Of the two,
however, Moglen sees Stallman's activities as more
personal and less political in nature.
"Richard was unique in that the ethical implications of
unfree software were particularly clear to him at an
early moment," says Moglen. "This has a lot to do with
Richard's personality, which lots of people will, when
writing about him, try to depict as epiphenomenal or
even a drawback in Richard Stallman's own life work."
Gilmore, who describes his inclusion between the
erratic Nelson and the irascible Stallman as something
of a "mixed honor," nevertheless seconds the Moglen
argument. Writes Gilmore: My guess is that Stallman's
writings will stand up as well as Thomas Jefferson's
have; he's a pretty clear writer and also clear on his
principles . . . Whether Richard will be as influential
as Jefferson will depend on whether the abstractions we
call "civil rights" end up more important a hundred
years from now than the abstractions that we call
"software" or "technically imposed restrictions.
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