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Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software
Free as in Freedom interweaves biographical snapshots of GNU project founder Richard Stallman with the political, social and economic history of the free software movement. It examines Stallman's unique personality and how that personality has been at turns a driving force and a drawback in terms of the movement's overall success.
Free as in Freedom examines one man's 20-year attempt to codify and communicate the ethics of 1970s era "hacking" culture in such a way that later generations might easily share and build upon the knowledge of their computing forebears. The book documents Stallman's personal evolution from teenage misfit to prescient adult hacker to political leader and examines how that evolution has shaped the free software movement. Like Alan Greenspan in the financial sector, Richard Stallman has assumed the role of tribal elder within the hacking community, a community that bills itself as anarchic and averse to central leadership or authority. How did this paradox come about? Free as in Freedom provides an answer. It also looks at how the latest twists and turns in the software marketplace have diminished Stallman's leadership role in some areas while augmenting it in others.
Finally, Free as in Freedom examines both Stallman and the free software movement from historical viewpoint. Will future generations see Stallman as a genius or crackpot? The answer to that question depends partly on which side of the free software debate the reader currently stands and partly upon the reader's own outlook for the future. 100 years from now, when terms such as "computer," "operating system" and perhaps even "software" itself seem hopelessly quaint, will Richard Stallman's particular vision of freedom still resonate, or will it have taken its place alongside other utopian concepts on the 'ash-heap of history?'
Free as in Freedom examines one man's 20-year attempt to codify and communicate the ethics of 1970s era "hacking" culture in such a way that later generations might easily share and build upon the knowledge of their computing forebears. The book documents Stallman's personal evolution from teenage misfit to prescient adult hacker to political leader and examines how that evolution has shaped the free software movement. Like Alan Greenspan in the financial sector, Richard Stallman has assumed the role of tribal elder within the hacking community, a community that bills itself as anarchic and averse to central leadership or authority. How did this paradox come about? Free as in Freedom provides an answer. It also looks at how the latest twists and turns in the software marketplace have diminished Stallman's leadership role in some areas while augmenting it in others.
Finally, Free as in Freedom examines both Stallman and the free software movement from historical viewpoint. Will future generations see Stallman as a genius or crackpot? The answer to that question depends partly on which side of the free software debate the reader currently stands and partly upon the reader's own outlook for the future. 100 years from now, when terms such as "computer," "operating system" and perhaps even "software" itself seem hopelessly quaint, will Richard Stallman's particular vision of freedom still resonate, or will it have taken its place alongside other utopian concepts on the 'ash-heap of history?'
225 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
August 28, 2013
I read the version 2.0 of this book, which was revised by Richard Stallman himself.
The book is amazing. I'm not a fan of biographies or auto-biographies, but most of this concentrates less on Stallman's emotions and thought processes as it does on the notable events throughout the development of GNU, the FSF, and, eventually, the projects that were so greatly influenced by the very presence of GNU.
EVERYTHING technical was interesting. Actually, it was riveting. Reading about the hacker culture within MIT during the 70s, and the rise of locked-down software and the struggle to keep code free, the stories about how rms developed GNU Emacs, and GCC, and GDB, and how the GNU team developed glibc and make and so many other hugely important software innovations, the ramifications of which we are still benefiting from today, was absolutely enthralling. On one hand, it saddens me that things have turned out so muddled and proprietary in spite of these valiant efforts, and on the other hand it strengthens my resolve to continue fighting for programming liberty and transparency.
You can pretty much skip the Preface and Afterword. Otherwise, most of this book is great. The author's personal reflections upon rms are not as interesting to me; personal observations are neither here nor there. The real star of this book is the [free] hacker ethic, software liberty, and the GPL.
Which reminds me: the book is published under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license (presumably because Creative Commons didn't exist at the time of publication). Pretty cool.
The book is amazing. I'm not a fan of biographies or auto-biographies, but most of this concentrates less on Stallman's emotions and thought processes as it does on the notable events throughout the development of GNU, the FSF, and, eventually, the projects that were so greatly influenced by the very presence of GNU.
EVERYTHING technical was interesting. Actually, it was riveting. Reading about the hacker culture within MIT during the 70s, and the rise of locked-down software and the struggle to keep code free, the stories about how rms developed GNU Emacs, and GCC, and GDB, and how the GNU team developed glibc and make and so many other hugely important software innovations, the ramifications of which we are still benefiting from today, was absolutely enthralling. On one hand, it saddens me that things have turned out so muddled and proprietary in spite of these valiant efforts, and on the other hand it strengthens my resolve to continue fighting for programming liberty and transparency.
