Moderator: Richard, please
Richard: Oh, it stopped showing the time
I just stroke it a little bit
I don't use these handheld computers
because they have non-free software in them
Um, well, some of you might be wondering why I have aluminium foil around my badge
It's because there is an RFID in the badge
An RFID is a tracking device. If you have an RFID on you
it can be tracked at any time,
so they are a terrible threat to privacy rights
and because of that I am fighting back
I have got aluminium foil here
if you want to shield
your RFID so that it can't be tracked
then come and get some when the panel is over.
But I have been fighting for freedom
for a long time. Twenty-two years ago now
I announced the beginning of the Free Software movement,
a social movement for freedom for computer users
specifically, the freedom to cooperate
and the freedom to control your own computer
the freedom for users to work together
in a community controlling the software that they use.
This was impossible in 1983
because computers don't do anything without an operating system
it's just a piece of metal and silicon
that is totally useless
but all the operating systems 22 years ago
were proprietary software,
software that keeps users divided and helpless.
So,... I was determined not to have to live that way in using computers
I don't want to be helpless
and I don't want to be forbidden to share with you
So I decided I would do something about it
What can I do?
I had no political party behind me
I couldn't expect to convince governments or corporations
to change any of their policies.
but I did know how to write software
so I said: I'm gonna develop
another operating system and, with the help of
whoever will join in
and together we will make it free software
we will respect your freedom
and you will be able then to use computers
in freedom with this operating system
But what does this freedom mean?
There are 4 essential freedoms
that make the definition of free software
and they are: Freedom Zero
the freedom to run the program however you wish
Freedom 1, the freedom to help yourself
that's the freedom to study the source code
and change it to do what you wish
then there is Freedom 2
the freedom to help your neighbor
that's the freedom to copy the program
and distribute the copies to others when you wish
and Freedom 3 is the freedom to help your community
that's the freedom to publish or distribute
a modified version when you wish
With all four freedoms the program is free software
but these freedoms should not be strange to you
at least not if you cook
because people who cook enjoy the same four freedoms
in using recipes
the freedom to cook the recipe when you want
that's Freedom Zero
the freedom to study the ingredients
and how it's done an then change it
that is freedom one. Cooks frequently change recipes
and then the freedom to copy it
and give copies to your friends, that's Freedom 2
and then there is..., Freedom 3 is less frequently exercised
because it is more work,
but if you cook your version of the recipe
for a dinner with your friends
and a friend says: "That was great! Could I have the recipe?"
you can write down your version of the recipe
and make a copy for your friend
The same four freedoms!
And this is no coincidence!
because programs like recipes
are works that you use for practical work
you use them to do something
and when you use a work to do something
if you are not in control of it you are not in control of your life
and if you cannot share with other people
you are forbidden to be a part of a community
Imagine how angry everyone who cooks would be
if someday the government says:
From now on if you share or change a recipe,
we are gonna call you a pirate!
We are gonna compare you to people who attack ships!
And we are gonna put you in prison for years
because that's forbidden cooperation
Imagine the angers that there would be!
That anger is at the basis of the Free Software movement, too.
we want to have freedom in using our computers
So we developed the GNU operating system
throughout the 1980s,
and in 1992 the last missing piece was put in place
That last missing piece is a kernel called Linux
so Linux is not an operating system, it's one essential component
of a system which is the GNU system plus Linux
the GNU / Linux system
and that system now is used on tens of millions of computers
Jon Hall estimated a 100 million a year or two ago
no one really knows, because, you see, we are all free,
nobody can keep track of what we are doing, thats part
of the freedom that nobody knows exactly what is going on,
because you don't have to tell anybody
So, today it's possible to use a computer in freedom
but that doesn't mean freedom is safe forever
Freedom is never safe forever!
There's always the danger that you get somebody like a George Bush who wants
to take it away!
Even in the countries like the US which says
freedom is what we are all about
that can be turned into mere lip-service
freedoms can be crushed
so, for people to have freedom,
we have to be prepared to defend freedom
and in order to defend our freedom
we have to recognize what it means
that's the first step
so that's why I'm here today
talking to you about free software
and the freedoms that it represents
freedoms for you
because that way you will know what your freedom means
and then, maybe, next year
or next decade you will help us defend these freedoms
and they may continue
many people focus on encouraging
more users to switch to free software
well, that's a useful thing to do
but that alone is not going
to bring us to freedoms that endure
if we gave everybody in the world free software today
but we would fail to teach them
about the four freedoms
then 5 years from now:
Would they still have free software?
Probably not!
Because if they don't recognize their freedoms
they will let their freedoms fall
they will let freedom slip through their fingers
because they won't bother to close their hands
if they don't know why
so along with developing free software
along with distributing it, teaching people to use it
encouraging people to try it and switch to it
we have to be constantly teaching the same people
why it matters
that it's not just about how we get powerful convenient
software and how to get it as cheap as possible
it's about how you can live in freedom
and be a good neighbour
So, how does this relate to the issues of development?
