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www/philosophy luispo-rms-interview.html
|
From: |
Yavor Doganov |
|
Subject: |
www/philosophy luispo-rms-interview.html |
|
Date: |
Sat, 05 May 2007 06:17:10 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /web/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Yavor Doganov <yavor> 07/05/05 06:17:10
Modified files:
philosophy : luispo-rms-interview.html
Log message:
Templated; put the questions in <blockquote>s, because they're
undistinguishable from the answers in w3m.
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.11&r2=1.12
Patches:
Index: luispo-rms-interview.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /web/www/www/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.html,v
retrieving revision 1.11
retrieving revision 1.12
diff -u -b -r1.11 -r1.12
--- luispo-rms-interview.html 31 Mar 2007 15:30:37 -0000 1.11
+++ luispo-rms-interview.html 5 May 2007 06:16:50 -0000 1.12
@@ -1,33 +1,7 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
-<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
- "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd";>
-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"; xml:lang="en">
-
-<head>
+<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" -->
<title>Interview: Richard M. Stallman - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation
(FSF)</title>
-<meta http-equiv="content-type" content='text/html; charset=utf-8' />
-<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/gnu.css" />
-<link rev="made" href="mailto:address@hidden"; />
-</head>
-
-<!-- This document is in XML, and xhtml 1.0 -->
-<!-- Please make sure to properly nest your tags -->
-<!-- and ensure that your final document validates -->
-<!-- consistent with W3C xhtml 1.0 and CSS standards -->
-<!-- See validator.w3.org -->
-
-<body>
-
-<p><a href="#translations">Translations</a> of this page</p>
-
-<h3>Interview: Richard M. Stallman</h3>
-
-<p>
-<a href="/graphics/agnuhead.html"><img src="/graphics/gnu-head-sm.jpg"
- alt=" [image of the Head of a GNU] "
- width="129" height="122" /></a>
-</p>
-
+<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" -->
+<h2>Interview: Richard M. Stallman</h2>
<p>
<i>[ This is an interview between Louis Suarez-Potts and Richard
@@ -38,21 +12,23 @@
Richard M. Stallman is the most forceful and famous
practitioner/theorist of
<a href="http://www.salon.com/tech/fsp/glossary/index.html";>free
-software</a>, a termed he coined. "Free" here means free as in "free
-speech," not free as in "free beer." Stallman's most famous
-intervention in the "free software" movement has surely been the GNU
-General Public License
-(<a href="/philosophy/license-list.html">GPL</a>), which Stallman created
-around 1985 as a general license that could be applied to any
-program. The license codifies the concept of
-"<a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/thegnuproject.html";>copyleft</a>,"
-the "central idea" of which Stallman has described as giving "everyone
-permission to run the program, copy the program, modify the program, and
-distribute modified versions, but not permission to add restrictions of
-their own. Thus, the crucial freedoms that define 'free software' are
-guaranteed to everyone who has a copy; they become inalienable rights"
-(Stallman, "The GNU Operating System and the Free Software Movement," in
-DiBona, <cite>Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution</cite>)
+software</a>, a termed he coined. “Free” here means free
+as in “free speech,” not free as in “free
+beer.” Stallman's most famous intervention in the “free
+software” movement has surely been the GNU General Public
+License (<a href="/philosophy/license-list.html">GPL</a>), which
+Stallman created around 1985 as a general license that could be
+applied to any program. The license codifies the concept of
+“<a href="http://www.gnu.org/gnu/thegnuproject.html";>copyleft</a>,”
+the “central idea” of which Stallman has described as
+giving “everyone permission to run the program, copy the
+program, modify the program, and distribute modified versions, but not
+permission to add restrictions of their own. Thus, the crucial
+freedoms that define ‘free software’ are guaranteed to
+everyone who has a copy; they become inalienable rights”
+(Stallman, “The GNU Operating System and the Free Software
+Movement,” in DiBona, <cite>Open Sources: Voices from the Open
+Source Revolution</cite>)
</p>
<p>
Every free-software license since probably owes its existence to
@@ -84,22 +60,18 @@
<a href="http://www.stallman.org";>Stallman's personal site</a>.
</p>
-<p>
- <i>
- I would like, in this interview, to focus on your current work, and
- on the problematic of what kind of society we should like to live
- in. Your focus now--and for at least the last seventeen years--has
- been on working to make the social arrangements for using software
- more ethical.
-</i>
-</p>
+<blockquote><p>
+ I would like, in this interview, to focus on your current
+ work, and on the problematic of what kind of society we should
+ like to live in. Your focus now—and for at least the
+ last seventeen years—has been on working to make the
+ social arrangements for using software more ethical.
