3 ms·

same for me, except around 2003. RMS is a difficult guy but he tends to be right.

Zigurd 15y ago
RMS is difficult because he is consistent, because he is right about difficult topics, and because people have a natural tendency to be comforted by authoritarians. But the issues RMS writes and speaks about are fundamental to human rights, and to the continued ability to create and innovate and create value without getting prior permission.
- cookiecaper 15y ago
  I think RMS is difficult because he is not cooperative with people who don't share his views in their totality and because like many socially-awkward engineers, he has a penchant for making some really offensive and petty statements over what should simply be an ideological disagreement. I agree with Stallman in many ways but I also have some important and major disagreements. I am sure that he would call me an enemy to free software, even though I regularly contribute to it, and that he would therefore consider my actions absolutely immoral and inexcusable. But I don't think it's immoral and inexcusable to charge money for things in a meaningful way (i.e., a way that actually generates money), at least not in the current context. I've read Stallman's arguments and don't find them particularly convincing. I also don't believe that GNU is entitled to a prefix every time a complete system that uses the Linux kernel and GNU toolchain is mentioned. So where does that leave me? As far as I can tell, Stallman would refuse to work with me, disavow any relationship with me, and consider me an immoral provocateur that harms free software no matter how much good I do for it in actuality (due to my disavowal of freedom 2 as an essential element in moral software). That kind of hardcore, unyielding, exclusive ideology makes it really hard to get anywhere with people. You can't show someone the error of their ways if you refuse to associate or cooperate with them.
- neilk 15y ago
  No, there are lots of authors who do that and still have a following. 1. As an advocate, RMS scores own goals far too often. RMS seems to go out of his way to present himself as an eccentric who has no comprehension of social norms. I've also seen an entire roomful of people who were ready to eviscerate a new Microsoft technology (this was back when trusted computing was being introduced) suddenly flip around to sympathy with the Microsoft guy when Stallman weighed in. 2. Being RMS' friend is almost as bad as being his enemy. He will condemn someone who has a slightly different position, or has made compromises, with equal vituperation as someone who is directly opposed. I also know someone who got into trouble with his own repressive government due to RMS being unable to keep his mouth shut on issues he didn't understand. (Please don't ask for details.) It's sad because, like the OP, I think RMS is fundamentally right about these issues.
  - _delirium 15y ago
    I think those are true, but I think it's basically RMS's personality, so you get the bad with the good. I don't think he's really going out of his way to present himself as such; as far as I can tell he really doesn't have any real comprehension of social norms. I hear similar tales from MIT alumni about even casual encounters with him in hallways or elevators being pretty weird.
jaekwon 15y ago
Consider me in, since 2012-01-02.
- forcefsck 15y ago
  Better late than never.

RMS is difficult because he is consistent, because he is right about difficult topics, and because people have a natural tendency to be comforted by authoritarians. But the issues RMS writes and speaks about are fundamental to human rights, and to the continued ability to create and innovate and create value without getting prior permission.

cookiecaper 15y ago
I think RMS is difficult because he is not cooperative with people who don't share his views in their totality and because like many socially-awkward engineers, he has a penchant for making some really offensive and petty statements over what should simply be an ideological disagreement. I agree with Stallman in many ways but I also have some important and major disagreements. I am sure that he would call me an enemy to free software, even though I regularly contribute to it, and that he would therefore consider my actions absolutely immoral and inexcusable. But I don't think it's immoral and inexcusable to charge money for things in a meaningful way (i.e., a way that actually generates money), at least not in the current context. I've read Stallman's arguments and don't find them particularly convincing. I also don't believe that GNU is entitled to a prefix every time a complete system that uses the Linux kernel and GNU toolchain is mentioned. So where does that leave me? As far as I can tell, Stallman would refuse to work with me, disavow any relationship with me, and consider me an immoral provocateur that harms free software no matter how much good I do for it in actuality (due to my disavowal of freedom 2 as an essential element in moral software). That kind of hardcore, unyielding, exclusive ideology makes it really hard to get anywhere with people. You can't show someone the error of their ways if you refuse to associate or cooperate with them.
neilk 15y ago
No, there are lots of authors who do that and still have a following. 1. As an advocate, RMS scores own goals far too often. RMS seems to go out of his way to present himself as an eccentric who has no comprehension of social norms. I've also seen an entire roomful of people who were ready to eviscerate a new Microsoft technology (this was back when trusted computing was being introduced) suddenly flip around to sympathy with the Microsoft guy when Stallman weighed in. 2. Being RMS' friend is almost as bad as being his enemy. He will condemn someone who has a slightly different position, or has made compromises, with equal vituperation as someone who is directly opposed. I also know someone who got into trouble with his own repressive government due to RMS being unable to keep his mouth shut on issues he didn't understand. (Please don't ask for details.) It's sad because, like the OP, I think RMS is fundamentally right about these issues.
- _delirium 15y ago
  I think those are true, but I think it's basically RMS's personality, so you get the bad with the good. I don't think he's really going out of his way to present himself as such; as far as I can tell he really doesn't have any real comprehension of social norms. I hear similar tales from MIT alumni about even casual encounters with him in hallways or elevators being pretty weird.

jaekwon 15y ago

Consider me in, since 2012-01-02.

forcefsck 15y ago
Better late than never.