7 ms·

Interview with Richard Stallman

36 points by octopus 16y ago

drinian 16y ago
Looks like he's still reading websites via an HTML-to-email gateway; good for him! Interesting that he mentions Diaspora, but not GNU Social.
- burgerbrain 16y ago
  "However, even if I could browse a site daily, I couldn't afford the time to do it myself. I can barely keep up with the work I have to do." A very valid point.
  - billmcneale 16y ago
    Most of the "work he has to do" is to receive HTML pages in email and decoding them (I'm guessing mutt or similar). No wonder he doesn't have time for anything else.
    - burgerbrain 16y ago
      Really?!? You think RMS reads mail in mutt? Are you not familiar with this man at all?
      - billmcneale 16y ago
        [shrug] Maybe mutt is not GPL, I don't know. You get my point. He lives on a different planet.
        deleted 16y ago
        [deleted]
        burgerbrain 16y ago
        He invented Emacs man, I would stake money on him using it for everything. I'd be surprised if he even used X. I bet he uses Emacs in a framebuffer VT.
        puppetmanbeast 16y ago
        He has said before that he hardly ever leaves Emacs, and he starts X when he needs to do something graphical, which is rare, but he does do it from time to time. And yes, he reads his email in Emacs, and maybe views HTML files in something like Links. I don't think Emacs has an HTML viewer, but I could be wrong.
        phaer 16y ago
        Of course you can view HTML in emacs! Nowadays most people use emacs-w3m as HTML viewer/browser in emacs. It's quite easy to integrate it with gnus, rmail or other emacs mail clients.
        puppetmanbeast 16y ago
        Holy hell! Emacs really can do everything! :] I'll be using that instead of Links now, thanks.
- BasDirks 16y ago
  "Stallman: The usual way I look at web pages is by sending a message to an address that runs a script and mails me the contents. This works for fetching specific pages that people recommend to me, but not for browsing." Like a boss.
runjake 16y ago
There are a lot of "we should's" in the answers. Meanwhile, nobody seems real interested and their HURD kernel still isn't up to snuff after decades.
- pjscott 16y ago
  In happier news, the GNU userland software continues to be important and useful. Please don't downplay the GNU project's contributions. Argue with them if you like -- there's a lot to disagree with -- but at least acknowledge what they've done.
  - billmcneale 16y ago
    Gnuemacs. Can we ignore them for real now?
callumjones 16y ago
"certain amount of sacrifice" Consumers just want to use a device and get on with their lives. These movements such as boycotting Flash & H.264 for WebM or taking VLC off the App Store to protest against Apple benefit no one. Having said that I'm very grateful to have GNU Linux and GCC around with us today.
- noibl 16y ago
  'These movements' have nothing to do with protest. They change the world by providing (or at the very least, opening the door to) better user experiences over the long term. (See: Darwin, LLVM, WebKit.) The vast majority of criticisms like this one are based on short term concerns related to a given state-of-play in the market. Concerns like the ones that killed Linux stone dead back in the '90s, web standards in the mid-2000s, and *ndroid.
angrycoder 16y ago
>" Torvalds rejects the goal of freedom for software users, and when people attribute the development of GNU/Linux to him, he uses his influence to lead them to devalue their own freedom. Giving the GNU Project equal mention will help give us equal influence to counter that." As someone who isn't intimately familiar with the open source or free software world, what does that mean? I thought Stallman and Torvalds were both the good guys. This makes them sound like mortal enemies.
- svlla 16y ago
  It means that Stallman likes being disgruntled even when the stakes are so low. Stallman calls BSD advertising clauses "obnoxious"[1] but apparently his obnoxiousness over similar issues of attribution and influence are righteous. Lulz. [1] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/bsd.html http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/bsd.html
  - gnufreex 16y ago
    Stallman doesn't force anyone to attribute him. If he wanted to force, he would put that in GPL. Read last few questions in GNU/Linux naming FAQ http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#force http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#force
    - deleted 16y ago
      [deleted]
- callumjones 16y ago
  They are, but Stallman believes he is the "gooder" guy. Stallman's approach to software is to make it free and open at all costs where Linus is more concerned about accessibility of his software to consumers and developers.
- adolfojp 16y ago
  RMS is an idealist. Torvalds is more of a pragmatist. Quote from Linus: There are "extremists" in the free software world, but that's one major reason why I don't call what I do "free software" any more. I don't want to be associated with the people for whom it's about exclusion and hatred. And another one Anybody who tells me I can't use a program because it's not open source, go suck on rms. I'm not interested. 99% of that I run tends to be open source, but that's my choice, dammit.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