You can pretty much skip the Preface and Afterword. Otherwise, most of this book is great. The author's personal reflections upon rms are not as interesting to me; personal observations are neither here nor there. The real star of this book is the [free] hacker ethic, software liberty, and the GPL.
Which reminds me: the book is published under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license (presumably because Creative Commons didn't exist at the time of publication). Pretty cool.
July 6, 2012
Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I picked up my signed copy at the FSF bookstore a couple of months ago, really just because I wanted to make a donation, but I wanted to get some loot from it too. :)
Richard Stallman is a visionary. Like many visionaries, few others catch or understand what he sees in the first handful of decades. In this way, I disagree with one major aspect of Williams' analysis: that the gap that separates the utilitarian "open source movement" and the truly "hacker" values of the free software movement is purely, or even largely, generational. His, as I now understand them, are timeless. Instead of viewing free software as a means of making great strides in function, he views it as a small contribution towards a better society*.
The book is filled with anecdotes, glimpses in to his past and present mind, and a testament of what a creative visionary trying to bring hacker culture on firm legal footing and save the craft of hacking (in the original, MIT-originated sense of the word) for a society so content with submission to baser influences. More importantly, the text shows the contrast clearly in Stallman's mind with that of other quite otherwise respectable hackers that just don't "get it." They haven't caught the vision, because they're focused on success rather than the principle of freedom as the bedrock of an inherently good community.
A three-star review from me is really good. I mean, really good. For me, two stars is average, four is something I will read again soon and ponder more deeply, and five is something I intend to read again and again until the day I die. Three means the book must be read at least once. So nobody, including Stallman, should take offense to how I've chosen to quantify my review here. The singular problem with the book was Stallman's own parenthetical corrections to the text, which did little to improve readability and were downright nitpicky in some areas. An errata, or even footnotes in tandem with the endnotes, would have been more appropriate in my opinion. It did help to bolster the opinion left intact in the book that he tends to micromanage.
Then again, every visionary has this downfall, because only he knows how things are truly to be done or taught. Just as Moses couldn't cross the Jordan with the people he liberated, or as Virgil couldn't enter paradise after bringing one to its threshold, so Richard M. Stallman is a paraclete that will one day pass his mantle to a generation of hackers more prepared to hear how the message of freedom applies to the digital age.
*A contribution which he openly downplays in the book, though with the very title of his Free Software Free Society memoirs, which I have not yet read but will soon, it seems he may now understand his own role and the contributions of the FSF to be more meaningful to society at large he did when this book was written. As someone who sides passionately with the free software movement, I portray the situation in more epic terms than I think he would.
Richard Stallman is a visionary. Like many visionaries, few others catch or understand what he sees in the first handful of decades. In this way, I disagree with one major aspect of Williams' analysis: that the gap that separates the utilitarian "open source movement" and the truly "hacker" values of the free software movement is purely, or even largely, generational. His, as I now understand them, are timeless. Instead of viewing free software as a means of making great strides in function, he views it as a small contribution towards a better society*.
The book is filled with anecdotes, glimpses in to his past and present mind, and a testament of what a creative visionary trying to bring hacker culture on firm legal footing and save the craft of hacking (in the original, MIT-originated sense of the word) for a society so content with submission to baser influences. More importantly, the text shows the contrast clearly in Stallman's mind with that of other quite otherwise respectable hackers that just don't "get it." They haven't caught the vision, because they're focused on success rather than the principle of freedom as the bedrock of an inherently good community.
A three-star review from me is really good. I mean, really good. For me, two stars is average, four is something I will read again soon and ponder more deeply, and five is something I intend to read again and again until the day I die. Three means the book must be read at least once. So nobody, including Stallman, should take offense to how I've chosen to quantify my review here. The singular problem with the book was Stallman's own parenthetical corrections to the text, which did little to improve readability and were downright nitpicky in some areas. An errata, or even footnotes in tandem with the endnotes, would have been more appropriate in my opinion. It did help to bolster the opinion left intact in the book that he tends to micromanage.
Then again, every visionary has this downfall, because only he knows how things are truly to be done or taught. Just as Moses couldn't cross the Jordan with the people he liberated, or as Virgil couldn't enter paradise after bringing one to its threshold, so Richard M. Stallman is a paraclete that will one day pass his mantle to a generation of hackers more prepared to hear how the message of freedom applies to the digital age.
