A conversation with Richard M Stallman

In the early and initial days (when open source, free software, and Linux were the same for me), I used to think of Richard M Stallman, known as RMS, in comparison with Mahatma Gandhi. One math professor there (at Cochin University of Science and Technology) gave a brief introduction and said that he feels RMS is comparable to Mahatma Gandhi.

RMS closed his eyes with shyness.Then he came to the microphone and said, "Well, I and my movement cannot be compared with Gandhi's because I do not have the courage that Gandhi had {I clapped here}, and the free software movement is not yet as successful as Gandhi's movement was."

Then it started with an explanation of the Free Software Movement and the GNU operating system. There was a lot of hackerish humor in between. For example: RMS said, "If you know how to swim, and you see a person drowning in a pool, and it is not Bush, wouldn't you save him?" This was in reference to helping your neighbor by sharing software, which is one of the freedoms provided by free software.

Moving on to serious issues, RMS said, "Idealism is practical. The people who say that idealism is not possible are wrong. If you have a long-range goal, you either need to have an ideal or lots of money. It is because of idealism that nations like India and the US exist."

The Q/A session followed. I had noted a few points to be asked/discussed:

  • About Don Hopkins.
  • About the MIT lab allowing RMS to program and start GNU after he had quit MIT.
  • About the teaching profession instead of being a waiter (as he mentioned in his speech).
  • Thanks for GNU Emacs.
  • About Donald Knuth and his perception of computer science, which is different.
  • Why not GNU HURD? Why is it still not happening?
  • Argentina and Germany, where lots of politics have crept into software.
  • Free software having a free market.
  • BASH - the best shell.
  • The GNU C library was developed by a 17-year-old - RMS didn't name him in the speech; I need to find links on it.
  • Which search engine do you use?
  • The fun of computer science is lost in the preaching and politics of free software. - Read this thought, and so on.

I started by asking, "Which search engine do you use?"

RMS replied: "None."

I could not proceed further, so I elaborated,

"When on cyberspace and you want to find something, which search engine do you use?"

He said: "I don't use any search engine because it is software running on their computer on their server, and I do not have any control over that."

I responded, "But many people, including me, use a search engine."

RMS replied: "It's up to you. I have chosen not to use any proprietary software and only use free software."

"By using search and the internet, I could locate information like OpenCourseWare provided by MIT."

RMS replied: "OpenCourseWare is not under a free license."

"But it improves the life of humanity."

RMS responded: "Yes, it improves the life of humanity, but it is not under a free license."

Later on, it became apparent that many more questions were to be asked by the audience. Questions about HURD followed, and he said that they are technical questions and that you should solve them. After having gotten an autograph in the GNU GPL and Free Software, Free Society book,

Do you still have contact with Don Hopkins?

RMS: At times.

What is he doing now? RMS: I don't know.

Do you think that things like WSF (I think, World Social Forum) will be able to combat Bush's policies? RMS: I don't know, but I am just doing it.

According to Indian philosophy, you need strength to combat strength.

RMS: (Agreeing to Indian thought) Yes, there should be more people. Why not you join in?

Hope you do more programming this year. Have fun with programming.

RMS: I need to talk about the free software philosophy. I don't get time to program these days.

But you are a guru, a master programmer.

RMS: (Nodding) Yes, but there are a lot of people programming, and very few talking about these matters.

  • Happy hacking.

RMS does not use anything other than free software. I do not know much about myself. I am not completely aligned with his views, but I respect RMS a lot.

There were newspaper articles regarding the Malayalam font released on that day. I just had a brief talk with the person. This Hindu article is about Maddog visiting India at SGI premises, Matthew Scheulk having a phone conversation with President APJ Abdul Kalam, and visiting India and RMS at WSF and Kerala.