RMS: De Icaza Traitor to Free Software Community
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 24th Sep 2009 13:35 UTC, submitted by Hiev
Mono Project If you don't like personal, blog-style reporting, you might want to skip this item. A few days ago, during a speech at Software Freedom Day in Boston, Richard Stallman has, at least in my book, crossed a line that I thought he would never cross.
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RMS's chip
by cjcox on Thu 24th Sep 2009 18:15 UTC
cjcox
Member since:
2006-12-21

RMS has a chip on his shoulder from a time when somebody STOLE his Emacs code and built a better Emacs from it. Today, user's of XEmacs are essentially working off this other base. When RMS speaks, he usually tells of his sob story over this and how wrong it was that somebody took his code and modified it without his permission and distributed it.

Anyhow... I just wanted to add that so people have a better insight into RMS.

Reply Score: 2

RE: RMS's chip
by sbergman27 on Thu 24th Sep 2009 18:45 in reply to "RMS's chip"
sbergman27 Member since:
2005-07-24

RMS has a chip on his shoulder from a time when somebody STOLE his Emacs code and built a better Emacs from it.
...
Anyhow... I just wanted to add that so people have a better insight into RMS.

In my opinion, while FOSS has had no shortage of super-egotists speaking for us over the years (Hi, ESR!), Stallman is a super-egotist's super-egotist. Though you'll never get him to admit it. And I've got to give him credit for just how skillfully he has maintained a consistent plausible deniability shield with respect to that truth. He doesn't just claim that it's altruism and not egotism which drives him. He is always careful to stay within the gray area. So if one is so inclined, they can make an argument that he's legit. But it seems pretty clear to my intuition that the more credible argument puts ego, jealousy, and envy in control of his actions.

RMS is a very charismatic individual who is *always* very deliberate and careful about what he says. He never "blurts" anything. And what we are witnessing is not poorly executed altruism... but extreme egotism leaking through his reality distortion field.

Best not to underestimate him.

RMS supporters should feel free to disagree with me. I can't prove them wrong. But it's worth thinking about.

Edited 2009-09-24 18:55 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 3