*A contribution which he openly downplays in the book, though with the very title of his Free Software Free Society memoirs, which I have not yet read but will soon, it seems he may now understand his own role and the contributions of the FSF to be more meaningful to society at large he did when this book was written. As someone who sides passionately with the free software movement, I portray the situation in more epic terms than I think he would.
February 23, 2011
I’ve just finished reading Free as in Freedom a biography of Richard Stallman the founder of the free software movement. The title takes it’s name from the oft repeated statement used to highlight that software freedom is not about the price rather what you can do with it.
The book itself is relatively short and is easy to read. It combines historical sections describing Stallman’s intellectual journey with alternating chapters describing experiences Sam Williams had while interviewing this famously prickly character. As a long time follower of the FLOSS movement I was fairly familiar with the well documented early stories of the MIT AI Lab and it’s demise following the rush to commercialise LISP machines. However Williams adds a lot more emotional colour to the story that left me feeling I had a greater understanding of Stallman’s personality. I found it hard not to sympathise with the situation Stallman found himself in and the logic of his actions that ultimately led to the GNU Manifesto.
Stallman is often portrayed as a character who divides the disparate FLOSS community. People criticise him for his stubborn intransigence while missing the fact he holds his positions as a result of the logical extrapolation on sincerely held principles. It would be hard to argue that Linux would have taken off as a poster-child for Open Source had the ground work not been laid by Stallman’s GNU project. In this light the call to refer to it as GNU/Linux and the importance of understanding the philosophical underpinnings of the movement seems fairly reasonable. After reading Free as in Freedom I do feel as though I have a better understanding of why things turned out like they did. It left me feeling how lucky we are that Stallman was born into this time and wondering how different things would have been otherwise.
(from my blog)
The book itself is relatively short and is easy to read. It combines historical sections describing Stallman’s intellectual journey with alternating chapters describing experiences Sam Williams had while interviewing this famously prickly character. As a long time follower of the FLOSS movement I was fairly familiar with the well documented early stories of the MIT AI Lab and it’s demise following the rush to commercialise LISP machines. However Williams adds a lot more emotional colour to the story that left me feeling I had a greater understanding of Stallman’s personality. I found it hard not to sympathise with the situation Stallman found himself in and the logic of his actions that ultimately led to the GNU Manifesto.
Stallman is often portrayed as a character who divides the disparate FLOSS community. People criticise him for his stubborn intransigence while missing the fact he holds his positions as a result of the logical extrapolation on sincerely held principles. It would be hard to argue that Linux would have taken off as a poster-child for Open Source had the ground work not been laid by Stallman’s GNU project. In this light the call to refer to it as GNU/Linux and the importance of understanding the philosophical underpinnings of the movement seems fairly reasonable. After reading Free as in Freedom I do feel as though I have a better understanding of why things turned out like they did. It left me feeling how lucky we are that Stallman was born into this time and wondering how different things would have been otherwise.
(from my blog)
October 8, 2014
This is a great book it serves as both a biography of Richard Stallman and also does a good job of explaining many of the values of the Free Software Movement. I was impressed that the book was licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. I liked how the book provided so much background information on RMS as it helped me to understand what influenced him to do what he did. It also did a good job of clarifying a few things such as the difference between "free software" and "open source" (free software emphasizing the freedom, while open source tends to appeal more to businesses and doesn't emphasize the ethical/freedom side of things). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about free software, Stallman, and the GNU Project.
July 20, 2007
FREE AS IN FREEDOM is Sam Williams' biography of legendary software developer and political thinker Richard Stallman. Founder of the GNU project, Stallman is little-known outside of a relatively small world of computing cognoscenti, but without him Linux and many other modern computing innovations would hardly be possible. In an interesting twist, the publisher O'Reilly has released this book under the GNU Free Documentation License, meaning that the book may be freely copied and sold.
