Richard M. Stallman's 60th birthday

24 réponses [Dernière contribution]
icarolongo
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 03/26/2011

Today is Richard M. Stallman's 60th birthday. Send congratulations for rms at gnu.org =)

http://readwrite.com/2013/03/15/happy-birthday-richard-stallman

AndrewT

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/28/2009

Still quirky after all these years. :P

Adrian Malacoda

I am a member!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/26/2010

This is so obviously a troll article. Obviously, someone who "is a frequent speaker at corporate and industry events" does not take a liking to Stallman, nor do the commenters on the article.

linuxbookpro
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 03/18/2012

It wouldn't hurt for RMS to take some courses in public speaking :D

AndrewT

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/28/2009

I've watched an hour recently of a recent speech he did, and his public speaking was quite good. Does he need courses in something he's done for many years?

Regarding his personality quirks and prickly opinions, I think it's fine to poke fun at those things. Ever heard of Richard Stallman Facts?

Jeffery Alan Mathis II
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 06/17/2011

I agree, his speaking is quite good. I enjoy listening to his talks. Despite my immense respect for him and what he has done for the cause of software freedom, I can't help but feel that having him out front and center does more harm than good for free software. This is especially apparent when he does interviews. Sometimes he comes across as antagonistic and downright rude even when someone is asking a legitimate question. I think free software would be a lot further along in its goals if someone like Bradley M. Kuhn or Eben Moglen was the person most closely identified with it. I can see where people interested in free software would be complete turned off to it by RMS. It's like the interview he did on the Gnu/Linux Action Show, one of the hosts had some legitimate questions and he was berated by Stallman. That's not the way to win people over. Like I said, I have an immense respect for him, but I think his way of accosting people does more harm than good.

Episode with the interview.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/jnite/LinuxActionShowEP200-OGG.ogg

Host's reaction.
http://lunduke.com/?p=2273

t3g
t3g
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 05/15/2011

Hard to believe that episode was a year ago. Lunduke, even if he clashed with Stallman, was still an important part of that show. LAS replaced him with Matt Hartley, who is ok but lacks the theatrics that Lunduke had. He made the show fun and energetic and Hartley seems to try too hard at times.

CaptBobo

I am a member!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 04/21/2012

I've heard RMS sing -- he should stick to speaking. :D

aliasbody
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 09/14/2012

This man deserves all the respect for what he has done and what he still can do despite his age and his poor media coverage (we all know why and that is not the point).

If any one is interested I strongly recommend reading this biography about his life and work : http://oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/

It's just a wonderful book (that could have been wrote a few years latter but that's another story).

I didn't had the chance to meet him when he was here in Lisbon for a conference (I only knew the same hour the conference started). Maybe there will be a "next time".

lembas
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 05/13/2010

These books on and by rms are also good reads http://shop.fsf.org/product/book_bundle/

Jeffery Alan Mathis II
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 06/17/2011

Those are both great books.

Jodiendo
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 01/09/2013

Aliasbody
Why don't you pay for his haircut, manicure and pedicure, don't forget hes wardrove with better clothing.

AndrewT

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/28/2009

I recently re-read Free Software, Free Society, and immensely enjoyed it.

I feel like if Stallman made simple adjustments like not berating people for asking the question in a somewhat ignorant way, or just grooming (there, I said it), the message would come across better.

Horgeon
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 03/29/2011

I always thought Eben Moglen is a better spokesperson for the movement, for the following reasons:

* He's a lawyer, so the myth "free software only conveys for hipster programmers" is useless against him.
* He's much more articulate and controlled, and has more wide and important subjects to explain, while Stallman tends to focus only on the end user freedom to hack the program even if she is not a developer and does not care about personal freedom (Moglen speaks how one thing leads to a greater one and so on).
* Stallman gives the impression that to use free software you must avoid taking a shower and use the same shirt everywhere, that explains your "grooming" adjustment. Eben Moglen is certainly not a fashion model but gives a better first impression to the spectator.

Anyways, congratulations to Stallman even if he doesn't care about such social standard behaviour :)

onpon4
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 05/30/2012

Honestly, Richard Stallman won me over to the free software philosophy, partly with his writing and partly with his talks (I don't remember the details), though it was this community that got me to actually start using only free software. One particular talk I saw was this one: http://archive.org/details/20090203-Richard-Stallman-UofC-01

Jodiendo
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 01/09/2013

Honestly and respecfully

In certain aspects Mr.Richard public display and behavior is "quite rough in the edges", For me as a Proffesional, Public image(representation), good dress code and conduct manners is very important. Obviously this gentlemen dresses and sometimes, hes behavior is like a hippie of the 60's era.Specially when eating his toe nails in public view in a conference. I wonder, If he eats his own nose buggers? Does he ever bath regularly? Sadly,hE DOES NOT SUPPORT THE HARD WORKING BLUE COLLAR WORKERS OF THE vocational TRADE OF Hair stylist.

