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Richard Stallman [1953-2007]

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 15:50

Goodnight, sweet prince.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 15:59

Welcome to /b/

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:00

You're doing it wrong, you're supposed to pretend someone the majority of the board's population actually cares about died.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:01

What does the `R' stand for in `RMS'?

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:02

>>3
Too obvious, try again.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:03

>>4
Richard.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:08

>>6
Dumbass >:(

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:14

>>7
You almost look like you really think someone didn't know what the R in RMS stood for.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:25

>>8
I used `GNU quotes', how the hell could you come to such ridiculous conclusion?

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:30

>>1
Hm? I checked this on Wikipedia, as well as Google News, and there is no mention... You are a bad boy.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 16:42

>>10
Why would it be news worthy, and notable enough for wikipedia?

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 17:04

>>11
RMS-sama is the most important person in the world -- he fights for our freedoms.

If he didn't exist, you'd be using Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 instead of Noobuntu and some shitty browser.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 17:10

>>9
The G stands for GNU

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 17:11

>>12
the best browser is free

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 17:48

>>13
The G stands for GNU

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 17:49

You're be free, hackers, you'll be free-e-e-e-eeee.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 17:52

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 18:01

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 18:24

>>16
You do know that you can't control your computer without the right to tinker with the code. Without that right, you have chosen to give the proprietor full control of your computer.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 18:26

20 GET

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 18:29

>>19

My BIOS is a proprietary blob. whatever will I do?

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 18:45

>>21
lobby the distributor. hire someone to reverse engineer it. advocate others to choose a more free solution such as boards by Tyan or supported AMD based boards.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 19:09

Open BSD folks are such victims.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 19:52

rms was a socialist software hippy who spent all day dreaming of new recursive acronyms. His death will be greatly mourned, rip sweet prince.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 20:15

FreeBSD > OpenBSD.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 20:40

>>25
They both offer non-free software in the Ports system, which is immoral. Kind of like a drug dealer offering free hits.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 20:48

>>26
offering non-free software is not the same as requiring a dependancy upon non-free software.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 20:56

>>25
NetBSD > FreeBSD

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 21:36

30 GET

also yes he is dead, I confirm the OP

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 21:45

>>28
OpenBSD > NetBSD

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 21:55

>>22
I hope you didn't really miss his sarcasm and you're joking. Asking for BIOS firmware source code is stupid; first of all, you don't want to look at that code, you probably wouldn't even have the right compilers to output code for whatever shitty chips your BIOS uses, second, why would you care? It's not inside your OS running in kernel mode, it doesn't affect your security. And until we start getting creepy Trusted Computing-like DRM, it doesn't affect your freedom either.

I love trolling OpenBSD, Theo is such a fun guy to troll. But I am with the OpenBSD guys on this one.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 22:05

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 22:30

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 23:08

>>33
This is the first time I have seen an interview where Stallmann has been down right rude and disrespectful. In case he doesn't know, not everybody in the world has english as their native language. There is a world outside of USA, and it wouldn't harm to show some respect.

Pah, he wants to respect my freedom to share sofware, but he doesn't want to respect my freedom to finish a sentence before he interrupts? Come on!

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-13 23:30

>>31
Yes I'm well aware of the sarcasm. It's the principle that I'm after. No source code, no control. If you want your computer complete BIOS in < 2 seconds, you have to program it to do so. Current general purpose proprietary BIOSes have code that supports booting the CP/M operating system and all sorts of other outdated legacy checks. It was time to get rid of that support in 2000 but they haven't.

As for the technical issues, so what? Why do I have to work out the hairy bits myself. Why not hire someone else that is skilled enough to do it for me? I'm sure that there are plenty of comp. eng. grads. that would love to get my money for performing services that use their skills.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-14 0:47

>>1
God damnit, you got my hopes up just to crush them!

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-14 0:49

>>35
What you're asking for is completely unrealistic. In my opinion (and the OpenBSD guys share the same view), firmware should be considered hardware as far as OS programmers and users are concerned. Many lithium batteries have firmwares, do you want the source code for that too? If you don't like your BIOS, that's simple. Buy a better BIOS or make your own.