The book goes from Stallman's youth in New York of the 1950s and 1960s all the way to the "free software" vs "open source" debate continuing into 2001. Strangely, the late 1980s are treated skimpily; the reader basically goes from the 1983 announcement of the GNU project to the introduction of Linux in 1993 in a couple of pages. A strength of the book is the range of Stallman's acquaintances that Williams was able to interview: many of his fellow students at Harvard and co-workers in MIT's AI lab contributed to the book, and even Stallman's mother gives a great deal of comment. Stallman is a notoriously difficult person to get along with. Williams frankly discusses the possibility that his lack of social skills is due to autism, but notes that against this Stallman shows marvellous ingenuity in computing. Williams does try to walk a tightrope here between dispassionate reporting about a controversial figure and giving him too much praise. Whether you admire Stallman as a modern-day saint or despise him as a pinko Communist, you'll be comfortable with the tone of this work.
The book was clearly written for a hardly-technical audience. Concepts like the Emacs editor are gently described in depth that will tire us readers who have been using it for years. The book also could have benefitted from more proofreading. There are some typos, and redundant introduction of commentators who were introduced already one or two pages before. So, this is an imperfect biography. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about a fascinating figure, but it would be nice had the book included a little more detail about GNU's formative years and hadn't assumed a non-technical audience.
The book goes from Stallman's youth in New York of the 1950s and 1960s all the way to the "free software" vs "open source" debate continuing into 2001. Strangely, the late 1980s are treated skimpily; the reader basically goes from the 1983 announcement of the GNU project to the introduction of Linux in 1993 in a couple of pages. A strength of the book is the range of Stallman's acquaintances that Williams was able to interview: many of his fellow students at Harvard and co-workers in MIT's AI lab contributed to the book, and even Stallman's mother gives a great deal of comment. Stallman is a notoriously difficult person to get along with. Williams frankly discusses the possibility that his lack of social skills is due to autism, but notes that against this Stallman shows marvellous ingenuity in computing. Williams does try to walk a tightrope here between dispassionate reporting about a controversial figure and giving him too much praise. Whether you admire Stallman as a modern-day saint or despise him as a pinko Communist, you'll be comfortable with the tone of this work.
The book was clearly written for a hardly-technical audience. Concepts like the Emacs editor are gently described in depth that will tire us readers who have been using it for years. The book also could have benefitted from more proofreading. There are some typos, and redundant introduction of commentators who were introduced already one or two pages before. So, this is an imperfect biography. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about a fascinating figure, but it would be nice had the book included a little more detail about GNU's formative years and hadn't assumed a non-technical audience.
August 18, 2019
I really want to give this book 5 stars but the way the references were handled was annoying and often broke the flow of reading. At least on the kindle edition.
It's a book worth reading if you are into gnu/linux or open source and free software in general. Being a GNU/Linux user for over a decade (and contributor to FOSS) I knew quite a bit of the backdrop, but I still found it entertaining and it's always good to refresh my memory.
I wasn't around when the FSF started and missed the start of Linux as well. Now that the book is about 2 decades old, we can at least say that OSS seems to be winning the 'war'. Companies like Microsoft, Facebook and Google are open-sourcing large parts of their software and knowledge, under liberal licensing although MIT seems to be more common than GPL.
Open software has better quality than proprietary software. This book does not focus on the software quality that much (apart from a quote here and there) but it does highlight the importance of being able to develop in the open.
Gives food for thought, but I was already convinced of the FOSS model :)
It's a book worth reading if you are into gnu/linux or open source and free software in general. Being a GNU/Linux user for over a decade (and contributor to FOSS) I knew quite a bit of the backdrop, but I still found it entertaining and it's always good to refresh my memory.
I wasn't around when the FSF started and missed the start of Linux as well. Now that the book is about 2 decades old, we can at least say that OSS seems to be winning the 'war'. Companies like Microsoft, Facebook and Google are open-sourcing large parts of their software and knowledge, under liberal licensing although MIT seems to be more common than GPL.
Open software has better quality than proprietary software. This book does not focus on the software quality that much (apart from a quote here and there) but it does highlight the importance of being able to develop in the open.
Gives food for thought, but I was already convinced of the FOSS model :)
December 24, 2012
I downloaded this book from the FSF website along with "Free Software, Free Society." They really follow through with their message by making these resources freely available. Although Williams' portrayal of Stallman as a bit of a tragic hero is probably more accurate than Stallman would like to admit, I think that he (Williams) went a bit out of his way to paint Stallman in a harsh light at times. If you are planning on reading this book, make sure to get the 2nd edition (available here for free), as it includes Stallman's commentary on some of Williams' inaccuracies. The 2nd editions extra commentary also provides probably the most accurate depiction of Stallman's personality anyway, far more accurate than the biased portrait Williams attempts to create. This book isn't for everyone, but if you are a FLOSS junkie this should be required reading along with Free Software, Free Society (follow the link for a free PDF copy), Stallman's manifesto in his own words.
