Downloadable RMS Lectures About Software Freedom

Goran Gugic writes "On a recent visit to Croatia Richard Stallman gave two speeches which are now available as podcasts: 'Dangers of Software Patents' (OGG, 80MB, 132') and 'GNU Movement, Free Software and the Future of Freedom' (OGG, 65MB, 110'). The files can be found in the podcast section (site in Croatian). A higher-bandwidth mirror is also available"

Comments

Why download?

[__aaclcg7560]

Doesn't Slashdot have enough extremist views without having to download them first? :P

Re:Why download?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but I know that they won't be increased at all by download the speeches of a clear thinking person like Mr. Stallman.

Re:Why download?

[Uber Banker]

Well, the site in the first link (http://www.mi2.hr/) is presently promoting "HotAsian...Movies :: Shurayukihime :: 18.03. u 19.15h posted by: Petar Milat @ 2006-03-13 11:05:30" so I assume it is a good site for views, what kind of views I'm not sure...

Why doesn't FSF put talks on their website?

[babbling]

I've always wondered why the FSF doesn't link to downloadable speeches from their website. I think a lot of people would like to see one, but don't usually know where to look. I realise there are essays on the FSF website, but having attended an RMS speech on "copyright versus community", I can say that the essays aren't quite as informative as the speeches are.

Re:Why doesn't FSF put talks on their website?

[Zigg]

I can say that the essays aren't quite as informative as the speeches are.

Or as entertaining. To wit:

[A mobile phone rings. It's that of FSF's GPL compliance officer, David Turner]

[Moglen:] Mr. Turner will now be resigning from the Free Software Foundation in the morning.

[laughter]

[Stallman:] If you have brought in a portable tracking and surveillance device, please switch it off and of course if you really want it to stop it reporting your movements you should take the batteries out.

The police have already tracked you here, and of course if they're interested in what we're saying, they are welcome to attend and I believe some of them are here.

Re:Why doesn't FSF put talks on their website?

[sepluv]

FTR, the FSF have released a video of that talk (about the GNU GPL v3 draft and very informative as well as funny). The torrent of the video is at http://gplv3.fsf.org/av/gplv3-draft1-release.ogg.t orrent.

If anyone is looking for videos of RMS, the movie, RevolutionOS (2 CSS-free DVDs for $27) has a lot of footage of RMS as well as other pioneers in the movement.

Hopefully the FSF will take videos of talks in the future now. I suspect this hasn't been done before due to practical reasons (e.g.: needing a good videocam & cameraman).

Re:Why doesn't FSF put talks on their website?

[sepluv]

There is now a list, Audio and Video Recordings about our Philosophy, on the FSF website.

OGG?

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone have it in WMV or MPEG4 format?

(hides)

Question

[Uber Banker]

Why are they called 'podcasts' if they're in OGG format and therefore not playable on an iPod?

Re:Question

[Rob T Firefly]

To recursively promote people hacking up an Ogg player for iPods and releasing it as free software?

Re:Question

[Panaphonix]

Oooh, zinger. The term podcast now encompasses a wide range of audio downloading activities.

Re:Question

[Uber Banker]

OK, but taking the wider definition, these downloads are not part of a feed, they are two downloads, very interesting, but in isolation from other things. So why not call them audio downloads?

Sorry, very pedantic. I just dislike throwing around buzzwords and prefer accurate, succinct and dependable descriptions; whether or not they've entered the OED.

Re:Question

[Waffle Iron]

Why are they called 'podcasts' if they're in OGG format and therefore not playable on an iPod?

After the user has loaded the file into his iPod and then discovers that it won't play, he throws the device at a wall in a fit of anger. The file provokes him to cast his pod, hence the name.

Re:Question

[sepluv]

Why are they called 'podcasts' if they're in OGG format

A podcast just means an Internet broadcast (so named because people commonly download them to play them back on iPods or othe portable player). If you're going to be pedantic, Ogg is not capitalised as it isn't an acronym.

Can't you play back Ogg Vorbis on iPod Linux, anyway?

Re:Question

[QuantumG]

Podcasting? Isn't that another term for how african american girls dance?

Great!

[Anonymous Coward]

These are exactly what I've been waiting for. They are sure to liven up any party.

Transcripts and other downloads

[H4x0r Jim Duggan]

When Stallman was at FOSDEM recently, I recorded and made a transcript of his GPLv3 talk.

And last time he came to Dublin, Irish Free Software Organisation recorded and made a transcript of his software patents lecture.

More transcripts and recordings can be found on IFSO's transcripts/recordings page, and the GNU philosophy recordings page.

Stallman will give his rare business speech this Thursday, March 16th, at the FOSS Means Business event in Belfast, Northern Ireland. That should be recorded and made available soon afterward - if the recording goes well.

Re:Transcripts and other downloads

[H4x0r Jim Duggan]

Some of these were mentioned in a slashdot story about the GPLv3 presentation transcripts. The discusssion on that page has links to some other recordings.

Re:Transcripts and other downloads

[gnarlin]

Stallman will give his rare business speech

Gotta catch 'em all!
If you combine the Rare business speech with his rare flying gnu attack you get the ultra business it infrastructure convert attack!

Seriously though, I wish there was a single webpage with all of his speaches and lectures along with a rss feed. That would really prod buttocks!

Re:Transcripts and other downloads

[gnarlin]

He came to Iceland and gave two speeches which can be downloaded here

Re:Transcripts and other downloads

[H4x0r Jim Duggan]

Not to mention the vicious freedom headlock.

see my comment was below about transcripts and rec

[H4x0r Jim Duggan]

See my comment was below about transcripts and recordings.

Portable Pedantry

[Chris Acheson]

When I saw this headline, I thought that we could now download RMS, who will then lecture us about software freedom.

Re:Portable Pedantry

[sedyn]

"Smithers, release the robotic Richard Stallman!"

-Obligitory Simpsons paraphrase

Devious idea

[petrus4]

An idea for the aspiring mad scientists among us:- Combine these sound files with this, and the techniques contained here for a potentially highly effective, DNI free software mind control device.

Good for corporate politicians, dissenting family members, etc. They'll end up craving Linux without even knowing why!

Why does software need freedom?

[BritneySP2]

How is software (I am not talking about scientific ideas or algorithms) any different from, say, a design of an internal combustion engine. Does that, too, need to be freed?

It is not to say that there should not be open designs out there, but the proclamation of some kind of human right to read whatever designs produced by industry sounds crazy.

Re:Why does software need freedom?

[Pantero Blanco]

I think you're a bit confused. Algorithms ARE what's being patented by "software patents". Full applications are already covered by copyright law.

Yes, RMS hits a long fly to left field, but his arguments on this issue are pretty solid.

Re:Why does software need freedom?

[d_jedi]

The problem doesn't come when software *algorithms* are patented (well, depends on who you talk to), but more when obvious "business processes" expressed in software are.

I mean, if someone found an algorithm to solve NP-complete problems in polynomial time, for example, do you not think they should be able to profit from their invention?

Re:Why does software need freedom?

[howlingmadhowie]

if someone made a drug which could be manufactured at no cost and cured aids, should they be allowed to profit from this invention?