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Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

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Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#501

Post by Gigachad »

ToValueFunfetti wrote: post #491
Gigachad wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s commonly said that his inspiration was from wanting to improve a printer driver but couldn’t because it was proprietary. I feel like back in the day there would have been so many easy wins for modifications. Like how people used to root Android to add screenshot capability. These days modern software is so extremely sophisticated and refined that I can’t think of anything I could improve for say iOS. Still love…

I think you might not be considering personal bugfixes (X interaction is great for the common denominator, annoying to me), long-term support (I want to use my device securely in 2045), or custom features (I want to be able to do X, but only 0.001% of people care so Apple doesn't). I use Android, so I can't be more specific. I have heard the unverified complaint that Apple sometimes slows down old devices as new ones…

I don't really understand this. You plan to single handedly replace the entire OS and security teams to maintain the OS on your phone for a decade? How will you update the kernel when the proprietary driver blobs stop being maintained?

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#502

Post by fouc »

leidenfrost wrote: post #390
dEnigma wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel similarly. While I absolutely can't and won't operate under the severe restrictions that an ideologically pure stance on software freedom ala Stallman would impose, I'm glad that there are some people, like Stallman himself, who take it to those extremes, tirelessly advocate for improvement and thus move the needle towards a better middle ground for everyone.

It's a lot more understandable if you consider the state of computing he experienced while growing up: Programs were way simpler, and shipping the source code in paper was the de facto way of distribution. It's not like he was a wacko around his peers. He just created what seemed a logical step from that. I'm just sad that there's no young people to pass the torch for when the time comes and the founding fathers are…

> I'm just sad that there's no young people to pass the torch for when the time comes and the founding fathers are no more.

I feel like this is a bit of a misperception. Does this historically happen?

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#504

Post by red-iron-pine »

xk_id wrote: post #432
bitmadness wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does he have a reputation for poor hygiene?

FWIW, there is a rare medical condition some people have, where their body odour is abnormally high. I knew a girl in high school, very attractive and a wonderful person, but she sufferred from this condition, despite her best efforts to manage it. She would be regularly bullied by the girls and rejected by the boys for it.

stallman doesn't have some highly rare medical condition, he's just a lazy hippy programmer type. and it sounds like he's got reasonably decent hygiene.

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#505

Post by Gigachad »

jraph wrote: post #490
Gigachad wrote: post #482

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's just autism

But autistic people are not doomed. They can learn to avoid problematic behavior. Pretty well. As well as the rest of the population can learn about the difficulties autistic people can encounter in a mostly non-autistic setting and be more understanding / show some empathy. It's a long way though.

Probably in the case of Stallman, he grew up in an era before better understanding of the condition and how to deal with it properly. I'd also assume from his general attitude that he wouldn't take too well to being told how to behave.

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#506

Post by [deleted] »

systemtest wrote: post #389
op00to wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Years and years ago he talked at my university lug. I picked him up in my car from the train. The BO smell remained in my car for WEEKS. Dude had a serious aroma.

A lot of people would pay good money to have their car smell like Stallman for weeks.

[deleted]

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#507

Post by 7e »

newscracker wrote: post #270

I hope he’s able to manage it well (since the prognosis is good) and is around for a lot longer. We need absolutists like him who go to extremes and are known widely. For a few moments, leave aside his personality and what people have said about his behavior or hygiene. If he hadn’t been there, our world would’ve been a lot different and a lot poorer. A visionary is what he was and is. While the Free part of FOSS is…

OSS predates GNU, and GNU's influence is waning. I wouldn't say Stallman's impact was that large. OSS was a thing before Stallman and will remain after Stallman.

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#509

Post by adingus »

hutzlibu wrote: post #300
newscracker wrote: post #270

I hope he’s able to manage it well (since the prognosis is good) and is around for a lot longer. We need absolutists like him who go to extremes and are known widely. For a few moments, leave aside his personality and what people have said about his behavior or hygiene. If he hadn’t been there, our world would’ve been a lot different and a lot poorer. A visionary is what he was and is. While the Free part of FOSS is…

"We need absolutists like him who go to extremes and are known widely." But what is he known for, outside tech circles, if he is known at all? When you want to deliver a message, it matters a lot, how you deliver it.

Even as someone who has been a dev for 5 years I only know him as that gross guy who likes free software. Note that 'gross guy' is the main point here. He has failed to communicate any nuance to his message. Another person might have 80% the same opinion as him but be able to reach 200% of the people as him by way of not having such a bad reputation. If the free software 'movement' wants to move anyone they need to get out of their own way.

Re: Richard Stallman reveals he has cancer in the GNU 40 Hacker Meeting talk [video]

#510

Post by calderknight »

badpun wrote: post #397
calderknight wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I presume you're being ironic. One should listen to them. One should also be aware of the massive selection bias in views you're going to hear.

Show me the countries (ok, even one country) in the world where people are happy that they are/were under communism. In other words, it's not selection bias when everybody holds more or less the same opinion.

Russia, China, Vietnam.

Anyway, you're being illogical. A flawed argument will remain just as flawed when it is used to reach a true conclusion as when it is used to reach a false conclusion.

If you want to prove me wrong, show that it is sensible to infer from the fact that an extremely selected-for sample has some property that the entire population has that same property - and do so without appealing to a bigger picture. Because if you were to claim that appealing to a bigger picture is necessary, you would be making the selfsame claim that I am making.

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