+</p></blockquote>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
But, [briefly,] what do you mean by the notion of a what I call here
a more ethical society?
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
We need to encourage the spirit of cooperation, by respecting other
@@ -107,26 +79,23 @@
dominate them.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
This takes us to a point that is quite important and that I am
- hoping you can clarify for our readers. The term you prefer for your
- ethic is "free software," where the word "free" means freedom from
- constraints and not free to take. But the term that more and more
- people are using is "Open Source," a term of quite recent vintage
+ hoping you can clarify for our readers. The term you prefer
+ for your ethic is “free software,” where the word
+ “free” means freedom from constraints and not free
+ to take. But the term that more and more people are using is
+ “Open Source,” a term of quite recent vintage
(1998), and, from your perspective, filled with significant
- problems. Of the two, free software is a term that implies an ethic
- of living and holds out the promise of a more just society; the
- other, "open source," does not.
-</i>
-</p>
+ problems. Of the two, free software is a term that implies an
+ ethic of living and holds out the promise of a more just
+ society; the other, “open source,” does not.
+</p></blockquote>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
Is that a fair statement? Would you address that issue, and clarify
the distinctions for our readers?
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
That is exactly right. Someone once said it this way: open source is a
@@ -144,26 +113,23 @@
mistreating other people.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
Along these lines, there has been considerable confusion over how to
name your idea of an ethical society. Mistakenly, many would assert
that you are suggesting a
<a
href="http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1840/prin-com.htm";>communism</a>.
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
Anyone who criticizes certain business practices can expect to be
-called "communist" from time to time. This is a way of changing the
-subject and evading the issue. If people believe the charges, they
-don't listen to what the critics really say. (It is much easier to
-attack communism than to attack the views of the free software
-movement.)
+called “communist” from time to time. This is a way of
+changing the subject and evading the issue. If people believe the
+charges, they don't listen to what the critics really say. (It is much
+easier to attack communism than to attack the views of the free
+software movement.)
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
Pekka Himanen, in his recent work, the <cite>Hacker Ethic</cite>, has
rightly countered these claims. I would go further: that what you
suggest is close to what political theorists such as
@@ -173,8 +139,7 @@
And communitariannism is by no means hostile to the market economy that
most people associate with capitalism. Quite the opposite. Would you
speak to what could be called the politics of your ethical system?
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
There is a place in life for business, but business should not be
@@ -196,8 +161,8 @@
Trade Organization</a>, which was designed to subordinate public health,
environmental protection, labor standards, and the general standard of
living to the
-<a
href="http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/gattwto/gatthome.html";>http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/gattwto/gatthome.html</a>interests
-of business. Under
+<a
href="http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/gattwto/gatthome.html";>http://www.citizen.org/pctrade/gattwto/gatthome.html</a>
+interests of business. Under
<a href="http://www.tradewatch.org/nafta/reports/5years.htm";>NAFTA [North
American Free Trade Associtation]</a>, a Canadian company which was
convicted in Mississippi of anticompetitive practices is
@@ -212,8 +177,8 @@
Americas]</a> would require all governments to privatize their [public
facilities] such as schools, water supply, record keeping, even social
security. This is what Bush wants
-<a href="http://www.fasttrack.org/";>"fast track"</a> authority to push
-through.
+<a href="http://www.fasttrack.org/";>“fast track”</a>
+authority to push through.
</p>
<p>
Peaceful protestors against the FTAA in Quebec were violently
@@ -221,7 +186,7 @@
by police, who then blamed the fighting on the protestors. One protestor
standing on the street was shot in the throat with a plastic bullet at a
range of 20 feet. He is maimed for life, and seeks to press charges of
-attempted murder--if the cops will reveal who shot him.
+attempted murder—if the cops will reveal who shot him.
</p>
<p>
One protest organizer was attacked on the street by a gang that got
@@ -255,52 +220,44 @@
FUD, not to credit the errors of others.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
- So, I'll rephrase my question: Microsoft has attacked the GPL as
- business foolishness that is also bad for "America" (whatever that
- means). They don't care about community ethics. How do you then
- counter their FUD, or for that matter, the FUD of those who share
- Microsoft's views?
-</i>
-</p>
+<blockquote><p>
+ So, I'll rephrase my question: Microsoft has attacked the GPL
+ as business foolishness that is also bad for
+ “America” (whatever that means). They don't care
+ about community ethics. How do you then counter their FUD, or
+ for that matter, the FUD of those who share Microsoft's views?