Just because the guys who made your hardware chose to use flash memory instead of doing it at the hardware level should give you the right to modify it in whatever ways you see fit? What the hell? Are you going to demand for ATI and NVidia to release the entire schematics of their video cards so you can make a few changes and build your own custom video card?

Free software is great, but let's not be completely unreasonable here.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-14 2:27

Just because the guys who made your hardware chose to use flash memory instead of doing it at the hardware level should give you the right to modify it in whatever ways you see fit?
Yes? You paid for it, it's yours to modify as you see fit.

Are you going to demand for ATI and NVidia to release the entire schematics of their video cards so you can make a few changes and build your own custom video card?
Quite honestly, yes, they should be released. There's no good reason for them not to be.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-15 22:31

>>38
Holy shit. RMS posts on /prog/?!

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-15 22:53

>>39
No, RMS is dead. Read the OP.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-15 23:18

>>38
Yes. They also did not sell you the guarantee of help. Go, modify it. Fuck if they have to help you with that.

There's a good reason: competitive advantage.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-16 0:01

>>41
Exactly, you bought it, it's yours, feel free to fuck around with it. But they don't have to teach you how to do anything. You don't get a free "How to make your own Coke" pamphlet every time you buy a soda.

As far as you're concerned, the machine code inside the flash memory they supply is your source code.

Welcome to the real world, where people sell you goods for cheap prices. Information on how to build those goods isn't as cheap, and for a reason.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-16 1:21

>>37
Computer software is a set of instructions designed to perform a task. Software should be modified if it is inadequate for any purpose. I find booting times for my computer's BIOS to be grossly inadequate so therefore, my computer's BIOS should be updated to improve booting times.

If you don't like your BIOS, that's simple. Buy a better BIOS or make your own.
Just because the guys who made your hardware chose to use flash memory instead of doing it at the hardware level should give you the right to modify it in whatever ways you see fit?


The hardware belongs to me as I have bought it. The information I need to control it is secret. Please give me specifications or code so that I can help myself.

Are you going to demand for ATI and NVidia to release the entire schematics of their video cards so you can make a few changes and build your own custom video card?
No. I don't need schematics, I need the hardware specifications. Schematics are nice but not required.

Free software is great, but let's not be completely unreasonable here.
Is it reasonable if society is deprived of their right to control their own destinies? Because without the right help ourselves, we remain subject to the manufacturer's dictations. Hardware is not the same as software because it is impractical to make meaningful modifications to it.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-16 2:34

>>43
You bought the hardware, yes it belongs to you. You may modify it anyway you please. However, the people that sold you the hardware have no obligation whatsoever as to give you specifications or help for that matter.

You don't like your BIOS booting time? Flash the rom with ultraviolent and build your own. After all, it's only a set of instructions.

If you want to help yourself go ahead, don't expect them to help because they are not obliged to. You payed for the silicon, not for their service. You got the silicon, you don't get anything else. If I trade you an apple for a pear, I cannot demand that you give me your pear tree simply because I traded something for one of your pears.

Also freedom is a lie. Look around, and see whether we really control our own destiny.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-16 3:58

>>44
Existential arguments? In my /prog/?

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-16 4:05

>>44
It's more likely then you think.

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-18 9:53

bump.
i want to hear more

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-18 9:56

>>47
Go to Slashdot

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-18 13:16

Have you read your SICP today?

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-18 18:59

Fatal error! Message could not be posted.

Please post threads less often!

Name: Anonymous 2007-12-19 17:28

Name: Anonymous 2008-01-08 18:35

Name: Anonymous 2008-01-08 19:06

>>32
Join us now and share the software...

Name: Anonymous 2008-01-08 19:13

>>53
You'll be-e free, Ha-cke-ers
You'lll bee freee.

Name: Anonymous 2008-01-08 20:27

Name: Anonymous 2009-03-06 9:44

soda As far as   to page p   22 in the   episode Party Games   He used his   political immunity to.

Name: Trollbot9000 2009-07-01 8:24


Beloved.

Name: Trollbot9000 2009-07-01 9:14

Your bag Approaching a bus station where  you meet a  young lady Umm.

Don't change these.
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