August 12, 2021
An excellent biography on a very influential and important figure in technology. The only reason I give it a 4/5 is because it did drag a tiny bit in a few places; but overall it's a great read.
Richard Stallman is a bit of a controversial figure at times these days, and the butt of many jokes due to his eccentric nature - that can't be avoided. But like it or not, he's a very important figure in technology, particularly in the politics and philosophy of computing. If you are looking for a guidebook on why exactly that is, I think this is definitely it; everything is laid out very well, and very clearly. This book doesn't shy away from how strange Richard can be at times, but it also doesn't linger on it too much either; it's a pretty even-handed biography of the man and his mission overall, and I have to say that I greatly appreciate it for that.
At the end of the day, if you are looking to understand more about Richard Stallman, the free software movement, and what computing really ought to be all about, then look no further.
Richard Stallman is a bit of a controversial figure at times these days, and the butt of many jokes due to his eccentric nature - that can't be avoided. But like it or not, he's a very important figure in technology, particularly in the politics and philosophy of computing. If you are looking for a guidebook on why exactly that is, I think this is definitely it; everything is laid out very well, and very clearly. This book doesn't shy away from how strange Richard can be at times, but it also doesn't linger on it too much either; it's a pretty even-handed biography of the man and his mission overall, and I have to say that I greatly appreciate it for that.
At the end of the day, if you are looking to understand more about Richard Stallman, the free software movement, and what computing really ought to be all about, then look no further.
August 7, 2011
This one was mostly just informative. Not in a bad way, though. It showed a side of Richard Stallman that I've never seen before and I think that was a good thing. If all you have to go by is what he put up on his site, and what you may have read on wikipedia.org, then this book will show you a bit more of the kind of person he is. If you don't know who Richard Stallman is, what the Free Software Foundation is, what the GPL is, or what GNU/Linux is, and you don't really care then don't bother with this book. If you do know any of those and want to know more than you do (especially on RMS, himself) then read this one. You can download a (free) PDF from the Free Software Foundation's store or (, even better,) you can order the book there and enjoy the smell of ink on paper as you read the book. :)
December 21, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well-written and clear, given the technical and often cumbersome subject matter. It paints both an intriguing and educational picture of RMS and his crusade. Properly illustrated the differences between FLOSS and OSS, and exposed me to the names of a lot of key players in the early and recent movement. It also cleared up some overall misconceptions about Linux that I had after reading Torvald’s ‘Just For Fun’. I promise to refer to it as GNU/Linux henceforth ;)
June 26, 2011
Fairly interesting read that goes beyond the software world to reflect more on social values and the current trends on how our society treats knowledge and access to it.
Also the portrait of a quite unique person that draws as much attraction and respect as laughter and repulse. I was already quite an admirer of Stallman, after this book I can only reaffirm myself. If rms didn't exist, we'd have to invent it.
Also the portrait of a quite unique person that draws as much attraction and respect as laughter and repulse. I was already quite an admirer of Stallman, after this book I can only reaffirm myself. If rms didn't exist, we'd have to invent it.
May 31, 2012
rms's bio. If you are interested in any of his writings, it would be good to read this. I rembering having read this about 8 years ago, so I do not really remember the details. All I remember is the author had a hard time publishing this book, because he had to publish it "Free" too because he was writing on someone who stood for "Free as in Freedom". Yeah, you will find the entire copy of the book in the www under the GPL license.
June 11, 2018
This book makes for a good read, one which will be especially appealing to industry veterans. I enjoyed the stories about Stallman's early years as a teenager, at Harvard and the MIT AI Lab. I learned a lot of where things came from that I didn't know: Where did GNU come from? Why is "free software" different than "open source"? What's the history of Unix text editors (Emacs and vi)? Much of it resonates with my own experience in the industry over the years and much of it rings true.
July 29, 2014
I found this book much more interesting than I had originally expected. The book will likely only fascinate anyone involved with Linux...er, GNU/Linux, but it's an insightful look into the brilliant mind and awkward quirks of the original father of the open source movement.
November 13, 2014
Any biography is the subjective interpretation of the author. As this book also includes the subjective annotations and editions of its subject, it makes that point very clear. There's plenty of interesting content here but it's clear that the result is a palimpsest of biases.
