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| Richard Stallman聽auctions off a stuffed gnu, the mascot of his federation, in聽the McInnes Room, Dal SUB, earlier this week. (Bruce Bottomley Photo) |
It isn't often that helping your neighbour is equated with losing your own freedom, but that was the analogy drawn by Richard Stallman, president of the Free Software Foundation. During his lecture on the free software movement and GNU/Linux, the computer software pioneer spoke of how our society teaches people to adopt software programs based on 鈥渟uperficial, practical advantages.鈥�
To the nearly 300 who packed the McInnes Room on Tuesday, Jan. 27, he urged people ask themselves questions about their software choices.
鈥淚s it powerful? Is it convenient? Is it reliable? What does it cost?鈥� he asked, and then added, 鈥淚f I use this program what will it do to my freedom? If I use this program, what will it do to the social solidarity of my community? What kind of way of life does this software impose on its users?鈥�
He called on those interested to 鈥渞eject the propaganda terms that developers of proprietary software use to demonize the act of helping your neighbour.鈥� By labelling people who share as 鈥減irates,鈥� the developers are 鈥渢rying to sneak past us the assumption that helping your neighbour is the moral equivalent of attacking a ship.鈥� As the laughter continued, Mr. Stallman presented further ideas the free software movement is concerned with.
鈥淕reat software means software that respects the user's freedom. So it is free in the sense of freedom, not as in price.鈥� He then added, 鈥渁 free program is one that respects the user's freedom and social solidarity of the user's community.鈥澛�
But Mr. Stallman鈥檚 definition of freedom is different than that of a politician. The 鈥渇our essential freedoms鈥� include the ability to study and change source code while running programs as one wishes and the choice to make copies of modified versions and distribute them, 鈥渉elping your neighbour,鈥� he said.
While it is common to associate the letters 鈥淒.R.M.鈥� with digital rights management, Mr. Stallman spoke of 鈥渄igital restriction management.鈥�
鈥淲e've got to be careful about the implications of the terminology that we might pick up unthinkingly of other people that have thought very carefully of the implications of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he purpose is to restrict the public's access to technology. It is a conspiracy of companies acting together.鈥�
鈥淵ou should not give up your freedom to these malicious products. You should never buy, rent or accept as a gift any product designed with digital restriction management unless you personally possess the means to break the handcuffs and do the things that the conspiracy does not want you to do.鈥�
As the lecture continued, it was apparent that software development, and education are all affected by corporations as well as governmental policies. 鈥淲e should also reject the propaganda terms that developers of proprietary software use to demonize the act of helping your neighbour,鈥� he emphasized.