RMS: An American Free Software Advocate
by Ronnie Whisler
Richard Mathew Stallman or “RMS”, his famous initials of the hacker community at Harvard where he graduated magna cum laude in Physics in 1974, is the most prominent American Free Software Advocate alive today. Stallman has become very successful in his quest to give freedom to computer users “by replacing proprietary software under restrictive licensing terms with free software, having the ultimate goal of liberating everyone” (Daly). Stallman began his successful movement out of his necessity to be able to get work done more efficiently.
“In 1980, Stallman and some other hackers at MIT were refused access to the source code for the software of the first laser printer”(Williams). Source code is like the DNA of a program. Programs can be written in many different languages the same as life has many different forms yet all life must have DNA the same as all programs must have source code. “Stallman having modified the source code on an older printer so it could message a user when another person's job was printed, and message all logged-in users when the printer was jammed was unable to add this feature to the new printer. This one experience convinced Stallman of people's need to be free to modify the software they use”(Williams).
In 1983 Stallman wanted to create a free Unix-like operating system so he launched the GNU Project and set up the Free Software Foundation just a couple years later. “The name “GNU” was chosen because it met a few requirements; “first, it was a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix”, second, because it was a real word, and third, it was fun to say” (FSF).
Stallman also pioneered the concept of copyleft which is a legal mechanism to protect the modification and redistribution rights for free software. He is the main author of several copyleft licenses including the GNU General Public License (GPL), the most widely used free software license. “The Foundations of the GPL states that nobody should be restricted by the software they use. There are four freedoms that every user should have:
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the freedom to use the software for any purpose,
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the freedom to change the software to suit your needs,
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the freedom to share the software with your friends and neighbors, and
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the freedom to share the changes you make” (FSF).
In 1991 a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds used the GNU development tools to produce the Linux kernel. Finally Stallmans Free Unix like operating system was possible. The kernel was the last piece of code needed to be able to build Stallmans dream. Shortly after Linus Torvalds released the kernel under the GPL license, GNU/Linux was born. GNU/Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. This operating system is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed, both commercially and non-commercially, by anyone under the terms of the GNU GPL.
Businesses such as Intel, IBM, Sony, Dell, Apple, Google and Hewlett Packard help develop and contribute source code under Stallman's GPL License. These contributions lead to efforts like “The One Laptop Per Child Association which uses a GNU/Linux operating system to create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning” (OLPC).
GNU/Linux was and continues to be the driving force behind Google's information services, which help the world stay connected, informed and educated. Google was created by two students of Standford University who simply didn't have enough money to launch their idea using proprietary software. Today Google runs all of its services on several server farms, each comprising thousands of low-cost commodity computers running stripped-down versions of GNU/Linux. GNU/Linux is also the heart of a new free operating system from Google called Chromium OS which debuts in mid 2010.
“In 1999, Stallman called for development of a free on-line encyclopedia through the means of inviting the public to contribute articles called GNUPedia” (FSF). This project became the inspiration behind Wikipedia which is now endorsed by Stallman and accessed by millions daily, helping society evolve through freely accessible knowledge.
“Stallman argues that the term "intellectual property" is designed to confuse people, and is used to prevent intelligent discussion on the specifics of copyright, patent, trademark and other laws by lumping together areas of law that are more dissimilar than similar. He also argues that by referring to these laws as "property" laws, the term biases the discussion when thinking about how to treat these issues” (Transcript Torino).
“These laws originated separately, evolved differently, cover different activities, have different rules, and raise different public policy issues. Copyright law was designed to promote authorship and art, and covers the details of a work of authorship or art. Patent law was intended to encourage publication of ideas, at the price of finite monopolies over these ideas — a price that may be worth paying in some fields and not in others. Trademark law was not intended to promote any business activity, but simply to enable buyers to know what they are buying” (Stallman).
Stallmans views on patent monopolies stretches outside the realm of sheer source code. Stallman argues that patent monopolies on plant, animals, genes, and new medicines “threaten to harm developing countries in three ways. First, by raising prices so far that most citizens have no access to these new developments: second, by blocking local production when the patent owner so chooses: third, for agricultural varieties, by forbidding farmers to continue breeding them as has been done for thousands of years.” Stallmans influence and success for everyones freedoms and the common good of others is something to be admired.
“When asked about his influences, he replied that he admires Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Ralph Nader, and Dennis Kucinich, and commented as well: "I admire Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, even though I criticize some of the things that they did." Stallman is a Green Party supporter, and a supporter of the National Initiative proposal” (FSF India).
In conclusion its important to remember that the rights of people and the common good comes in many different formats. We should be careful not to overlook these necessary rights and freedoms when considering the software that runs the worlds computers. Computers have become this generations industrial revolution. Stallman believes we need liberated from proprietary software that cripples the ability to participate in that revolution.
Works Cited
Williams, Sam (2002). Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0-596-00287-4. Chapter 1. Available under the GFDL in both the initial O'Reilly edition and the updated FAIFzilla edition.
Stallman, Richard (N.D.). "Richard Stallman's 1983 biography". Richard Stallman's homepage (Published in the first edition of "The Hacker's Dictionary"). http://www.stallman.org/. Retrieved 20 November 2008. "
FSF “The GNU Operating System - What is GNU?” Free Software Foundation. September 4, 2009. http://www.gnu.org/. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
FSF India: “Q & A session with Richard M. Stallman” Free Software Foundation of India.
http://www.gnu.org.in/node/68. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
Transcript in Torino “Richard Stallman speaking on GPLv3". 18 March 2006. http://www.fsfeurope.org/projects/gplv3/torino-rms-transcript.en.html#note-on-ip Retrieved 2009-11-11.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a low-cost, connected laptop for the world's children's education". 2008-06-08. http://laptop.org/vision/index.shtml. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
Sean Daly “Stallman interview” Groklaw. 2006-06-23. http://www.groklaw.net/article.php? story=20060625001523547 Retrieved 2009-11-11.