June 27, 2011
Good book to get know the history and origins of free as in freedom software and Stallman's character. However, smth of the author's pathos annoyed me.
June 1, 2022
Tämä kirja kertoo hakkeri Richard Stallmanista, joka tunnetaan parhaiten hänen roolistaan vapaiden tietokoneohjelmistojen parissa. Stallman oli niin sanottu ihmelapsi, joka osoitti älyllistä lahjakkuutta jo nuorella iällä. Tiedonjano oli valtava, minkä vuoksi hän tiesi paljon asioita eri aihealueista. Hän oli alusta alkaen hyvin päättäväinen ja äärettömän sitkeä. Hän oli hyvin periaatteellinen eikä suostunut tekemään kompromisseja itselle tärkeistä asioista. Ilman Stallmanin tekemää älyllistä työtä ei välttämättä olisi syntynyt Linuxia tai muita suuria IT-maailman ilmiöitä sellaisina kuin ne nykyään tunnetaan.
Kirja on henkilökuvaus, jossa ääneen pääsevät myös muutkin kuin Stallman itse. Teokseen on saatu haastatteluja ihmisiltä, jotka ovat tunteneet Stallmanin eri vuosikymmeniltä. Kirja on tässä suhteessa onnistunut, koska teokseen on saatu rakennettua monipuolinen kuva Stallmanin kasvusta ja mielenmaisemasta. Monet tapahtumat on dokumentoitu hyvin tarkasti. Eräissä tapauksissa yksityiskohtainen dialogien kuvaaminen kääntyy kuitenkin itseään vastaan ja tekee kirjasta hieman raskaan luettavan. Monet asiat olisi voitu tiivistää, kuten kirjassa on muuten kyllä osattu tehdä.
Kirjassa korostetaan paljon Stallmanin roolia filosofian kehittäjänä (mm. vapaiden ohjelmistojen filosofia), mutta itse filosofiaa käsitellään vain pintapuolisesti. Tässä asiassa kirjan tekijä olisi voinut hieman haastaa. Esimerkiksi teoksessa puhutaan altruismista, hakkerin halusta tehdä parempia ohjelmistoja ja laittaa sen jälkeen hyvä kiertämään muille. Tekeekö hakkeri työtään ensisijaisesti muita ihmisiä varten vai itseään? Entä, jos hakkerietiikka onkin itsekkyyttä omasta tiedonhalusta johtuen? Ja mikäli näin on, miksi suljetun koodin tekijät - myöskin itsekkäistä motiiveista (raha) - ovat moraalisesti heikommalla kannalla? Eikö ihmisillä ole oikeutta pitää salaisuuksia? Näitä eettisiä ja yksilönvapauksiin liittyviä kysymyksiä olisi voitu perustella muutamalla lauseella - tekemättä kirjasta kuitenkaan filosofian oppikirjaa.
Heikkona puolena voidaan myös todeta, että teoksessa ei perustella riittävän yleiskielisesti, miksi vapaisiin ohjelmistoihin liittyvät saavutukset ovat niin merkittäviä kuin kirjassa annetaan ymmärtää. Ottaen huomioon, että kyse on biografiasta, tällaisen lukijakuntaa koskettavan asian huomioiminen ei olisi vaatinut montaa ylimääräistä tekstiriviä. Teoksessa ilmeisesti oletetaan, että lukija tietää jotain ohjelmistokehityksestä, minkä vuoksi ATK:sta tietämätön ihminen ei pysty vielä tämän kirjan perusteella arvioimaan, millaisesta urotyöstä Stallmanin GNU-projektissa on ollut kyse.
Kokonaisuudessaan kirja on mielenkiintoinen ja paikoin jopa ihan huvittava, mutta toteutuksen puolella jää parantamisen varaa.
Arvosana: 3/5
Kirja on henkilökuvaus, jossa ääneen pääsevät myös muutkin kuin Stallman itse. Teokseen on saatu haastatteluja ihmisiltä, jotka ovat tunteneet Stallmanin eri vuosikymmeniltä. Kirja on tässä suhteessa onnistunut, koska teokseen on saatu rakennettua monipuolinen kuva Stallmanin kasvusta ja mielenmaisemasta. Monet tapahtumat on dokumentoitu hyvin tarkasti. Eräissä tapauksissa yksityiskohtainen dialogien kuvaaminen kääntyy kuitenkin itseään vastaan ja tekee kirjasta hieman raskaan luettavan. Monet asiat olisi voitu tiivistää, kuten kirjassa on muuten kyllä osattu tehdä.