Please STOP CALLING HIM A "God", he is a just sinner, just like you and me. We should call him a "founder of GNU/Linux" nothing more, nothing less.

quiliro@congresolibre.org
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 10/28/2010

El 19/03/13 11:32, name at domain escribió:
> Honestly and respecfully
>
> In certain aspects Mr.Richard public display and behavior is "quite
> rough in the edges", For me as a Proffesional, Public
> image(representation), good dress code and conduct manners is very
> important. Obviously this gentlemen dresses and sometimes, hes
> behavior is like a hippie of the 60's era.Specially when eating his
> toe nails in public view in a conference. I wonder, If he eats his own
> nose buggers? Does he ever bath regularly? Sadly,hE DOES NOT SUPPORT
> THE HARD WORKING BLUE COLLAR WORKERS OF THE vocational TRADE OF Hair
> stylist.
>

I respect a person for what he acheives and don't mind minor details. I
would not mind if he were all dirty and smelly and live in a cave even
if he hadn't done all the good he has done. Those are things that are
valued by people that value things that are not important (possibly the
majority) which most of us in this list are not equal to.

> Please STOP CALLING HIM A "God", he is a just sinner, just like you
> and me. We should call him a "founder of GNU/Linux" nothing more,
> nothing less.
>

I agree with you. But If I were to choose a god, I would prefer Stallman
than any of the other current ones. The other ones have done so much
harm to humanity; especially because they do not exist.

--
Saludos libres,

Quiliro Ordóñez
Presidente (en conjunto con el resto de socios)
Asociación de Software Libre del Ecuador - ASLE
Av de la Prensa N58-219 y Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Quito, Ecuador
(02)-600 8579
09-845 8078
IRC: http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=asle&uio=OT10cnVlJjEwPXRydWU3a

Todo correo que reciba será tratado como información pública, de libre copia y modificación, sin importar cualquier nota de confidencialidad.

AndrewT

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/28/2009

You're easily as much of a bore as he is. Easily.

That is all.

quiliro@congresolibre.org
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 10/28/2010

El 19/03/13 12:43, name at domain escribió:
> You're easily as much of a bore as he is. Easily.
>
> That is all.

Probably because we both respond to science and not dogmas.

--
Saludos libres,

Quiliro Ordóñez
Presidente (en conjunto con el resto de socios)
Asociación de Software Libre del Ecuador - ASLE
Av de la Prensa N58-219 y Cristóbal Vaca de Castro
Quito, Ecuador
(02)-600 8579
09-845 8078
IRC: http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=asle&uio=OT10cnVlJjEwPXRydWU3a

Todo correo que reciba será tratado como información pública, de libre copia y modificación, sin importar cualquier nota de confidencialidad.

icarolongo
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 03/26/2011

Who called him "god" was Dan Lyons.

andrew
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 04/19/2012

> Please STOP CALLING HIM A "God", he is a just sinner, just like you and me. We should call him a "founder of GNU/Linux" nothing more, nothing less.

He's no god, but he's good at what he does.

I have bothered him with emails only once or twice, and he's very patient. Other people have said similar things about him as well. He takes the time to talk to people. I imagine he must get hundreds (or even thousands) of emails every day.

Plus he's committed and he sticks to his principles.

AndrewT

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 12/28/2009

Open Source advocate Eric Raymond has criticized RMS for using language that "simply doesn't persuade anybody" (though he doesn't think RMS' principles are wrong). I beg to differ: I am a person that he has persuaded, because he helped me make the connection between the ability to use, study, modify, and share copies of the software, and personal freedom in all other things. Maybe having Windows on a computer isn't the worst thing in the world, but in the aggregate, and on the societal level, this needs to change. Software, which is a set of logical machine instructions, needs to be free. Community, which is increasingly based upon or supplemented by software, needs to have autonomy. I hope for the end of the era of "all your data are belong to us." My recent reading of Orwell's 1984 only strengthened my conviction, since in that book an almighty managerial autocracy used technology to finally gain total surveillance and control over the masses.

But I have a rare ability to look past the face value. Most people are probably not persuaded by RMS, but perplexed. Digital technology is still a very new frontier, and it's hard for casual users to take its ethics seriously in the way they take ethics seriously in other matters (e.g. business, government corruption). Heck, it took thousands of years of society for the idea of human rights to gain the upper hand. So I am patient.

I thought Stallman was a "hippy" too at first, but that's another example of taking things at face value. He doesn't have a spiritual bone in his body, and a hippy is hardly concerned about tech. Rather, his look is that of a hacker who dwells in a basement. The fact that he looked much better when he was actually hacking to develop GNU in the 1980s is a great irony.

Another great irony is that his ideal of software is all about cooperation and sharing, but he doesn't seem to be much of a people person at all. Aspie? Yeah, probably.

Jodiendo
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 01/09/2013

Anyhow, Happy Birthday Old HIPPIE!

Jodiendo
Hors ligne
A rejoint: 01/09/2013

Gladly, I would pay from my own pocket, just to see this old hippie, with a good old haircut, a clean shave, and a good looking white Guayabera (Cuban Shirt) wearing a nice panama straw hat made of (Mimbre).

Mimmo_D.DN

I am a translator!

Hors ligne
A rejoint: 02/24/2013

Hi all,

[EN] I take this opportunity to thank on behalf of my community S. Richard M. Stallman, unanimously, considered as a marker for all those who takes the extent and scope of Free Foftware.

/*---*/

[FR] Je profite de cette occasion pour remercier au nom de ma communauté S. Richard M. Stallman, qui à l'unanimité, est considéré comme un marqueur pour tous ceux qui prennent la mesure et la portée du Logiciel Libre.

Librement.