Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

audio-video.gnu.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

551–560 of 841 posts

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

#551

Post by PH95VuimJjqBqy »

op00to wrote: post #430
jraph wrote: post #415

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are two different things: - the MIT mailing list discussion of a few years ago where he got a lot of flakes for what I indeed believe was a lot of misunderstanding. He seemed reasonable to me, but you really need subtle and careful reading to notice this. It was easy to misread and understand the contrary of was he thinks. I think he should have refrained from participating in this discussion though. Wh…

When I hear stuff like "you need really subtle and careful reading"... it's just an excuse to discount the actual content of the message and invent the meaning you wanted all along. Like, how could I be so stupid to not pick up on this totally opposite point from what RMS was saying?

Is your stance that subtlety doesn't exist, or just not for stallman?

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

#552

Post by gentleman11 »

dEnigma wrote: post #346
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…

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.

Speaking of stallman, the doom community is still alive and going strong all these years later. Dooms source was released under gpl a long time ago and the modding scene is incredible.

Check out doomworld some time to see what’s been going on. Unbelievably good level design and mods all over the place, custom source ports everywhere, thousands of maps, etc

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

#553

Post by yura »

op00to wrote: post #414
yura wrote: post #402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's eccentric, and most people would say that his social skills are subpar. But if you spend more than a few minutes reading his emails or watching him talk you'll realize that he is most definitely /not/ an asshole.

[flagged]

> I've spent more time with him than I ever neeeded to as his "escort" when he talked to my university's LUG. Dude wouldn't stop staring at women's chests and left my car smelling like a barnyard. We lost female members because of him.

https://stallmansupport.org/debunking-false-accusations-agai...

If you're going to make an accusation against without any evidence, I figured I might link this website with a compilation of accusations that came up during the cruel smear campaign against him, and their debunkings.

I'm not saying that you're lying, just offering both sides of the story to whoever else is reading. Most of the accusations against him have been shown to be misrepresented, greatly exaggerated, or straight-up false.

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

#554

Post by kortilla »

Biganon wrote: post #238
drt5b7j wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A) A picture of che Guevara is always an association with communism B) RMS is very well known as someone who is, amongst other things, not a communist. Frankly I fail to see how this could be taken as anything other than a provocation. Why would you have a picture of RMS as Che and then ask him to sign it? The only other explanation I can think of is you're too stupid to not see A or B.

Well first of all I was 15 or 16 at the time, so I guess I didn't give it as much though as you currently do, and besides, Che Guevara is (to me at least) not a symbol of communism first and foremost, but a symbol of a man fighting for his ideas (not saying that's my opinion of him especially nowadays, I'm talking about the symbolic power, especially of the famous photograph we all know). So... no. Besides, it was in…

Hitler was a man fighting for his ideas as well. If you ignore the ideas it’s pretty dumb to get behind someone just because they’re enthusiastic.

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

#555

Post by I_Am_Nous »

gentleman11 wrote: post #545
leidenfrost wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Our young people only seem to care about witch hunting for perceived slights without proper evidence. We basically have a mob frothing at the mouth for its next potential target

Human history seems to show that all humans love forming into a single mob to attack some perceived "other." This is a habit which has existed since long before the current "mob" of young people, or the internet, or the Boomers...

The internet makes it really easy to purity test a community into an echo chamber. Many people willingly subject themselves to these purity tests to fit in and be part of the community, which is also why we see negative communities tending toward a downward spiral (like any of the 4chan communities) as people walk step by step to more extremism in their views.

What can we expect when most of the internet is paid for by abusing people's vices. The "whales" of the mobile gaming industry exist in other industries too. The majority of alcohol is purchased by a relatively small percentage of consumers - meaning the alcohol industry's main source of income is people so addicted they drink as much as they can, regardless of consequences.

When your money is made because people can't help themselves, that's blood money. It's not surprising that a society which tolerates (and encourages!) companies to pursue blood money would likewise have other moral failings, including a tendency to separate into tribes and attack different tribes.

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

#556

Post by cultureswitch »

hutzlibu wrote: post #535
toyg wrote: post #524

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> how often the GPL is used in new projects and how often MIT or alike. That's strictly about businesses not willing to give back in the way the GPL forces you to. It's nothing to do with how RMS behaves.

No, it also is about people wanting their software to be used by everyone, including buisness, without limitations. That can have selfish reasons like wanting money of buisness people, but can also have idealistic reasons. Not everyone is a fan of enforcing freedom, as that is a contradiction to some. Like I said, different opinions. Freedom etc. Not accepted by RMS and co I know. Which is why I will continue to stay…

GPL software can be used and modified by businesses. There's absolutely nothing preventing that, except the business being more lawyers than brains.

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

#557

Post by FredPret »

I hope he gets better soon.

The more the tech world develops and the more I learn, the more I start to like free & open source tech.

I do think there will always be a a large and growing amount of space for paid software work, but the variety and quality of free software seems to go up and to the right over time.

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

#558

Post by jraph »

sdfghswe wrote: post #512
jraph wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Communism refers to at least two separate things, though (in Western Europe). - a theoretical economic model that is opposed to capitalism - the atrocious regimes of the 20th century calling themselves communism you are referring to that have vanishingly few things to do with the first. Vanishingly few people in Western Europe support these atrocious regimes. And therefore, communism the way you are using it. What's…

Communism refers to at least two separate things: the theory and the reality. That's basically what you just said, right?

No. This is a very bad summary of what I carefully tried to make, that completely misses the point.

I'm sorry I was not clear enough, but I'm afraid I won't be able to express myself better so I'll just leave it at that.

You are free to make this point if you want, just don't make it look like it comes from me because it doesn't.

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

#559

Post by bjourne »

jraph wrote: post #181

Here he is, 70, under chemo, giving a speech. He keeps being a force of nature. May he recover well, or at least have long enjoyable years ahead. He has/had arguable/unacceptable behavior, but I believe we strongly owe him. He has built incredible software, defined important stuff and kicked our asses in the right direction.

> He has/had arguable/unacceptable behavior,

Can you explain what you mean?

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

#560

Post by tusharhero »

I had emailed stallman about this.

My email:

Greetings Dr. Stallman,

First of all, Happy 40th GNUversary!

I was not able to attend the GNU40 meeting in Switzerland, but I have heard rumours that you have announced that you have some form of cancer.

Can you give me some more information about this? And is the cancer manageable?

I hope you are around for many more years.

--- tusharhero

Stallman's reply:

[[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider ]]] [[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies, ]]] [[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]]

I'm glad you are concerned about my well being. At the same time, I am disappointed that people are spreading incomplete rumors, instead of passing along all of what I said about this. That is going to waste a lot of people's time and concern, just as it has done with you.

My prognosis is good. I can expect to live many more years.

-- Dr Richard Stallman (https://stallman.org) Chief GNUisance of the GNU Project (https://gnu.org) Founder, Free Software Foundation (https://fsf.org) Internet Hall-of-Famer (https://internethalloffame.org)

Post reply on HN