Richard Stallman is one of the largest problems we have in the Linux (and Open Source) world today. He is a poor spokesman and he is out of touch with modern (and, even, semi-modern) technology.
Full story »Richard Stallman is one of the largest problems we have in the Linux (and Open Source) world today. He is a poor spokesman and he is out of touch with modern (and, even, semi-modern) technology.
Full story »
mikankun
14 years 39 weeks 4 days 23 hours ago
Lunduke's trolling is a
Lunduke's trolling is a never ending cycle. Stallman has never claimed to be either a Linux nor Open Source spokesperson. The article is nothing more than useless personal attacks on Stallman. The most ridiculous thing is that he claims Stallman is out of touch with modern technology simply because he could make due without a wireless connection on his OLPC. If thats the case then I guess I'm out of touch as well since I stick to wired connections in my house. I vote to keep Lunduke crap of the frontpage. The less exposure he gets, the better.
aboutblank
14 years 39 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago
Bringer of doom
What I got from this was confusion and failed logic. I will attempt to point out what is wrong.
RMS doesn't represent Linux nor Open Source. RMS often represents the FSF and the GNU project. RMS often represents himself as an activist of the free software movement.
RMS eating himself in a public setting is pretty weird. A lack of respect for traditional social customs doesn't mean RMS is losing mental acuity, it just means he's weird about social customs.
RMS has a very strong understanding of modern technology. It is this understanding that compels him to avoid some dangerous technology. RMS cannot live with himself knowing that he depends upon proprietary software. He would rather do without wireless functionality than being deprived of his freedom. This implies that he would probably use the wireless functionality when his freedom is respected.
RMS doesn't browse the web in the traditional way for personal reasons. It seems that RMS cannot afford to browse the web like we do, so he designed a system that makes efficient use of his time. In case Lunduke didn't realise it, the web was originally intended as a hyperlinked collection of hypertext documents available over the Internet and RMS takes avantage of this understanding: he would collect the web pages to read at a convenient time.
Lunduke implicitly presupposes that all pedophilia is harmful but places no argument to support this premise, instead choosing to take RMS's belief as a joke.
I question whether Lunduke understands what is RMS's points are about the Gates Foundation (GF). I personally found them sound. The fact that the GF commits unparalleled number of good actions does not absolve them of direct support for immoral things. RMS's point was that GF invests in companies that demonstratively harm society.
In conclusion, I think Lunduke has poor acuity for making bad conclusions from his observation. Lunduke is also confused about many points.
charlesgoodwin
14 years 38 weeks 6 days 14 hours ago
Um.......
RMS is probably the greatest Free Software person of them all. He practically invented the movement.
Nobody else spent night and day for years working on their own to replicate most of the tools needed to spring free of the commerical software trap. They guy didn't just have vision, he had dedication, and was prepared to sacrifice the comfortable life he could easily attain with his skills for one of relative poverty but moral purity.
He is a legend and to be looked up to. Sure, he's eccentric, aren't all visionaries? Sure he says some abrasive and sometimes incorrect things, but they are like scratches on a diamond. The world be a much better place if everybody were a bit more like him.
I don't mean to be hero worshipping, but the fact is all you armchair critics of him, spouting your hate and ignorance, you don't rack up next to him in terms of accomplishments and service given to the world.
The Free software world, even Linux, would not be what it is today without this guy. We might all still be paying for basic crappy expensive software instead of the amazing choice we currently enjoy.
Balzac
14 years 38 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago
Lunduke doesn't have to worry.
All it takes is a person who understands the reasonable words of Richard Stallman regarding software freedom and who goes forth with that message. It's not so hard, and it doesn't require any hand-wringing about RMS' eccentricities. He figures a bunch of stuff out, and he doesn't attempt to be Regis Philben.