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Richard Stallman Biography

Richard Stallman

Richard Matthew Stallman (/ˈstɔːlmən/; born March 16, 1953), often known by his initials, rms—is an American free software movement activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in a manner such that its users receive the freedoms to use, study, distribute and modify that software. Software that ensures these freedoms is termed free software. Stallman launched the GNU Project, founded the Free Software Foundation, developed the GNU Compiler Collection and GNU Emacs, and wrote the GNU General Public License.

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Richard Stallman Quotes

I never imagined that the Free Software Movement would spawn a watered-down alternative, the Open Source Movement, which would become so well-known that people would ask me questions about "open source" thinking that I work under that banner.

Alternatives, People, Questions, Source, Thinking, Under

Copying all or parts of a program is as natural to a programmer as breathing, and as productive. It ought to be as free.

Breathing, Copying, Free, Natural, Productive, Programmer

If the users don't control the program, the program controls the users. With proprietary software, there is always some entity, the "owner" of the program, that controls the program and through it, exercises power over its users. A nonfree program is a yoke, an instrument of unjust power.

Entity, Exercise, Power, Software, Unjust, Yoke

If you can find a host for me that has a friendly parrot, I will be very very glad… DON'T buy a parrot figuring that it will be a fun surprise for me. To acquire a parrot is a major decision: it is likely to outlive you. If you don't know how to treat the parrot, it could be emotionally scarred and spend many decades feeling frightened and unhappy. If you buy a captured wild parrot, you will promote a cruel and devastating practice, and the parrot will be emotionally scarred before you get it. Meeting that sad animal is not an agreeable surprise.

Acquire, Animal, Decision, Fun, Practice, Scarred

The paradigm of competition is a race: by rewarding the winner, we encourage everyone to run faster. When capitalism really works this way, it does a good job; but its defenders are wrong in assuming it always works this way.

Assuming, Competition, Jobs, Race, Running, Winner

Facebook is not your friend, it is a surveillance engine.

Engine, Engines, Facebook, Friend, Surveillance

You can use any editor you want, but remember that vi vi vi is the text editor of the beast.

Editor, Editors, Remember, Text, Use, Want

The principal lesson of Emacs is that a language for extensions should not be a mere "extension language". It should be a real programming language, designed for writing and maintaining substantial programs. Because people will want to do that!

Extensions, Language, Lesson, People, Real, Writing

People get the government their behavior deserves. People deserve better than that.

Deserve Better, Deserves, Government, People

Because I don't believe that it's really desirable to have security on a computer, I shouldn't be willing to help uphold the security regime.

Believe, Computer, Helping, Security, Uphold

If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict the use of these programs.

Creating, Program, Programs, Punished, Same, Use

Without absolute certainty, what do we do? We do the best we can. Injustice is happening now; suffering is happening now. We have choices to make now. To insist on absolute certainty before starting to apply ethics to life decisions is a way of choosing to be amoral.

Choices, Decision, Ethics, Life, Starting, Suffering

For personal reasons, I do not browse the web from my computer. (I also have not net connection much of the time. ) To look at page I send mail to a demon which runs wget and mails the page back to me. It is very efficient use of my time, but it is slow in real time.

Browse, Connection, Connections, Real, Running, Use

I consider that the Golden Rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. Software sellers want to divide the users and conquer them, making each user agree not to share with others. I refuse to break solidarity with other users in this way.

Golden, People, Program, Refuse, Want

Giving the Linus Torvalds Award to the Free Software Foundation is a bit like giving the Han Solo Award to the Rebel Alliance.

Awards, Free, Giving, Han, Learning, Software

We need to teach people to refuse to install non-free plug-ins; we need to teach people to care more about their long-term interest of freedom than their immediate desire to view a particular site.

Care, Long, People, Teach, Views

Programming is not a science. Programming is a craft.

Craft, Crafts, Programming, Science

Laws that oppress people have no moral authority

Law, Laws, Moral, People

To be able to choose between proprietary software packages is to be able to choose your master. Freedom means not having a master.

Able, Choose, Freedom, Masters, Mean, Packages

It doesn't take special talents to reproduce--even plants can do it. On the other hand, contributing to a program like Emacs takes real skill. That is really something to be proud of. It helps more people, too.

Hands, Program, Real, Skills, Special

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