Is free software better for development?
Well, that's an understatement.
Free software is the only software
whose use constitutes development
because the use of a non-free program
is not development, it's electronic colonization
What does it mean if your society
increases the use of non-free software?
well, that's software that nobody
in your city can fix, unless you
happen to live just in the right place in the world
nobody in your city is in a position
to understand it
maintain it, adapt it
extend it, or do anything with it
it's just like the old colonial system
where the colonial power had all the industry
they made all the technology
and the people in the colony
they just had to buy it
and they weren't supposed to understand anything or make anything
they hardly even knew how to fix it -
imagine if you were buying cars
and they came from the US
and anytime they broke you had to ship them back to the US
because it is a secret
how they work inside
and nobody in your country is allowed
to learn how to fix them
that's what proprietary software is like
so this is not sustainable development
it's not appropriate technology
this is a technology of dependence
and dependence is exactly what
that system is all about
it's keeping people helpless
another feature of the old colonial system was
divide and rule
set people against each other
don't allow them to cooperate
because that makes it easier
to keep all of them in subjection
now, divide - dividing people
and subjugating them
it's not just a minor side-aspect
of proprietary software
it's what makes it proprietary software
the license says you are forbidden to share it with anyone
and you can't get the source code
so you can't know what's inside it
so you can't control it -divide it and subjugate it
that's what the nature of proprietary software is
so of course the system comes out
looking like the colonial system
another feature you might remember
from the colonial system was
that the colonial power
would recruit a local elite
a few local people who would,
like, maybe, the nobles
or whoever, or like
on tribe against another
or they would create tribes
if there weren't tribes
so that they could massacre
each other decades later
and so the local elite
they would get certain privileges
and in return they would help
keep everybody else down
well, you can see that today
some proprietary software companies
actively recruit local elites
they set up a software development center
in your country, and the people
who work there are part of the local elite
or they do some favor either
for politicans secretly
or for the government openly
but it doesn't make any difference which one,
in either way they are buying influence in the government
converting that government
from a sovereign state
into their local overseer
of their empire whose job is to make sure
everybody else becomes dependent
on the same non-free software
they say to schools:
we will help you by giving you these gratis copies
of our non-free software
so that you can turn your students
into addicts of our software
Why do I use the term addicts?
because they develop a dependency
on this software, and then after they graduate
you can be sure they are not
gonna be offered these gratis copies anymore
because it's only the first dose that's gratis
once you are addicted
then you are supposed to pay
and then also of course the companies
that these graduates work for
those companies are not gonna be offered gratis copies
so what essentially, what these software companies
they are recruiting the schools
into agents to lead people into
permanent life-long dependency
These are the things that
the Open Source movement usually doesn't talk about
that's why I don't support Open Source
Open Source is a way of promoting
software that usually is free
but without mentioning these ideals
these are issues of freedom
they are left in the background
Open Source people usually talk
only about practical values
you know, how do you get powerful
convenient software
and how much will it cost
well, free software probably allows you to save money, too
if you are not being forced to pay for permission
so use it, you can probably save money
but I think that's a secondary issue
even in poor countries freedom is important
we should never start saying:
Oh, they are so poor,
freedom for them doesn't matter
all they need is some bread and circusses
- which they had here once upon a time
and then they shouldn't even think about being free
I think freedom is important
in every country, in every society
whether it's rich or poor
nonetheless, people who support Open Source
often contribute to extending
the free software community
many of them develop free software
those are useful contributions
I am not saying that what they do is bad
I am saying that by itself, it is not enough!
because it's weak, you see, when you say the goal
is to have powerful, reliable, convenient software and get it cheap
then it becomes possible
for the representatives of proprietary software
to say: well, we claim, we deliver you
more powerful reliable software
we claim that our total cost of ownership will be cheaper
and I think it's usually bullshit
when Microsoft says that it's based on distorted facts
but, it's weak
but when we say the goal is to live in freedom
and to be allowed to cooperate with other people in a community
they can't say they are going to offer us more of that cheaper
because they don't offer that at all
they are not even competing with us
they are out of the running
once you decide you want to live in freedom
they are out of the running
so - we are trying to help you
reach freedom in a community
they are trying to subjugate you
But they say they will get you there faster!
And maybe they would.
I guess I will yield the rest of my time
because I have said what I need to say.
Moderator: This is a remarkable,
this is one of the most remarkable moments in my life
I think that we should all be cherished to be here today
because this is the first time history, and it's recorded history
that Richard Stallman has ended a speech early
RMS: You are wrong, I did it a few weeks ago, too!
- Applause -
Moderator: I don't know what to say
But I am about to try
Perens: Ken, Ken is really happy because his job
was a lot easier than he thought it would be