Quotes by Richard Stallman

About Richard Stallman:

Richard Matthew Stallman is a software freedom activist and computer programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in a manner such that its users receive the freedoms to use, study, distribute and modify that software. Software that ensures these freedoms is termed free software. Stallman launched the GNU Project, founded the Free Software Foundation, developed the GNU Compiler Collection and GNU Emacs, and wrote the GNU General Public License.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Whether gods exist or not, there is no way to get absolute certainty about ethics. Without absolute certainty, what do we do? We do the best we can.

Richard Stallman

If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict the use of these programs.

Richard Stallman

People sometimes ask me if it is a sin in the Church of Emacs to use vi. Using a free version of vi is not a sin; it is a penance. So happy hacking.

Richard Stallman

If you want to accomplish something in the world, idealism is not enough - you need to choose a method that works to achieve the goal.

Richard Stallman

The desire to be rewarded for one's creativity does not justify depriving the world in general of all or part of that creativity.

Richard Stallman

All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.

Richard Stallman

If you use a proprietary program or somebody else's web server, you're defenceless. You're putty in the hands of whoever developed that software.

Richard Stallman

The interesting thing about cloud computing is that we've redefined cloud computing to include everything that we already do.

Richard Stallman

Facebook is not your friend, it is a surveillance engine.

Richard Stallman

Proprietary software tends to have malicious features. The point is with a proprietary program, when the users don't have the source code, we can never tell. So you must consider every proprietary program as potential malware.

Richard Stallman

I suppose many people will continue moving towards careless computing, because there's a sucker born every minute.

Richard Stallman

Also, because schools must teach the spirit of goodwill, the habit of helping others around you, every class should have this rule: students, if you bring software to class you may not keep it for yourself.

Richard Stallman

Fighting patents one by one will never eliminate the danger of software patents, any more than swatting mosquitoes will eliminate malaria.

Richard Stallman

The idea of copyright did not exist in ancient times, when authors frequently copied other authors at length in works of non-fiction. This practice was useful, and is the only way many authors' works have survived even in part.

Richard Stallman

One reason you should not use web applications to do your computing is that you lose control.

Richard Stallman

Android is very different from the GNU/Linux operating system because it contains very little of GNU. Indeed, just about the only component in common between Android and GNU/Linux is Linux, the kernel.

Richard Stallman

Android is a major step towards an ethical, user-controlled, free-software portable phone, but there is a long way to go.

Richard Stallman

Software patents are dangerous to software developers because they impose monopolies on software ideas.

Richard Stallman

Facebook mistreats its users. Facebook is not your friend; it is a surveillance engine. For instance, if you browse the Web and you see a 'like' button in some page or some other site that has been displayed from Facebook. Therefore, Facebook knows t...

Richard Stallman

Control over the use of one's ideas really constitutes control over other people's lives; and it is usually used to make their lives more difficult.

Richard Stallman

Author Bio

  • NameRichard Stallman
  • DescriptionAmerican software freedom activist and computer programmer, founder of the GNU project
  • AliasesRichard M. Stallman; rms; Richard Matthew Stallman; Stallman, Richard Matthew; St. iGNUcius
  • BornMarch 16, 1953
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionProgrammer; Computer Scientist; Lecturer; Blogger; Software Developer
  • WorksGNU; GNU Emacs; Emacs; Free Software Song; GNU General Public License; GNU Compiler Collection; GNU Debugger
  • AwardsMacArthur Fellows Program; Grace Murray Hopper Award; EFF Pioneer Award