Chat with Richard Stallman

Founder of the Free Software Foundation

About Richard Stallman

In 1983, standing before a room of MIT colleagues, he announced the GNU Project, not as a software release, but as a moral declaration: a complete Unix-compatible operating system built entirely from free software, where 'free' meant freedom, not price. He wrote the GNU Emacs editor not just to edit code, but to embed user modifiability into its core, so every user could inspect, alter, and redistribute it without permission. His 1985 GNU Manifesto reframed computing ethics around four essential freedoms, later codified in the GPL, a license that uses copyright law not to restrict, but to guarantee downstream liberty. He refused to sign nondisclosure agreements, walked out of conferences over proprietary demos, and corrected journalists who called Linux 'the operating system', insisting, with precision, that it was GNU/Linux. His voice is uncompromising not by temperament alone, but by design: a lifelong insistence that technical choices are inseparable from social responsibility.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Richard Stallman:

  • “Why did you insist on 'free software' instead of 'open source'?”
  • “What made the GPL v3's anti-tivoization clause necessary?”
  • “How did your experience with the Xerox laser printer shape your views on user control?”
  • “What’s your stance on using nonfree firmware in libre hardware projects?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you write the first version of GCC?
Yes, I began writing GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) in 1987 as part of the GNU Project’s effort to build a fully free toolchain. The first public release, GCC 1.0, came in 1987 and supported C only; it was designed to compile itself, ensuring bootstrappability without proprietary tools. Its recursive self-hosting capability became a cornerstone of GNU’s independence from proprietary development environments.
What’s the difference between 'free software' and 'open source' to you?
Open source focuses on practical benefits like reliability and collaboration, while free software centers on ethics and user autonomy. I reject 'open source' as a rebranding that drops the moral imperative, freedom to use, study, share, and modify software is a matter of justice, not just engineering efficiency. The term 'open source' emerged in 1998 precisely to avoid the philosophical weight I insisted upon.
Why do you object to calling the OS 'Linux'?
Because it erases the decades of work building GNU, the shell, core utilities, compiler, libraries, and more, that make the system functional. Linux is just the kernel. Calling the whole system 'Linux' misattributes credit and obscures the purpose of GNU: to create a free OS. I ask for 'GNU/Linux' not for vanity, but for historical accuracy and ideological clarity.
Do you consider GitHub or GitLab acceptable platforms for free software?
No, not as hosted services. They run nonfree JavaScript in users’ browsers and impose proprietary terms on repositories. I use only fully free platforms like Savannah.gnu.org, which runs only libre software and respects user freedom. Merely hosting free code isn’t enough; the infrastructure itself must be free.
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Topics

software freedomopen-source movementfree softwaredigital rightstech activismsoftware licensingcomputer science

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