An evening with Richard Stallman

11 March 2011

James Nurton, London

Software freedom activist Richard Stallman came to London this week to offer his unique perspective on ACTA, Apple and cloud computing

Stallman told the audience that proprietary software should not exist as it “imposes an unethical social system”. Microsoft Windows is “Malware”. Apple’s “iGroan and iBad” are as bad. Amazon’s “Swindle” is a “threat to human rights”. Software-as-a-service “is an insidious threat”. Facebook “is not your friend”. And ACTA is “a dishonestly named treaty”.

Open source developers were not spared criticism either. “They co-opt our work and bury our ideals,” said Stallman.

Stallman is a computer programmer who formerly worked on artificial intelligence at MIT and launched the GNU operating system in 1983.

He is the main author of the GNU General Public Licence and an advocate of copyleft, a way of providing open access to digital works.

During a tour of Europe, he spoke at the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) on Monday night. Managing IP was in the audience along with dozens of...

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