Kirjassa korostetaan paljon Stallmanin roolia filosofian kehittäjänä (mm. vapaiden ohjelmistojen filosofia), mutta itse filosofiaa käsitellään vain pintapuolisesti. Tässä asiassa kirjan tekijä olisi voinut hieman haastaa. Esimerkiksi teoksessa puhutaan altruismista, hakkerin halusta tehdä parempia ohjelmistoja ja laittaa sen jälkeen hyvä kiertämään muille. Tekeekö hakkeri työtään ensisijaisesti muita ihmisiä varten vai itseään? Entä, jos hakkerietiikka onkin itsekkyyttä omasta tiedonhalusta johtuen? Ja mikäli näin on, miksi suljetun koodin tekijät - myöskin itsekkäistä motiiveista (raha) - ovat moraalisesti heikommalla kannalla? Eikö ihmisillä ole oikeutta pitää salaisuuksia? Näitä eettisiä ja yksilönvapauksiin liittyviä kysymyksiä olisi voitu perustella muutamalla lauseella - tekemättä kirjasta kuitenkaan filosofian oppikirjaa.
Heikkona puolena voidaan myös todeta, että teoksessa ei perustella riittävän yleiskielisesti, miksi vapaisiin ohjelmistoihin liittyvät saavutukset ovat niin merkittäviä kuin kirjassa annetaan ymmärtää. Ottaen huomioon, että kyse on biografiasta, tällaisen lukijakuntaa koskettavan asian huomioiminen ei olisi vaatinut montaa ylimääräistä tekstiriviä. Teoksessa ilmeisesti oletetaan, että lukija tietää jotain ohjelmistokehityksestä, minkä vuoksi ATK:sta tietämätön ihminen ei pysty vielä tämän kirjan perusteella arvioimaan, millaisesta urotyöstä Stallmanin GNU-projektissa on ollut kyse.
Kokonaisuudessaan kirja on mielenkiintoinen ja paikoin jopa ihan huvittava, mutta toteutuksen puolella jää parantamisen varaa.
Arvosana: 3/5
July 7, 2022
An interesting and thought-provoking book about the life and career of Richard Stallman, written with the subject's involvement but not sparing him some significant criticism. The sections describing episodes when the author and his subject spent time together are particularly interesting, as is the first half of the life story.
There's also lots of material on the pros and cons of Stallman's Free Software movement and comparisons with the less ideological approaches of, say, Linus Torvalds and the Open Source movement. That resulted in me purchasing "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" which is on my "To Read" list.
Stallman comes across as an intriguing figure with strong convictions but weaknesses in dealing with people. I met him once after a talk he gave in London in the early nineties and I can confirm the author's description of how Stallman would play with his hair while in discussion, although I didn't remember him being such a domineering figure as is painted in the book - perhaps he developed those characteristics as he aged.
Definitely worth a read, both to stimulate thinking on the issues for which Stallman has been fighting and also for entertainment.
October 16, 2019
Vita e opere di Richard Stallman, fondatore della GNU. In pratica, colui che ha reso (e rende) possibile l'esistenza del software libero. Per chi, come me, si guadagna il pane pigiando tasti con delle lettere serigrafate, è un personaggio leggendario, nel bene e nel male. Il libro riesce bene a rendere la personalità quasi "borderline" di Stallman, seguendone la formazione personale e culturale, senza risparmiarsi aneddoti che hanno contribuito alla fama di "guru" del protagonista. Ma c'è anche un pezzo di storia dell'informatica, di come si sia evoluto il mercato, di come il progetto di Stallman rappresenti non solo una forma di condivisione di un'idea, ma un vero e proprio manifesto di come l'essere umano dovrebbe essere. Qualcosa che, purtroppo, con il passare del tempo sembra sempre di più un'utopia...
December 30, 2018
It is quite revealing to read the biography to understand the development of free software movement in the eyes of RMS. Before reading this book, I though the free software movement is a collective movement driven by a community who share hacker ethics deeply. It turned out that it was started single-handed by RMS. The MIT hacker community was destroyed, and RMS wanted to build his home back. It is so similar with the case of the Homebrew Computer Club, which was also started single-handed by few individuals --- in my memory, it is mostly started by a guy who did his undergraduate in UC Berkely, and wanted to share the computing infrastructure to the people. Great persons changed history, almost always alone in the start.
