"I was happy to have him there,
but when I started, it really was just a local gathering."
For some observers, the unwillingness to include
Stallman's name on the list qualified as a snub. "I
decided not to go to the event because of it," says
Perens, remembering the summit. Raymond, who did go,
says he argued for Stallman's inclusion to no avail.
The snub rumor gained additional strength from the fact
that O'Reilly, the event's host, had feuded publicly
with Stallman over the issue of software-manual
copyrights. Prior to the meeting, Stallman had argued
that free software manuals should be as freely copyable
and modifiable as free software programs. O'Reilly,
meanwhile, argued that a value-added market for nonfree
books increased the utility of free software by making
it more accessible to a wider community. The two had
also disputed the title of the event, with Stallman
insisting on "Free Software" over the less politically
laden "Freeware."
Looking back, O'Reilly doesn't see the decision to
leave Stallman's name off the invite list as a snub.
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