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Williams, Sam

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

"For narrative purposes, I have
hesitated to go in-depth
when describing Stallman's full definition of software
"freedom." The GNU Project web site lists four
fundamental components: The freedom to run a program,
for any purpose (freedom 0). The freedom to study how a
program works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1).
The freedom to redistribute copies of a program so you
can help your neighbor (freedom 2). The freedom to
improve the program, and release your improvements to
the public, so that the whole community benefits
(freedom 3). For more information, please visit "The
Free Software Definition" at
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.
Adds Stallman, "There's a lot more work to do."
For some in the audience, this is old material. For
others, it's a little arcane. When a member of the
golf-shirt contingent starts dozing off, Stallman stops
the speech and asks somebody to wake the person up.
"Somebody once said my voice was so soothing, he asked
if I was some kind of healer," says Stallman, drawing a
quick laugh from the crowd.


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