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Is undisputed leader of the movement that supports free software, although his influence goes much further, and one of the most controversial characters in the technological world. Richard Matthew Stallman, known as RMS, is in Argentina to give several talks promoting free knowledge, what he calls his "mission." For his passage in our country, already generated controversy al criticize hard to Program "Connect equality«. |
To the relative surprise (see box below) of the organizers of the International Free Software Conference in which he participated, Stallman was dispatched against the Connect Equality plan (which he calls "Condemn to Evil" in a typical twist on the RMS) and the Sarmiento project ("Enslavement", according to him ) because in both cases the machines include Windows as the operating system. Although in the halls of the conference they tried to convince him that it had been very difficult to get open source software included in Connect Equality (the teams include both options), RMS believes that Windows ("proprietary software", according to his movement, due to which does not give the same freedoms as the free model) should not be part of the official program.
In the interview shared with a colleague from page 12 , to which were added some questions in the corridors, Stallman speaks, in a Castilian that improves visit to visit, of free software, state education plans, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and the riots in the Middle East. All within the framework of his now classic sense of humor. A sample: after the interview he asks in Spanglish: «How is a soldier separated from the army? With a desoldering iron «.
What are your criticisms of the Conectar Igualdad plan?
All honest politicians should condemn this work with Microsoft. It seems to me that there is no full awareness of that. I'm talking about the effects of the "Condemn to Evil" plan, because I'm talking about the effects that talking about Windows has on kids. I am not talking about the motives, I am talking about the effect and we should not ignore the effect by focusing solely on the motives. Some have good reasons but it is not enough. The bad effect must be corrected. Nowadays when a public school thinks to teach with free software it does not have the option because netbooks with Windows enter.
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| Richard Stallman on his way through Buenos Aires, within the framework of the International Free Software Conference. Photo: LA NACION / Martina Matzkin |
A teacher told me that when netbooks with Windows arrive, it is difficult for them to use the other option. Kids who like free software are required by teachers to use Windows in class. If someone deletes Windows from the machine they suppress it.
Your criticism remains even if you have an option with free software pre-installed, why?
Yes, because even if they have it, it is not a real option. They have an unfair but known option, with pressure from teachers to use it and another more or less ethical because Ubuntu is not totally free software although it is much better than Windows. To say that it is impartial would be a lie. It is not impartial.
In Latin America, which countries are doing things the way you want them to?
Ecuador began a few years ago to plan the migration of its public schools to free software. It is a clear decision and you will not distribute computers with proprietary software.
Why do you think the Argentine government does?
I could only guess and it is not what interests me the most, what is certain is that the State should not distribute or recommend a private program to the public, and even less if it is from a foreign company. It has the duty to promote freedom, to protect freedom.
Much was made of the idea that social media was key to the last major social protests. To what extent is this, related to Facebook and Twitter, a cheat?
Facebook is not your friend, Facebook is a trap. "Unfriend" Facebook today, I made up a word a translation of "unfriend".
But what relationship do you see between the mobilizations and technology?
Technologies can be useful and at the same time be traps, evidently many found it useful to communicate on Facebook to organize protests. I am in favor of these protests and I would not use Facebook. I have to admit that they have achieved something very good using Facebook, but I also have to say that Facebook does very bad things. Accumulate data from people. It is their business model, so I ask people not to put my photos on Facebook. I don't want Facebook to use their face recognition system to make a database of what I do.
What do you think of the Anonymous grouping ?
Anonymous mostly makes protests on websites and they have protested against companies and organizations that had acted very badly that had done horrible things, crimes, so what Anonymous does seems to me justified.
In recent days, after his resignation, many of the leaders of the world of technology gave their opinion on Jobs and Apple. What is your opinion?
Apple is the pioneer in submitting its users, it makes products that are prisons.
Steve Jobs?
Jobs do not matter to me, I care about the effect on the public of Apple's product. For this reason, for me the iPad is iBad ("iMalo", in Spanish).
You say that you ask people not to upload their photos to Facebook, do you think that is manageable at this point?
I do not understand. This question is supposed to be difficult. If you upload a photo of me I cannot control it but I ask you not to put photos of me on Facebook because I do not want to increase your database with personal data of what I do.
What do you think of the pressure from governments on companies to release information as happened in England?
The government of England wants to use a small act of looting to distract attention from a big act of looting, that is to say the companies and banks that keep looting the country and extracting a lot of money without even paying taxes. The State persecuted the protesters and did nothing to the companies, today it expresses its intention to help the rich and punish the poor. The looting was not a protest, it was a crime, it was a robbery. I am not in favor of this, but it is necessary to know that this is a small plunder and to do nothing against the great plunder is unfair. First they have to hunt down this one and then the little looter.
Returning to the previous topic, specifically, do you think technology played a relevant role in the Middle East?
I can't judge, I know what I've read in the newspapers. I really do not know. In December I went to Libya, I made speeches even in Benghazi in favor of freedom. It is possible that I had a bit of influence to promote the revolution, anyway I know that many students who listened to me in the faculty are heroes now, I honor them.
I am not a hero. My fight is easier, I don't have to risk my life, the activists of the free software movement don't have to sacrifice their lives. Our fight requires only small comfort sacrifices and maybe some extra money if you need a wireless card that does not work with free software and you have to buy another card to avoid using proprietary software in the driver, it is not being a hero. It just demands not to be too cowardly and weak.
