Keep in mind that RMS' email policy should not be confused with his face-to-face conversational style. I ran into him at a train station in Milan, and complete

Keep in mind that RMS' email policy should not be confused with his face-to-face conversational style. I ran into him at a train station in Milan, and completely commandeered his time and attention for a good 30 minutes, despite the fact that he had a train to catch. He politely answered all of my questions, and he even responded to my criticisms with civility and respect. If you ever get him in a casual, face-to-face conversation, you will find that he actually comes across as quite meek and restrained, rather than the arrogant blow-hard that he is generally portrayed to be.