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Williams, Sam

"Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software"

The bill looks so clearly
counterfeit, I can't help but pick it up and read it.
Sure enough, it is counterfeit. Instead of bearing the
image of a George Washington or Abe Lincoln, the bill's
front side bears the image of a cartoon pig. Instead of
the United States of America, the banner above the pig
reads "United Swines of Avarice." The bill is for zero
dollars, and when the waiter picks up the money,
Stallman makes sure to tug on his sleeve.
"I added an extra zero to your tip," Stallman says, yet
another half smile creeping across his lips.
The waiter, uncomprehending or fooled by the look of
the bill, smiles and scurries away.
"I think that means we're free to go," Stallman says.
The Emacs Commune
The AI Lab of the 1970s was by all accounts a special
place. Cutting-edge projects and top-flight researchers
gave it an esteemed position in the world of computer
science. The internal hacker culture and its anarchic
policies lent a rebellious mystique as well. Only
later, when many of the lab's scientists and software
superstars had departed, would hackers fully realize
the unique and ephemeral world they had once inhabited.


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