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>Richard Stallman: >I don’t know how to make a screenshot, because I normally use my computer in text-mode. I have X and GNOME installed, but I use them only o

>Richard Stallman: >I don’t know how to make a screenshot, because I normally use my computer in text-mode. I have X and GNOME installed, but I use them only occasionally. I find it weird that the man is such a visionary in concept, but such a Luddite in actual day-to-day. Elsewhere, I've seen him explain that he still "views" most webpages by cURL'ing them and printing them to paper.

wipseabusbus 7y ago
And also icecat with tor https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html
AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago
The older I get and the more I see how complicated and full of bullshit computing has become, the more I think he may have the right idea.
- bunderbunder 7y ago
  Yeah, about the only bit there that gets me is the printing. But I'd be a happy camper if more webpages could be effectively used with `curl <url> | less`. I also realize that it's difficult to make the kinds of social media inspired experiences™ that most consumers expect nowadays without some curl-breaking beast like React or Vue, and that most websites nowadays see themselves as an entertainment medium more often than they do a simple conduit for the transfer of information. I am beginning to think that that, too, speaks to what RMS is on about.
- pradn 7y ago
  I was recently setting up my machine and figured I'd try 'mutt', the terminal mail reader. It's a pain to install and isn't great for HTML emails, but it sure is blazing fast and allows me to create custom macros that are really useful. Maybe if I stick with it, it'll be faster than GMail. But then again, after I set up some filters, my volume of email to look at in GMail was pretty low, so the performance advantages of 'mutt' are not as important now. It feels super cool though. We can't underestimate the aesthetic value of cool terminals.
awake 7y ago
He walks the walk and talks the talk. People may think he’s backwards or annoying but he’s consistently maintained his philosophy that software should be free. The fact that he has to use absurd measures to consume what everyone else does is a statement about the limitations of free software not a statement about his workflow preferences.
- saas_sam 7y ago
  Does he think every written product should be free, or just software? Or is he just against paying people for their time?
  - bunderbunder 7y ago
    It's probably best to get that from the horse's mouth: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.en.html https://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.en.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html
    - saas_sam 7y ago
      Thank you! Very helpful.
  - geophertz 7y ago
    This answer would require to explain the whole free software ideology. If you want to know more, just type Richard Stallman on Youtube to see one of his talks. Or you can go to the free software foundation: https://www.fsf.org/ https://www.fsf.org/ EDIT: the moment I posted this I wasn't aware someone had already replied
  - camgunz 7y ago
    Maybe just google even a little bit about the FSF.
  - catacombs 7y ago
    > Or is he just against paying people for their time? He definitely has no problem collecting speaker fees from conferences and universities all over the world.
yeowMeng 7y ago
He is free to compute as he desires. He has worked a lifetime for that freedom. As for a luddite, he has enabled generations to forge new wild techno paths.. So literally the opposite of a luddite.
DesiLurker 7y ago
He is not paranoid, he's just setting an example of how the life's 'ought to' be without unnecessary corporate intervention. & I'd argue that he is doing so at a great personal cost so I am thankful to him for being as such, I do wish that he'd be a bit more creative in avoiding censorship/tracking in his day-to-day life.
loser777 7y ago
Quite the opposite; he likely does this because he is very mindful of what "viewing a webpage" actually entails and how much he is willing to identify himself. See "How I use the Internet" https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html

wipseabusbus 7y ago

And also icecat with tor https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html

AnIdiotOnTheNet 7y ago

The older I get and the more I see how complicated and full of bullshit computing has become, the more I think he may have the right idea.

bunderbunder 7y ago
Yeah, about the only bit there that gets me is the printing. But I'd be a happy camper if more webpages could be effectively used with `curl <url> | less`. I also realize that it's difficult to make the kinds of social media inspired experiences™ that most consumers expect nowadays without some curl-breaking beast like React or Vue, and that most websites nowadays see themselves as an entertainment medium more often than they do a simple conduit for the transfer of information. I am beginning to think that that, too, speaks to what RMS is on about.
pradn 7y ago
I was recently setting up my machine and figured I'd try 'mutt', the terminal mail reader. It's a pain to install and isn't great for HTML emails, but it sure is blazing fast and allows me to create custom macros that are really useful. Maybe if I stick with it, it'll be faster than GMail. But then again, after I set up some filters, my volume of email to look at in GMail was pretty low, so the performance advantages of 'mutt' are not as important now. It feels super cool though. We can't underestimate the aesthetic value of cool terminals.

awake 7y ago

He walks the walk and talks the talk. People may think he’s backwards or annoying but he’s consistently maintained his philosophy that software should be free. The fact that he has to use absurd measures to consume what everyone else does is a statement about the limitations of free software not a statement about his workflow preferences.

saas_sam 7y ago
Does he think every written product should be free, or just software? Or is he just against paying people for their time?
- bunderbunder 7y ago
  It's probably best to get that from the horse's mouth: https://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.en.html https://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.en.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html
  - saas_sam 7y ago
    Thank you! Very helpful.
- geophertz 7y ago
  This answer would require to explain the whole free software ideology. If you want to know more, just type Richard Stallman on Youtube to see one of his talks. Or you can go to the free software foundation: https://www.fsf.org/ https://www.fsf.org/ EDIT: the moment I posted this I wasn't aware someone had already replied
- camgunz 7y ago
  Maybe just google even a little bit about the FSF.
- catacombs 7y ago
  > Or is he just against paying people for their time? He definitely has no problem collecting speaker fees from conferences and universities all over the world.

yeowMeng 7y ago

He is free to compute as he desires. He has worked a lifetime for that freedom. As for a luddite, he has enabled generations to forge new wild techno paths.. So literally the opposite of a luddite.

DesiLurker 7y ago

He is not paranoid, he's just setting an example of how the life's 'ought to' be without unnecessary corporate intervention. & I'd argue that he is doing so at a great personal cost so I am thankful to him for being as such, I do wish that he'd be a bit more creative in avoiding censorship/tracking in his day-to-day life.

loser777 7y ago

Quite the opposite; he likely does this because he is very mindful of what "viewing a webpage" actually entails and how much he is willing to identify himself. See "How I use the Internet" https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html