{"id":35926,"date":"2019-10-31T22:07:36","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/free-as-in-freedom-na-russkom-glava-5-rucheyok-svobody\/"},"modified":"2019-10-31T22:07:36","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T19:07:36","slug":"free-as-in-freedom-na-russkom-glava-5-rucheyok-svobody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/news\/free-as-in-freedom-na-russkom-glava-5-rucheyok-svobody","title":{"rendered":"Free as in Freedom in Russian: Chapter 5. Stream of Freedom","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Free as in Freedom in English: Chapter 1. The Fateful Printer<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/noindex><\/noindex>
\n<\/p>\n

Free as in Freedom in English: Chapter 2. 2001: A Hacker Odyssey<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/noindex>
\n<\/p>\n

Free as in Freedom in English: Chapter 3. The Portrait of a Hacker in Youth<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/noindex>
\n<\/p>\n

Free as in Freedom in English: Chapter 4. Debunking the God<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/noindex><\/p>\n

Stream of Freedom<\/h1>\n
\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ask anyone who has spent more than a minute in Richard Stallman's company, and they will all tell you approximately the same thing: forget about his long hair, forget about his quirks; the first thing you will notice is his gaze. Just look into his green eyes once, and you'll realize that you are seeing a true devotee.<\/p>\n

To call Stallman obsessed would be an understatement. He doesn\u2019t look at you; he sees through you. When you avert your gaze out of courtesy, Stallman's eyes begin to burn into your head like two laser beams.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that's why most authors describe Stallman in a religious style. In an article on Salon.com<\/em> In 1998, under the headline 'A Saint of Free Software', Andrew Leonard called Stallman's green eyes 'radiating the power of an Old Testament prophet'. A 1999 article in a magazine Wired<\/em> claims that Stallman's beard makes him 'resemble Rasputin'. And in the Stallman dossier, London Guardian<\/em> his smile is described as 'the smile of an apostle after meeting Jesus.'<\/p>\n

Such analogies are impressive but inaccurate. They create an image of some unattainable, supernatural being, whereas the real Stallman is as vulnerable as any human. Observe his eyes for a while, and you will understand: Richard isn't hypnotizing you or drilling into you with his gaze; he is trying to establish eye contact. This is how Asperger's syndrome manifests, casting a shadow over Stallman's psyche. Richard finds it difficult to interact with people; he does not feel connection and has to rely on theoretical reasoning rather than emotions during communication. Another sign is periodic bouts of introspection. Even in bright light, Stallman's eyes can glaze over and lose focus like a wounded animal about to breathe its last.<\/p>\n

I first encountered that strange look in Stallman's eyes in March 1999 at the 'LinuxWorld Conference and Expo' in San Jose. It was a conference for people and companies involved with free software, a kind of 'evening of recognition'. It was an evening of such for Stallman as well \u2013 he decided to take an active part in conveying the story of the GNU project and its ideology to journalists and the general public.<\/p>\n

It was then that I first received guidance on dealing with Stallman, albeit unintentionally. This happened at a press conference dedicated to the release of GNOME 1.0, a free graphical desktop environment. Unbeknownst to me, I triggered Stallman's agitation simply by asking, \u201cDo you think the maturity of GNOME will affect the commercial success of the Linux operating system?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease stop referring to the operating system simply as Linux,\u201d Stallman replied, immediately fixing his gaze on me, \u201cthe Linux kernel is just a small part of the operating system. Many of the utilities and applications that make up the operating system you call simply Linux were developed not by Torvalds, but by volunteers from the GNU project. They spent their personal time to provide people with a free operating system. It is rude and ignorant to disregard these people's contributions. Therefore, I ask you: when you talk about the operating system, please refer to it as GNU\/Linux.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having noted this tirade in my reporter's notebook, I looked up and found Stallman staring at me with an unblinking gaze amidst the ringing silence. An uncertain question from another journalist broke the tension \u2014 in that question, of course, \u201cGNU\/Linux\u201d was mentioned, not just \u201cLinux.\u201d Miguel de Icaza, the leader of the GNOME project, started to respond, and only halfway through his answer did Stallman finally look away, sending a shiver of relief down my spine. When Stallman chastises someone else for a mistake in the system's name, you can't help but feel glad that he's not looking at you.<\/p>\n

Stallman's tirades are making an impact: many journalists are no longer simply calling the operating system Linux. For Stallman, pointing out the omission of GNU in the system's name is merely a practical way to remind people of the value of the GNU project. Consequently, Wired.com, in its article, compares Richard to a Leninist Bolshevik revolutionary who was later erased from history along with his deeds. Similarly, the computer industry, especially certain companies, tries to downplay the significance of GNU and its philosophy. Other articles followed, and although few journalists refer to the system as GNU\/Linux in writing, most still acknowledge Stallman for creating free software.<\/p>\n

After that, I did not see Stallman for almost 17 months. During that time, he visited Silicon Valley again for the August 1999 LinuxWorld show and graced the event with his presence without any official appearance. Accepting the Linus Torvalds Award on behalf of the Free Software Foundation for contributions to society, Stallman wittily remarked, \"Awarding the Free Software Foundation the Linus Torvalds Award is like awarding the Rebel Alliance the Han Solo Award.\"<\/p>\n

But this time Richard's words did not make a splash in the media. In the middle of the week, Red Hat, a major software producer associated with GNU\/Linux, was going public through an IPO. This news confirmed what had previously only been suspected: 'Linux' was becoming a trendy term on Wall Street, akin to the buzzwords 'e-commerce' and 'dot-com' before it. The stock market was nearing its peak, and therefore all political discussions surrounding free software and open source took a backseat.<\/p>\n

Perhaps that's why Stallman was absent from the third LinuxWorld in 2000. Shortly after, I met Richard for the second time and his signature piercing gaze. I heard he was heading to Silicon Valley, and I invited him for an interview in Palo Alto. The choice of location added a touch of irony to the interview\u2014except for Redmond, few cities in the U.S. can as eloquently confirm the economic value of proprietary software as Palo Alto. It was intriguing to see how Stallman, with his uncompromising battle against selfishness and greed, would conduct himself in a city where a pathetic garage costs no less than $500,000.<\/p>\n

Following Stallman's directions, I arrived at the headquarters of Art.net, a non-profit 'virtual association of artists.' This headquarters is a slightly patched-up shack behind a hedge on the city's northern edge. Just like that, the picture 'Stallman in the Heart of Silicon Valley' loses all its surrealism.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Source: linux.org.ru<\/a><\/p>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free as in Freedom \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c: \u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430 1. \u0420\u043e\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439 \u043f\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435\u0440 Free as in Freedom \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c: \u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430 2. 2001: \u0425\u0430\u043a\u0435\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u043e\u0434\u0438\u0441\u0441\u0435\u044f Free as in Freedom \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c: \u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430 3. \u041f\u043e\u0440\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0442 \u0445\u0430\u043a\u0435\u0440\u0430 \u0432 \u044e\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438 Free as in Freedom \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c: \u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0430 4. \u0420\u0430\u0437\u0432\u0435\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0439 \u0431\u043e\u0433\u0430 \u0420\u0443\u0447\u0435\u0451\u043a \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0434\u044b \u0420\u041c\u0421: \u0412 \u044d\u0442\u043e\u0439 \u0433\u043b\u0430\u0432\u0435 \u044f \u0438\u0441\u043f\u0440\u0430\u0432\u0438\u043b \u043d\u0435\u043c\u0430\u043b\u043e \u0432\u044b\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u043e \u043c\u043e\u0438\u0445 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[702],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"\ud83e\udd47Free as in Freedom in Russian: Chapter 5. 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