Source: La Nación
I can assure you that M $ gave them licenses, or gave them to them at cost. Do you think you are missing something? NO: all the boys will only know how to use winchot and their products ... Look what idiots, eh
The activation via secure winch is a negotiated
Regards!
I can assure you that M $ gave them licenses, or gave them to them at cost. Do you think you are missing something? NO: all the boys will only know how to use winchot and their products ... Look what idiots, eh
The activation via secure winch is a negotiated
Regards!
It was great, I was there, and he's very right.
That the nets bring winchot is "Condemn to evil" as he calls the plan (and "Enslavement" to the other plan). The nets bring proprietary progs that only work from winchot, so the fact that a linux comes is propaganda, as was the CISL, a supposed propaganda (and it backfired ...)
You cannot use linux if the system forces you to winchot. That's terrible.
Trying to quote it:
«When a 12-year-old boy is in class, and in his eagerness to learn and know more, he asks the teacher: how does this work?
And with proprietary soft, the prof must answer: Well, I don't know, it's a secret.
That is something very negative and very sad, we deny the child to learn.
With free software, the prof can explain to him, or he can tell him that he does not know but give him the funete code, and tell him that he can read it and try to understand it, that he can investigate to know more »
I can assure you that this is true, I experienced it firsthand as a child and it was shocking ...
Stallman may seem exaggerated, and perhaps at a certain point it is, but he really is right: society is condemned to the use of proprietary software, and in particular, to the use of winchot. It's awful!
How do we change things? Encourage the use of linux. Make free software used in class, study tools are free.
In the CISL, in the talk of the people of Connect Equality, they were the only ones who used winchot !! a shame. They tried to play a video or something like that and they couldn't, the laughter and wasted were total.
If the profs don't know how to use a pc, if they don't know how to use free software, how do we expect our kids to do it?
All part of education is the fundamental pillar of every society or community.
It is and will be consistent between what it does and what it thinks, it should not surprise what it says, since we know that Intel and Microsoft put the tail in the plan, how were they going to miss it?
Controversial? yes maybe, but if it weren't for today we wouldn't use SL., like it or not.
Furthermore, RMS is an extremist. And thanks to the extremists, the changes take shape and then, more or less quickly, they translate into reality. Undoubtedly, he exaggerates and over-acts some things, but it is the only way that the philosophy of the SL stops being a "nice phrase" so that it becomes real and tangible in the day to day.
RMS is a beacon, a guide. With flaws like any person, but with clear and lucid ideas in some crucial aspects. An example to follow.
Unfortunately, those who make decisions in the Government only think (bah, "they think" is a way of saying ...) with their pockets. What economic advantage can the use of the SL provide them? Or are they going to tell me that they decided to use proprietary software because they did an impartial technical evaluation and came to the conclusion that these tools are technically better than the free options? Come on, there are still some of us who don't eat glass! Although every day we have to swallow each toad ...
Out of interest the monkey dances; our rulers are apes, with the due respect that those furry animals deserve, of course.
I had the opportunity to be at his conference in Cordoba where he was awarded a doctorate by the UNC .. something he said and I invoke specific words .. is «Free software is not linux ... GNU is free Sof .. by saying what free software is Linux .. they take credit from the entire GNU team that worked so long on the free software project, in which case let's say "GNU with Linux" so we give credit to the developers of Sotflibre ...
I loved your comment. I agree 100%.
A hug! Paul.
He is against everything, maybe in 1980 he would say that PCs are bad, that we stay with typewriters, but machines can be traced, so better use a pencil. It's interesting, but sometimes it sounds too paranoid and conspiracy theory to me.
I notice in your comment a solid diplomatic training hahaha …… also, thank you.
Very interesting note. I like the idea that the State cannot distribute proprietary software ...
in connecting equality courses you are forced to use the proprietary options. They even have no idea of the difference between freeware and free software (and a good investigation would be to know how much they paid in terms of licenses for everything that comes installed on those machines). And since the balance of the impact of W $ on netbooks is as RMS says, its mere presence makes every time you have to work a combat (to top it off in the former comes that rxart that is a dung and a negotiated one), salu2 and rms endurance
That's right ... a big hug! Paul.
Yes it can and it does… but it shouldn't.
According to Wikipedia, this is what Stallman did in the '80s:
“Between 1982 and 1983, Stallman alone doubled down on the Symbolics programmers' efforts to prevent them from acquiring a monopoly on the lab computers. By then, however, he was the last of his generation of hackers in the lab.
He was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and take other actions that he considered betrayal of his principles. On September 27, 1983 Stallman announced in various Usenet newsgroups the start of the GNU project that sought to create a completely free operating system.
The initial announcement of the GNU project was followed, in 1985, by the publication of the GNU Manifesto, in which Stallman stated his intentions and motivations for creating a free alternative to the Unix operating system, which he named GNU (GNU is not Unix) ... He invented the concept copyleft, which was used in the GNU General Public License (generally known as the "GPL") in 1989. Most of the GNU system, except for the kernel, was completed around the same time. In 1991, Linus Torvalds released the Linux kernel under the terms of the GPL, completing a complete and operating GNU system, the GNU / Linux operating system.
While practically none of us still had a fucking idea what a computer was, much less how a program was made, the kid had already started the GNU project. It is a real groso that you have to learn to respect.
Cheers! Paul.
Exactly… I can't agree more!
Cheers! Paul.
This has already been solved with Huayra, the operating system of Conectar Igualdad. Netbooks have for a long time come with Huayra installed. More info: http://huayra.conectarigualdad.gob.ar/huayra