+</p></blockquote>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
Stallman did not respond to this query for clarification, but as it
happened, a <a href="/events/rms-nyu-2001-transcript.txt">speech</a>
he recently presented at New York University responded to
Microsoft's propaganda. The Free Software Foundation has presented a
<a href="/press/2001-05-04-GPL.html">defense</a>, of free software,
as well.
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
-<p>
-<i>
- [To return to the interview....]
-</i>
-</p>
+<blockquote><p>
+ [To return to the interview…]
+</p></blockquote>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
On a more individual level, how would you address the criticism of
person who would like to follow your ethical standards but feels she
cannot because she wants also to make money from her intellectual
work?
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
This hypothetical person appears to believe that developing free
software is incompatible with being paid. If so, she is
-misinformed--hundreds of people are now paid to develop free software.
-Some of them work for Sun. She is challenging us to solve a problem
-that doesn't really exist.
+misinformed—hundreds of people are now paid to develop free
+software. Some of them work for Sun. She is challenging us to solve a
+problem that doesn't really exist.
</p>
<p>
But what if she can't get one of these free software jobs? That could
-happen--not everybody can get them today. But it doesn't excuse
+happen—not everybody can get them today. But it doesn't excuse
developing proprietary software. A desire for profit is not wrong in
itself, but it isn't the sort of urgent overriding cause that could
excuse mistreating others. Proprietary software divides the users and
@@ -308,18 +265,16 @@
</p>
<p>
So what should she do instead? Anything else. She could get a job in
-another field. But she doesn't have to go that far--most software
+another field. But she doesn't have to go that far—most software
development is custom software, not meant to be published either as
free software or as proprietary software. In most cases, she can do
that without raising an ethical issue. It isn't heroism, but it isn't
villainy either.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
But copyright can be thought of as an author's friend.
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
In the age of the printing press, that was true:
@@ -334,22 +289,18 @@
handout to buy their support against the public.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
In the current situation, then, who benefits most from copyright?
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
The publishers.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
Were I freelancing again, I would not want to release my works without
the minimal security of payment for my labor copyright affords.
-</i>
-</p>
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
You could do that without copyright. It is part of your business
@@ -363,25 +314,24 @@
software which is published should be free.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
+<blockquote><p>
For a more detailed accounting of Stallman's views regarding
- copyright as extended to fields outside of software, readers are
- urged to go to the <a href="/home.html">GNU web site</a>, and to
- Stallman's <a href="http://www.stallman.org";>personal site</a>. In
- particular, readers might want to look at
- "<a
href="http://media-in-transition.mit.edu/forums/copyright/index_transcript.html";>Copyright
- and Globalization in the Age of Computer Networks</a>" presented at
- the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge,
- Massachusetts on 19 April 2001. Discussing his views on copyright as
- extended to non-software fields, Stallman mentioned, in the
- interview, "Those are ideas that I came to after some years of
- working on free software. People asked me the question, 'How do
- these ideas extend to other kinds of information,' so in the 90s I
- started thinking about the question. This speech gives my thought on
- the question."
-</i>
-</p>
+ copyright as extended to fields outside of software, readers
+ are urged to go to the <a href="/home.html">GNU web site</a>,
+ and to Stallman's <a href="http://www.stallman.org";>personal
+ site</a>. In particular, readers might want to look at
+ “<a
href="http://media-in-transition.mit.edu/forums/copyright/index_transcript.html";>Copyright
+ and Globalization in the Age of Computer Networks</a>”
+ presented at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
+ Cambridge, Massachusetts on 19 April 2001. Discussing his
+ views on copyright as extended to non-software fields,
+ Stallman mentioned, in the interview, “Those are ideas
+ that I came to after some years of working on free software.
+ People asked me the question, ‘How do these ideas extend
+ to other kinds of information,’ so in the 90s I started
+ thinking about the question. This speech gives my thought on
+ the question.”
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
On another point: recently, Argentina became the first country to
@@ -390,19 +340,18 @@
<a
href="http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,43529,00.html";>http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,43529,00.html</a>).
</p>
<p>
-I think the regulation is still being discussed--not adopted yet.
+I think the regulation is still being discussed—not adopted yet.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
- As far as I know, that is still the case.... However, whether the
- legislation has been implemented or not, the news is still
- encouraging, as at least free software is being considered seriously
- as a legitimate option. What does this (and other news) suggest
- regarding your future efforts? That is, are you going to pitch the
- cause more strongly to developing nations?
