Stream of Freedom

RMS: In this chapter, I corrected many statements regarding my thoughts and feelings, and softened the unwarranted hostility in describing certain events. Williams' statements are quoted in their original form unless indicated otherwise.

Ask anyone who has spent more than a minute in the presence of Richard Stallman, and they will all tell you roughly the same thing: forget about his long hair, forget about his eccentricities, the first thing you will notice is his gaze. Just look into his green eyes once, and you'll understand that you are facing a true advocate.

To call Stallman obsessed is an understatement. He doesn't look at you; he looks through you. When you avert your gaze out of tact, Stallman's eyes begin to burn into your head like two laser beams.

Perhaps that's why most authors describe Stallman in a religious style. In an article on Salon.com from 1998 titled "The Saint of Free Software," Andrew Leonard describes Stallman's green eyes as "radiating the power of an Old Testament prophet." A 1999 article in Wired claims that Stallman's beard makes him "look like Rasputin." And in Stallman's dossier, London Guardian his smile is called "the smile of an apostle after having met Jesus."

Such analogies are impressive but do not correspond to reality. They depict some unattainable, supernatural being, whereas the real Stallman is as vulnerable as any human. Watch his eyes for a while, and you'll understand: Richard is not hypnotizing you or drilling you with his gaze; he is trying to establish eye contact. This is the manifestation of Asperger's syndrome, the shadow of which lies over Stallman's psyche. Richard finds it difficult to interact with people; he does not sense contact and has to rely on theoretical reasoning rather than emotions in communication. Another sign is periodic withdrawals into himself. Stallman's eyes, even in bright light, can become still and dull, like a wounded animal that is about to leave this world.

I first encountered that peculiar gaze from Stallman in March 1999 at the "LinuxWorld Conference and Expo" in San Jose. This was a conference for people and companies involved with free software, a sort of 'evening of recognition.' It was such an evening for Stallman too—he decided to actively participate, conveying to journalists and the public the story of the GNU project and its ideology.

At that moment, I inadvertently received a guide on how to deal with Stallman. This happened during a press conference dedicated to the release of GNOME 1.0, a free graphical desktop environment. Unknowingly, I pressed Stallman’s hot buttons just by asking, 'Do you think the maturity of GNOME will impact the commercial success of the Linux operating system?'

"Please stop calling the operating system just Linux," Stallman replied, immediately fixing his gaze on me, "the Linux kernel is only a small part of the operating system. Many of the utilities and applications that make up the operating system you simply call Linux were not developed by Torvalds but by volunteers from the GNU project. They spent their personal time to ensure that people had a free operating system. It is rude and ignorant to disregard the contributions of these individuals. Therefore, I ask you: when you speak about the operating system, please refer to it as GNU/Linux."

As I recorded this tirade in my reporter's notebook, I looked up and found Stallman drilling into me with an unwavering gaze amidst the ringing silence. A hesitant question from another journalist broke the tension—this time, the question certainly included 'GNU/Linux', not just 'Linux'. Miguel de Icaza, the leader of the GNOME project, began to answer, and only halfway through his response did Stallman finally avert his gaze, sending a shiver of relief down my spine. When Stallman scolds someone else for a mistake in naming the system, you feel glad that he isn’t looking at you.

Stallman's tirades yield results: many journalists stop referring to the operating system simply as Linux. For Stallman, holding people accountable for omitting GNU from the system's name is merely a practical way to remind them of the value of the GNU project. Ultimately, Wired.com compares Richard to a Leninist Bolshevik revolutionary, who was later erased from history along with his deeds. Similarly, the computer industry, especially certain companies, seeks to downplay the significance of GNU and its philosophy. Other articles followed, and although few journalists explicitly refer to the system as GNU/Linux in writing, most of them still give credit to Stallman for creating free software.

After that, I didn't meet Stallman for almost 17 months. During this time, he visited Silicon Valley again for the August 1999 LinuxWorld show, and without any official presentations, he graced the event with his presence. Accepting the Linus Torvalds Award on behalf of the Free Software Foundation for his contributions to society, Stallman wittily remarked: "Awarding the Free Software Foundation with the Linus Torvalds Award is like awarding the Rebel Alliance with the Han Solo Award."

However, this time Richard's words didn't make a splash in the media. In the middle of the week, Red Hat, a major software producer associated with GNU/Linux, went public through a stock offering. This news confirmed what had previously only been suspected: 'Linux' was becoming a buzzword on Wall Street, akin to what 'e-commerce' and 'dot-com' had been before. The stock market was nearing its peak, and therefore all political discussions surrounding free software and open source took a backseat.

Perhaps that's why Stallman was not at the third LinuxWorld in 2000. Soon after, I met Richard for the second time and his signature piercing gaze. I heard he was heading to Silicon Valley and invited him for an interview in Palo Alto. The choice of location added an ironic touch to the interview – few cities in the U.S., except for Redmond, can more eloquently affirm the economic value of proprietary software than Palo Alto. It was fascinating to see how Stallman, with his uncompromising battle against selfishness and greed, would comport himself in a city where a dilapidated garage costs no less than $500,000.

Following Stallman's directions, I make my way to the headquarters of Art.net, a non-profit "virtual association of artists." The headquarters is a slightly patched-up shed behind a hedge on the northern edge of the city. Suddenly, the picture of "Stallman in the heart of Silicon Valley" loses all surrealism.

I find Stallman in a dark room, sitting behind a laptop typing away. As soon as I enter, he greets me with his 200-watt green lasers but manages to warmly welcome me in a serene manner, and I respond in kind. Richard lowers his eyes back to the laptop screen.

Source: linux.org.ru

Free as in Freedom in Russian: Chapter 5. Stream of Freedom

Stream of Freedom