Not everybody accepted the contract. The explosive
innovation continued throughout the decade, resulting
in a host of Emacs-like programs with varying degrees
of cross-compatibility. A few cited their relation to
Stallman's original Emacs with humorously recursive
names: Sine (Sine is not Emacs), Eine (Eine is not
Emacs), and Zwei (Zwei was Eine initially). As a
devoted exponent of the hacker ethic, Stallman saw no
reason to halt this innovation through legal
harassment. Still, the fact that some people would so
eagerly take software from the community chest, alter
it, and slap a new name on the resulting software
displayed a stunning lack of courtesy.
Such rude behavior was reflected against other,
unsettling developments in the hacker community. Brian
Reid's 1979 decision to embed "time bombs" in Scribe,
making it possible for Unilogic to limit unpaid user
access to the software, was a dark omen to Stallman.
"He considered it the most Nazi thing he ever saw in
his life," recalls Reid.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182