-</i>
-</p>
+<blockquote><p>
+ As far as I know, that is still the case… However,
+ whether the legislation has been implemented or not, the news
+ is still encouraging, as at least free software is being
+ considered seriously as a legitimate option. What does this
+ (and other news) suggest regarding your future efforts? That
+ is, are you going to pitch the cause more strongly to
+ developing nations?
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
Yes. I am on my way to South Africa in two weeks [from the time of
@@ -410,89 +359,84 @@
started in India. There is also great interest in Brazil.
</p>
-<p>
-<i>
- A last point. The so-called "Open Source" movement is by and large
- devoid of humor. Not so the "Free Software" movement. You, in your
- lectures and in your song, provide a gratifying humorousness. I'd
- like to finish by asking, What do you accomplish by this?
-</i>
-</p>
+<blockquote><p>
+ A last point. The so-called “Open Source” movement
+ is by and large devoid of humor. Not so the “Free
+ Software” movement. You, in your lectures and in your
+ song, provide a gratifying humorousness. I'd like to finish by
+ asking, What do you accomplish by this?
+</p></blockquote>
<p>
-I accomplish mirth. That's the hacker spirit--Ha Ha, Only Serious.
+I accomplish mirth. That's the hacker spirit—Ha Ha, Only Serious.
</p>
-<hr />
-<h4><a href="/philosophy/philosophy.html">Other Texts to Read</a></h4>
-<hr />
-
-<div class="translations">
-<p><a id="translations"></a>
-<b>Translations of this page</b>:<br />
-
-<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical, and in the original -->
-
-<!-- language if possible, otherwise default to English -->
-<!-- If you do not have it English, please comment what the -->
-<!-- English is. If you add a new language here, please -->
-<!-- advise address@hidden and add it to -->
-<!-- - in /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG -->
-<!-- - in /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html -->
-<!-- one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" -->
-<!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias -->
-<!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases -->
-<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right versus -->
-<!-- http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm -->
-
-[
- <a
href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.zh-cn.html">简体中文</a>
<!-- Chinese (Simplified) -->
-| <a
href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.zh-tw.html">繁體中文</a>
<!-- Chinese (Traditional) -->
-| <a href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.html">English</a>
-| <a href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.fr.html">French</a>
-]
-
-]
-</p>
</div>
-<div class="copyright">
-<p>
-Return to the <a href="/home.html">GNU Project home page</a>.
-</p>
+<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" -->
+<div id="footer">
<p>
Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to
<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
-There are also <a href="/home.html#ContactInfo">other ways to contact</a>
+There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a>
the FSF.
<br />
-Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to
+Please send broken links and other corrections or suggestions to
<a href="mailto:address@hidden";><em>address@hidden</em></a>.
</p>
<p>
Please see the
-<a href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations
+<a href="/server/standards/README.translations">Translations
README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting
translations of this article.
</p>
<p>
-Copyright (C) 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
-51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110, USA
-<br />
-Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
+Copyright © 2001, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+</p>
+<address>51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110, USA</address>
+<p>Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is
permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
</p>
<p>
Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2007/03/31 15:30:37 $ $Author: yavor $
+$Date: 2007/05/05 06:16:50 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>
+<div id="translations">
+<h4>Translations of this page</h4>
+
+<!-- Please keep this list alphabetical. -->
+<!-- Comment what the language is for each type, i.e. de is German. -->
+<!-- Write the language name in its own language (Deutsch) in the text. -->
+<!-- If you add a new language here, please -->
+<!-- advise address@hidden and add it to -->
+<!-- - /home/www/bin/nightly-vars either TAGSLANG or WEBLANG -->
+<!-- - /home/www/html/server/standards/README.translations.html -->
+<!-- - one of the lists under the section "Translations Underway" -->
+<!-- - if there is a translation team, you also have to add an alias -->
+<!-- to mail.gnu.org:/com/mailer/aliases -->
+<!-- Please also check you have the 2 letter language code right, cf. -->
+<!-- <URL:http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm> -->
+<!-- Please use W3C normative character entities. -->
+
+<ul class="translations-list">
+<!-- English -->
+<li><a href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.html">English</a> [en]</li>
+<!-- French -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.fr.html">Français</a> [fr]</li>
+<!-- Chinese (Simplified) -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.zh-cn.html">简体中文</a> [zh-cn]</li>
+<!-- Chinese (Traditional) -->
+<li><a
href="/philosophy/luispo-rms-interview.zh-tw.html">繁體中文</a> [zh-tw]</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+</div>
</body>
</html>
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