Ageless Linux is a new project with an unconventional goal even by open-source standards. Instead of offering technical innovations, it serves as a platform for protest against emerging age-verification regulations that may affect operating systems and software distribution.
Right off the bat, one thing needs to be clear: Ageless Linux, based on Debian, is not a traditional distribution. It is just a minor modification applied to an existing Debian installation.
Users install Debian, then run a script from the project that rebrands the system as Ageless Linux and applies a few changes reflecting the project’s legal position. That’s it.
California’s mandatory age verification law is batshit insane, but what does this script actually do?
It feels like maybe a few dozen or a couple hundred actual californians will run this script and literally zero impact or notice will come to the attention of anyone in the California legal or political system.
Even if some fictional cybercop finds out that Joe Schmo is rebelling against the system by running this script on their single board computer, what does the maintainer of this script want to happen?
What are they expecting? What is the goal? What is the point? What tangible result is expected?
It keeps people talking about it.
Sometimes that’s all the point there is.
The point is to create an unambiguous defendant for a court case to challenge the constitutionality of the law.
The messed-up thing about judicial review is that you can’t just go “hey I think this law is invalid”, you need someone to charge you under the law first.
Imagine having to do an age check when you sftp up data to your linux server 💀
So, like a Devuan but done right?