36 points by octopus 16y ago

Looks like he's still reading websites via an HTML-to-email gateway; good for him! Interesting that he mentions Diaspora, but not GNU Social.

burgerbrain 16y ago
"However, even if I could browse a site daily, I couldn't afford the time to do it myself. I can barely keep up with the work I have to do." A very valid point.
- billmcneale 16y ago
  Most of the "work he has to do" is to receive HTML pages in email and decoding them (I'm guessing mutt or similar). No wonder he doesn't have time for anything else.
  - burgerbrain 16y ago
    Really?!? You think RMS reads mail in mutt? Are you not familiar with this man at all?
    - billmcneale 16y ago
      [shrug] Maybe mutt is not GPL, I don't know. You get my point. He lives on a different planet.
      - deleted 16y ago
        [deleted]
      - burgerbrain 16y ago
        He invented Emacs man, I would stake money on him using it for everything. I'd be surprised if he even used X. I bet he uses Emacs in a framebuffer VT.
        puppetmanbeast 16y ago
        He has said before that he hardly ever leaves Emacs, and he starts X when he needs to do something graphical, which is rare, but he does do it from time to time. And yes, he reads his email in Emacs, and maybe views HTML files in something like Links. I don't think Emacs has an HTML viewer, but I could be wrong.
        phaer 16y ago
        Of course you can view HTML in emacs! Nowadays most people use emacs-w3m as HTML viewer/browser in emacs. It's quite easy to integrate it with gnus, rmail or other emacs mail clients.
        puppetmanbeast 16y ago
        Holy hell! Emacs really can do everything! :] I'll be using that instead of Links now, thanks.
BasDirks 16y ago
"Stallman: The usual way I look at web pages is by sending a message to an address that runs a script and mails me the contents. This works for fetching specific pages that people recommend to me, but not for browsing." Like a boss.

runjake 16y ago

There are a lot of "we should's" in the answers. Meanwhile, nobody seems real interested and their HURD kernel still isn't up to snuff after decades.

pjscott 16y ago
In happier news, the GNU userland software continues to be important and useful. Please don't downplay the GNU project's contributions. Argue with them if you like -- there's a lot to disagree with -- but at least acknowledge what they've done.
- billmcneale 16y ago
  Gnuemacs. Can we ignore them for real now?

callumjones 16y ago

"certain amount of sacrifice" Consumers just want to use a device and get on with their lives. These movements such as boycotting Flash & H.264 for WebM or taking VLC off the App Store to protest against Apple benefit no one. Having said that I'm very grateful to have GNU Linux and GCC around with us today.

noibl 16y ago
'These movements' have nothing to do with protest. They change the world by providing (or at the very least, opening the door to) better user experiences over the long term. (See: Darwin, LLVM, WebKit.) The vast majority of criticisms like this one are based on short term concerns related to a given state-of-play in the market. Concerns like the ones that killed Linux stone dead back in the '90s, web standards in the mid-2000s, and *ndroid.

angrycoder 16y ago

>" Torvalds rejects the goal of freedom for software users, and when people attribute the development of GNU/Linux to him, he uses his influence to lead them to devalue their own freedom. Giving the GNU Project equal mention will help give us equal influence to counter that." As someone who isn't intimately familiar with the open source or free software world, what does that mean? I thought Stallman and Torvalds were both the good guys. This makes them sound like mortal enemies.

svlla 16y ago
It means that Stallman likes being disgruntled even when the stakes are so low. Stallman calls BSD advertising clauses "obnoxious"[1] but apparently his obnoxiousness over similar issues of attribution and influence are righteous. Lulz. [1] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/bsd.html http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/bsd.html
- gnufreex 16y ago
  Stallman doesn't force anyone to attribute him. If he wanted to force, he would put that in GPL. Read last few questions in GNU/Linux naming FAQ http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#force http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html#force
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
callumjones 16y ago
They are, but Stallman believes he is the "gooder" guy. Stallman's approach to software is to make it free and open at all costs where Linus is more concerned about accessibility of his software to consumers and developers.
adolfojp 16y ago
RMS is an idealist. Torvalds is more of a pragmatist. Quote from Linus: There are "extremists" in the free software world, but that's one major reason why I don't call what I do "free software" any more. I don't want to be associated with the people for whom it's about exclusion and hatred. And another one Anybody who tells me I can't use a program because it's not open source, go suck on rms. I'm not interested. 99% of that I run tends to be open source, but that's my choice, dammit.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]