz4d1vOUTMQS2XiHn1v/bEI63XCGliww4Adim 9LwHDUff/KJZ75FB6D1lV8m9tELz/2IVKJmcOvJ5ZmrvESqLtbiC8WnQx+A9K6Iw8PPf lq7Q== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1771230160; x=1771834960; h=mime-version:message-id:date:user-agent:subject:to:from:x-gm-gg :x-gm-message-state:from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=MuePjMXMA0KypGZSquW55PGI6/EnrH8fH2/9fd4GkRM=; b=GLcbZwqIOEd/ku5o00nzNe17pm+h0ONqpxBrNebz6+2tl8MB+eSRQZ3k0eKs/7Demk 5vZF+nZEQg58boxxkAqZ4yRF3xGJ1wGQVKI1Q2UI0NOvyLPUh/1PBrFpZk3dP1INBH4u Bq8ULDS8xBatbngjjFagUSnMvHGLN5V2MX9b7qSeP8uOaYcAneBm+yi4Cr8ULiFSf0z4 WaE90nJ0NtBzyO8b9sTRx+Q3YMY1oYu2Yv9uEytTG70zwfenvPQgLuBpzkVTNAM3WVJh xwiMynran1bSMbWL3W5BRHph7T3fDydoa/WIiZ/NDbEISl74aNVQghWRdkqv1UzdBgG4 +KNQ== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0YxmLuykS0lUu8ffsStPSme98Au/wwdY1v+xb+whntx35AjjhrLf 95vmenQukHVfyTaCCr22HXXhZIwe0XO65jUWl2zyMOJbuSODPUI0grJAi+2Wrda7 X-Gm-Gg: AZuq6aKu2CfPX+Jo7h4MP/3phRs3enjRWYa8HBtvZp5ebukUvQCl4/AAp1CaNi/Bg2+ VN5wx8nLJiKYBI3O/2vWfk1LtbkpoMtoKPSXbomBcTJvCUcfMulnQfF0UjkDT21RLSm1MRqa3sB G6xE1ftpuB620bCuzs25K+o8ziniQ/qN1lMvTPKVAhBWsax+ALsv0OtOqUqKAjf+2j1MKJXBh4s 7FdsLlRek4XYTIDzYH2kdEQ2bE2U/YhdIrej3E5dvFuO4XhusVVM+u5fXIEIqmqJUuEpo3HJbe4 aAAew/fkpVwmudo1zoTLhnpinFiYJMafJCwRm4qlA6OexMhe7K6e62WvP1KWjvK4sGjrNgLSaO5 MG5outvi55tcMaqheuO23GAW6oJfn1fuunFrd/JFpXsEKYPOGNycR9y34kYOCQSO7KlxbkSiRxg DQiSojSEc+K5vclLTCPCEGaJTDZSr1oqjbl5J8q5kADiZRQxJrZxXG8BGoSqQ8gZ/6XmX/EjZus L75bR26FQJVV13wfuWrcA94Lw== X-Received: by 2002:a17:90b:56c4:b0:341:88bc:7a54 with SMTP id 98e67ed59e1d1-356a7b0c16emr7354636a91.7.1771230160018; Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:22:40 -0800 (PST) Return-Path: Received: from safehouse ([2604:3d08:9d78:38b0::90f]) by smtp.gmail.com with ESMTPSA id 98e67ed59e1d1-3567e7d9537sm15106213a91.4.2026.02.16.00.22.39 for (version=TLS1_3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256/256); Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:22:39 -0800 (PST) From: =?utf-8?Q?Andrei_=C8=98ova?= To: discussion@nullring.xyz Subject: The Software Compass User-Agent: mu4e 1.12.12; emacs 30.2 Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:22:38 -0800 Message-ID: <87qzqlqer5.fsf@gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=-=-=" --=-=-= Content-Type: text/plain I've been able to call myself a "serious" computer user for about six years at this point, during which I've used a lot of software. Interestingly I've noticed there are a few different ideological "camps" most software fits in. The traditional political compass is defined in two axes: social views on the y-axis, and economic on the x-axis (the accuracy of this model is another story). I posit that a similar compass exists for software. I call the first axis "innovation." Software that scores high on this tends to seek to rewrite conventions or paradigms. On the other hand, software that scores low is likely to want to preserve traditions. The second axis I call "absolutism." Software that scores high tends to assert their conventions as the ones that should be followed by everyone, while the ones that score low accept many different paradigms. There is also the possibility of a third axis, "minimalism." This one is pretty self explanatory and also introduces a lot of confusion since it's different to visualize a 3D space and this doubles the number of regions into octants. Of course this is pretty obvious and probably already thought of by someone else, but I think this is a fun framework. systemd is definitely in the first quadrant ;) - sova --=-=-= Content-Type: text/html

I've been able to call myself a "serious" computer user for about six years at this point, during which I've used a lot of software. Interestingly I've noticed there are a few different ideological "camps" most software fits in.

The traditional political compass is defined in two axes: social views on the y-axis, and economic on the x-axis (the accuracy of this model is another story). I posit that a similar compass exists for software.

I call the first axis "innovation." Software that scores high on this tends to seek to rewrite conventions or paradigms. On the other hand, software that scores low is likely to want to preserve traditions.

The second axis I call "absolutism." Software that scores high tends to assert their conventions as the ones that should be followed by everyone, while the ones that score low accept many different paradigms.

There is also the possibility of a third axis, "minimalism." This one is pretty self explanatory and also introduces a lot of confusion since it's different to visualize a 3D space and this doubles the number of regions into octants.

Of course this is pretty obvious and probably already thought of by someone else, but I think this is a fun framework. systemd is definitely in the first quadrant ;)

  • sova
--=-=-=--