November 20, 2020
Really well-researched and narrated book. Covers the tumultuous primordial years of the free software movement and one of its chief drivers: Richard Stallman. This book is simultaneously a portrait of him and a crash course in 70s - 90s popular computing history. The GNU/Linux split is covered here, along with some of Stallman's speeches.
Williams does a good job sketching out his (and others') observations of Stallman's somewhat abrasive personality, his commitment to the ideals of software freedom, and several humorous anecdotes.
Pretty easy read; took me 2 days
Ave St. Ignacius
Williams does a good job sketching out his (and others') observations of Stallman's somewhat abrasive personality, his commitment to the ideals of software freedom, and several humorous anecdotes.
Pretty easy read; took me 2 days
Ave St. Ignacius
January 3, 2025
Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman’s Crusade for Free Software by Sam Williams is an engaging and enlightening biography that captures the essence of Richard Stallman’s revolutionary work in the world of free software. The book provides a thorough and accessible account of Stallman’s journey, highlighting his uncompromising dedication to user freedoms and the ethical principles behind the open-source movement. Williams does an excellent job of portraying Stallman’s complex personality and the profound impact his vision has had on the tech industry. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of free software and digital rights.
November 25, 2016
Engaging book and exposes vital information related to FS and FOSS, particularly their becoming and how things were during the 70s and 80s when coding and hacking was not intended to be a market and end up as IaaS. When it comes to Richard Stallman’s biography, not that good persona but perfectly fit into the computer science world, his achievement remarkably affected the software and licensing, GNU helped poor and grown countries to build their automated and IT infrastructure like brazil, cuba, Taiwan and others to strengthen their education institutions.
June 17, 2025
This book is an unavoidable story if you're in the software industry. Sooner or later you're going to learn about Linux, and this book tells you why it's called GNU/Linux instead.
There is a lot of nuance in the Free Software and Open Source worlds. This book really captures the first aspect of it, and how Stallman heads the ethical debate of why software should always be free. I may not agree with his ideals fully, but it's a great read to start to know how and why free software is thriving the way it is right now.
There is a lot of nuance in the Free Software and Open Source worlds. This book really captures the first aspect of it, and how Stallman heads the ethical debate of why software should always be free. I may not agree with his ideals fully, but it's a great read to start to know how and why free software is thriving the way it is right now.
July 10, 2017
Letto nel 2017 risulta datato. Aggiunge molto poco al panorama della conoscenza di RMS, FSF e Gnu/Linux in generale, anche se si è solo un utente medio che si è già interessato un poco questi argomenti. Il racconto delle vicende di Stallman è avvincente nella prima parte del libro, ma poi si perde in considerazioni ridondanti senza aggiungere alcuna sostanza al calderone.
May 23, 2025
I really liked this book. Richard Stallman really make me want use Linux, use EMACS and write interesting software. It was good to learn about his life and all of history behind how he thinks. I read the 2.0 version which is annotated by Stallman and it is funny some of opinions Sam Williams has that Stallman refutes.
April 4, 2018
This is a wonderfully lucid account of hacking culture. It tells the story of Richard Stallman, better known as RMS, one of the pioneers of the Free Software movement. This book is highly recommended to anyone who has used GNU/Linux, LibreOffice or Mozilla products.
November 19, 2019
Like it or not, it's Stallman's own argument on the necessity of free (as in freedom) software. Also includes a brief story on GNU project and Linux kernel. Useful for introducing yourself in the world of free software and GNU/Linux. The biographical parts are boring as fuck IMO.
install gentoo
install gentoo
August 2, 2021
Takeaways:
1. To do meaningful work one needs to have a level of uncomprising intransigence that very few people have. When you start compromising, everything is immediately lost. Who other beyond Stallman can say to have it? What will happen when he's gone?
2. Money runs everything.
1. To do meaningful work one needs to have a level of uncomprising intransigence that very few people have. When you start compromising, everything is immediately lost. Who other beyond Stallman can say to have it? What will happen when he's gone?
2. Money runs everything.
March 7, 2023
Allow me to interject for a moment, what you're referring to as Goodreads is in fact GNU/Goodreads, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNUreads.
pretty decent read, and I always love looking at pictures of him in various locations with his funky little ThinkPad T400
pretty decent read, and I always love looking at pictures of him in various locations with his funky little ThinkPad T400
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