Main page Richard Stallman talk at UCSD Notes | Pictures/videos

Notes from Richard Stallman talk at UCSD

These are the notes I recorded at Stallman's talk at UCSD. They are more focused toward the end of his talk. Most of the beginning of his talk is captured on the pictures/video page.

The notes are mostly summaries of things Stallman said. For the most part, I think they are correct, but it is possible that I erred when writing down parts of the talk. As a result, some of the things written here (hopefully a very small number) may not accurately reflect what Stallman said.

The talk

The four essential freedoms that a user should have and that make up the definition of free software:
0. the freedom to run the program as you wish
1. the freedom to study the source code of the program and change it so that the program does what you wish
2. the freedom to help your neighbor: to distribute exact copies when you wish
3. the freedom to contribute to your community: to distribute copies of your modified versions when you wish

What if a group desires a change to a piece of software but no one in that group can program?
- those that can't program pay dues to hire a programmer to write the change
- this creates a free market for programming services

The GPL actively defends freedom for all users
- it prevents the addition of restrictions

Many freedoms have been lost in the USA
- for example, the right to a trial in some cases

Credit must be given to GNU when talking about a GNU/Linux system because it is not just running the Linux kernel, but also the GNU tools on top of it

In 1995, GNU/Linux distributions started adding proprietary applications and Stallman was unable to recommend any distribution in the late 90s. Since then, distributions containing entirely free software have been developed which Stallman can recommend:
- Ututo
- Blag
- gNewSense

Two laws of the USA specifically prohibit rights:
- the Digital Millenium Copyright Act allows companies to add keys to their DVD playing programs so that using free programs to watch DVDs is illegal
- allowing software patents

More on software patents:
- one study from two years ago found that the Linux kernel contained 283 patent violations
- some creators of GNU/Linux distributions will not include free software to play MP3s because of its questionable legality

The point of democracy is to prevent rich people from having power (ie. political power) proportional to their wealth.

Stallman suggested visiting defectivebydesign.org

There are 2 secondary issues with free software:
- some people say you can't get paid to write free software. Stallman believes there is a large market for custom applications that companies will be willing to pay for. Alternatively, if you are active in the free software community long enough, you will likely be hired.
- schools must use free software. They should not be wasting money on proprietary software. Educational discounts encourage dependency on proprietary software (just like an addictive drug, the first hit is free or low-cost).

- learning to write good code involves a lot of reading and writing of code
- using free software lets students learn software if they're interested; with proprietary software, a teacher has to tell the student that they can't learn how the software works

Closed with presentation of Stallman's other identity.

Q&A

Q1: What do you think of the creative commons license?
A1: There are many creative commons licenses, some are free and others are not; as a result, Stallman does not recommend using them.

Q2: Why shouldn't ATI and Nvidia be allowed to protect their intellectual property with proprietary drivers?
A2: Intellectual property is a misleading term; you need to specify whether you're talking about patents, copyrights, or secret information.

Q3: How much of custom ASICs are hardware and how much are software?
A3: Hardware is parts of the device that cannot be modified (such as hardwired logic); parts that can be modified (like a flash BIOS) are software.

Q4: Isn't there a better word to use for "free software" than "free"?
A4: There is no better alternative in English that Stallman has found. "Open source" is insufficient because it implies only that you can view the source code; it does not cover the other freedoms.

Q5: I really want to use the full graphics features of ATI and Nvidia products, which requires proprietary drivers. What should I do?
A5: Graphics features are mostly eye candy, but if you really want to use them, you should write your own drivers or petition the company to make their drivers free software.