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Free Software Foundation Turns 25

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-dig-the-crazy dept.

An anonymous reader writes "On this day, 25 years ago, Richard Stallman created the Free Software Foundation. He had been the director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Lab. Tired of seeing software that he and others had written appropriated (without acknowledgment or compensation) by disreputable software companies and then told to pay for software they had written, Stallman took action, creating the foundation. The original license was written by Stallman. Stallman had subsequently written a large number of GNU tools, but the license was his most important contribution."

7 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. What about emacs by nicolas.kassis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    GPL is cool but I think emacs was his greatest accomplishment. At least technical accomplishment.

  2. Re:Uhm, no! by just_another_sean · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's what I remember reading here in Chapter 1: For Want of a Printer.

    Stallman had subsequently written a large number of GNU tools, but the license was his most important contribution.

    Says the vi user who never wrote a line of code in his life! ;-)

    --
    Creationist Textbook Stickers Declared Unconstitutional by CowboyNeal
  3. Twenty-five years later... by Dystopian+Rebel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I am running Gnu-Linux on an NSLU2, a DNS-323, and a SheevaPlug. I have a free compiler on these devices.

    On another computer, I just downloaded MingW and Lighttpd (source and binary) last night.

    I remember when "free software" usually meant crippleware, and there was no way a poor kid eager to write code could get a compiler for free.

    Thanks for your vision, RMS. You changed culture and you helped the future.

    --
    Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
  4. Re:Happy birthday to you, by commodore64_love · · Score: 3, Interesting

    According to the wikipedia article you linked, Wendy Williams owes $700 to WB when she & her audience sang the song. Meanwhile in Canada WB and other members of the CRIA owe nearly a billion dollars for using songs on "best of" albums without paying the original artists.

    "One law for the commoners; one law for the masters."

    --
    "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
  5. Re:Director of the AI Lab? by trb · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think he worked there and was probably their most famous programmer.

    it's hard to say he was their most famous hacker at that time

    Never heard of any of those guys. Stallman wins.

    Yes, he is their most famous hacker now, in 2010. The context of the discussion is 1985. At that time, he was not their most famous hacker.

  6. Re:The GPL is the most important.... by arielCo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The GPL is the most beneficial license or legal construction In the history of computing.

    RealityMaster above may be right - the limited, non-transferable EULA is terribly important right now; the GPL is a sane[r] alternative. Don't ask me about the "freer" BSD license - I haven't made my mind up about that.

    --
    This post contains no rudeness or derision of any kind. All arguments are friendly. Terms and exclusions may apply.
  7. How's the printer? by Trogre · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Thanks to RMS for all his (often colourful) advocacy. But has it done him any good - has he managed to get access to the driver for his labs Xerox 9700 yet?

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife