Richard Stallman

Richard Stallman
	Richard Stallman speaking at Pittsburgh University
Website	https://stallman.org/
Known for	GNU Project, Free Software Movement, Free Software Foundation, GNU General Public License (GPL), Copyleft, Emacs, GCC, GDB
Fields	Computer science, Software philosophy, Licensing
Contributors	Free Software Foundation, GNU developers, legal scholars (for GPL)
Wikidata	Q7439

Richard Matthew Stallman (born March 16, 1953) is an American computer programmer and software freedom activist who founded the Free Software Movement and the GNU Project. He is best known for launching the GNU Project in 1983 – an ambitious initiative to develop a free (libre) Unix-like operating system – and for establishing the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in 1985 to support that goal. Stallman, often referred to by his initials RMS, pioneered the concept of “free software” as software that respects users’ freedom to use, study, share, and modify the source code. He popularized the idea of copyleft, a licensing approach that allows derivative works but mandates preserving the same freedoms in redistribution, and he (with legal colleagues) authored the influential GNU General Public License (GPL) to implement this principle. As a programmer, Stallman wrote some of the foundational tools of the GNU system – including the original Emacs text editor, the GCC compiler, and the GDB debugger – which, combined with the Linux kernel, form the basis of many modern “GNU/Linux” operating systems. His philosophy of software freedom, emphasizing ethical user rights over proprietary control, has had a profound impact on the software industry and inspired the later open-source software movement. Stallman’s uncompromising advocacy has earned him numerous honors (such as a MacArthur Fellowship in 1990) and made him a polarizing figure: he resigned from MIT and the FSF in 2019 amid controversy over his remarks about a sex trafficking case, but returned to the FSF’s board in 2021, sparking renewed debate in the tech community.

Early Life and Education

Richard Stallman was born in New York City in 1953. He showed an early aptitude for mathematics and science, becoming “hooked” on computer programming at age 12 after reading a computer manual from a summer camp counselor. During high school, he wrote software programs for IBM, demonstrating precocious skill in coding. In 1970 Stallman enrolled at Harvard University, where he majored in physics and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in 1974.

While at Harvard, Stallman’s passion for computers drew him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1971, as a freshman, he began volunteering at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Laboratory, splitting his time between his Harvard coursework by day and programming at MIT by night. At MIT he quickly became part of the close-knit “hacker” culture – an informal community of programmers who shared code freely and valued open exploration of technology. The AI Lab environment in the 1970s was open and collaborative: software source code was accessible to all researchers, and the lab’s projects were loosely supervised by AI pioneer Marvin Minsky. This freedom allowed Stallman and his fellow hackers to modify programs at will and share improvements, reinforcing his belief that software thrives through communal effort and transparency.

MIT and Hacker Culture: As a member of MIT’s AI Lab from 1971 to 1984, Stallman contributed to several noteworthy software projects and embraced the hacker ethos. He developed innovative programs, including (in 1976) the first extensible text editor, which he named Emacs (short for “Editing MACroS”). Emacs, initially a set of macros on the ITS operating system, allowed users to customize and extend the editor’s functionality – a hallmark of flexibility that reflected the hacker culture’s values. Stallman also worked on AI research; for example, in 1975 he created a system for dependency-directed backtracking (a form of truth maintenance in AI programs). By the late 1970s, however, Stallman began to encounter practices that clashed with the freewheeling sharing culture he cherished. In one famous incident, the AI Lab received a new Xerox 9700 laser printer but was denied access to its source code. Unable to modify the printer software, Stallman could not implement a simple feature to notify users when print jobs were done or the printer jammed (a feature he had added to the lab’s previous, open-source printer system). The inconvenience of a “black box” device he could not fix firsthand was, for Stallman, a stark lesson: it *“convinced \[him] of people’s need to be able to freely modify the software they use.”* This early confrontation with proprietary software restrictions helped cement Stallman’s resolve that users’ freedom in computing was paramount.

Another turning point at MIT came in the early 1980s with the decline of the AI Lab’s hacker community. As the computer industry grew, two groups of AI Lab hackers split off to form companies – Lisp Machines, Inc. (LMI) and Symbolics, Inc. – aiming to commercialize the lab’s Lisp Machine technology. Both companies had licensed MIT’s Lisp Machine operating system and initially shared their improvements back with MIT, but in 1982 Symbolics found a legal loophole that allowed it to stop sharing its proprietary enhancements. Most of Stallman’s colleagues left the lab to join one of the two firms, leaving him almost alone at MIT. Stallman regarded Symbolics’s move as a betrayal of the cooperative spirit – a direct threat to the communal codebase. To prevent Symbolics from gaining a monopoly over the lab’s computing infrastructure, he engaged in a remarkable one-man effort: for nearly two years (1982–1984), Stallman single-handedly recreated or countered every software improvement that Symbolics had made to the MIT Lisp machines. This laborious “code dueling” kept MIT’s system running with free, shareable code that matched Symbolics’ capabilities. Stallman later described this episode as exhausting and demoralizing, as it pitted him alone against a team of paid developers and underscored how far the hacker community had eroded. By the end of 1983, with most of his peers gone and proprietary trends accelerating, Stallman decided that fighting piecemeal battles against individual proprietary programs was insufficient – a more radical solution was needed to preserve software freedom.

Founding of the GNU Project

In September 1983, Richard Stallman announced on electronic bulletin boards his plan to develop a completely free operating system, which he called GNU (a recursive acronym for “GNU’s Not Unix”). The GNU Project was conceived as a Unix-compatible OS composed entirely of free software, allowing users to have a fully functional computing environment with the source code of every component available to study, modify, and share. At the start of 1984, Stallman quit his job at MIT (ending his salaried position to avoid any legal claims MIT or others might hold over his GNU software) so he could devote himself full-time to building GNU. He initially worked out of a spare office at MIT and began coding the tools that the new system would require. One of the first major milestones was a new version of GNU Emacs (completed in 1984), which was a re-implementation of his editor that could run on Unix and formed the cornerstone of the GNU software suite.

Stallman publicly launched the Free Software Movement in 1983 in parallel with GNU’s inception, articulating that the purpose of GNU was not just to produce software but to uphold a philosophy of user freedom. In March 1985 he published the GNU Manifesto, an essay explaining his motivations and the ethics behind free software, asserting that users deserved control over the programs they use. To support the growing project, Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in October 1985 as a non-profit organization. The FSF’s role was to raise funds, sponsor development, and legally safeguard the GNU software. Throughout the late 1980s, Stallman and a small team (often volunteers or FSF-funded programmers) produced a suite of GNU programs that would replace the proprietary Unix utilities. Stallman himself wrote or led development of several core components of GNU, including:

GNU Emacs (a powerful text editor and development environment)
GNU C Compiler (GCC), released in 1987, which generated optimized machine code for many architectures
GNU Debugger (GDB), for troubleshooting programs,
and other essential tools like GNU Make, libraries, and shell utilities.

By 1989, much of the GNU operating system was in place, except for one crucial piece: the kernel (the core program that manages hardware resources). Stallman also formalized the GNU Project’s licensing approach by writing the GNU General Public License (GPL), first released in 1989. The GPL was the first copyleft license of its kind, ensuring that any redistributed versions of GNU software (or any program using the GPL) must preserve the users’ freedom to access and modify the source code. This license was a legal masterstroke that protected GNU software from being turned proprietary: it allowed people to copy and change the code, but forbade stripping away the same freedoms for downstream users. The concept of copyleft embodied in the GPL – often summarized by Stallman as “share and modify it, but don’t strip off this freedom” – later influenced other sharing licenses (for example, it inspired the Creative Commons licenses for creative works).

While GNU’s development progressed steadily, Stallman also looked for solutions to the missing kernel. The GNU Project had begun an effort to write its own advanced kernel (the GNU Hurd) in 1990, but the Hurd proved complex and was delayed. Fortuitously, in 1991 a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds independently created a Unix-like kernel called Linux, and he released it under a free license. The combination of Torvalds’ Linux kernel with the GNU system (which provided all the necessary compilers, libraries, and utilities) produced a fully functional free operating system for the first time. By the early 1990s, this GNU/Linux combination had started to spread globally among programmers and hobbyists, eventually growing into the popular Linux operating systems used today. Stallman has long insisted that these systems be referred to as “GNU/Linux” in order to credit the GNU Project’s foundational role and to highlight the free software ideals behind it. This naming issue sparked a longstanding debate in the free software and open-source community (the “GNU/Linux naming controversy”) – many simply call the OS “Linux” after its kernel, while Stallman argues that omitting “GNU” marginalizes the work of his project and the philosophy it represents. Regardless of naming, by 1994 the GNU system together with the Linux kernel had fulfilled Stallman’s original goal: a completely free Unix-like operating system was now reality.

Free Software Philosophy

Stallman’s overarching contribution is not just a body of software, but a coherent philosophy of software freedom. He believes that users of software are entitled to certain fundamental rights – which he codified as the “four freedoms” of free software. These are the freedom for users to run the program as they wish, to study and modify the program’s source code, to redistribute copies of the software, and to share improvements or modified versions with others. In Stallman’s view, these freedoms are essential for ethical, community-oriented computing. Any software that denies users these capabilities (for instance by hiding source code or forbidding sharing) he deems “non-free” or proprietary, and socially harmful. He argues that proprietary software unjustly puts developers in a position of power over users, leading to antisocial behavior such as spying on users or forcing unwanted changes. His often-quoted credo is that software freedom is a moral issue, not just a practical one: *“I believe that all software users should have the freedom to share and change the software.*\* Software support for these freedoms is essential for a free society\*\.”\.

Stallman’s focus on software as an ethical issue set him apart from many technologists. In the late 1990s, a group of software developers and businesses began promoting the term “open source” as an alternative, more business-friendly framing of free software ideals. Proponents of open source (such as Eric S. Raymond) preferred to emphasize the practical benefits of open development and avoided the political, freedom-centered language that Stallman used. Stallman strongly resisted this depoliticization of his message. He maintained that the term “free software” (with “free” as in freedom) is crucial because it highlights the user rights and social values at stake, whereas “open source” often focuses only on code quality or collaboration and “alienates potential allies” by downplaying freedom. This philosophical rift led to some friction between Stallman and the open-source movement. As documented in the biography Free as in Freedom, Stallman felt that his campaign had been “hijacked” by open-source advocates who adopted many of GNU’s practices but explicitly rejected its moral stance, leaving him in an “isolated position” championing the ethical argument. Despite this split in terminology, Stallman’s work laid the ideological groundwork that even open-source projects rely on: for example, the Open Source Initiative’s approved licenses include the GNU GPL, and the success of Linux and other open projects grew out of the collaborative model that GNU promoted.

A cornerstone of Stallman’s philosophy is copyleft licensing. By crafting the GPL to require preservation of freedom in all derivative works, Stallman ensured that GNU software could not be appropriated into closed-source products. This strategy has been remarkably influential – the GPL became one of the most widely used software licenses in the world, governing major projects like the Linux kernel and thousands of others. Stallman’s ideas also extended beyond software. He encouraged free documentation and cultural works; notably, in 1999 he proposed the idea of a “free online encyclopedia” that anyone could contribute to. This vision presaged projects like Wikipedia – indeed, the early free encyclopedia projects (GNUpedia and Nupedia) and Wikipedia itself used open licenses (GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons) directly inspired by Stallman’s GNU/GPL licensing model.

Throughout his writings and speeches, Stallman has consistently framed control over software as a human rights issue in the digital age. He has spoken out against mechanisms he sees as threats to user freedom: software patents (which can prohibit developing new programs), digital rights management (DRM) restrictions, and software-as-a-service or cloud computing platforms that take control away from users. In an essay titled The Right to Read, for example, he cautioned against technology that could lock down information access. He also coined terms like “treacherous computing” for hardware that won’t run unauthorized software, and *“Software as a Service? More like Service as a Software Substitute (SaaSS)”* to warn that cloud services can deprive users of control over their computing. All these ideas tie back to his fundamental ethos: users should not have to trust a vendor or lose agency in order to use technology.

Public Advocacy

*Richard Stallman speaking at a “Copyright vs. Community” event in 2010. He spends much of his time traveling internationally to advocate for free software and digital rights.*

By the early 1990s, Richard Stallman had transitioned from primarily a software developer to a global advocate for technology ethics. As GNU and free software gained prominence, Stallman took on the role of its principal evangelist. He is renowned for an itinerant lifestyle – for decades he has traveled worldwide to give lectures, keynote speeches, and interviews promoting the cause of free software. With an articulate (if sometimes acerbic) speaking style, often injecting humor and props – he famously dons a robe and halo to perform as “Saint IGNUcius” of the Church of Emacs in some talks – Stallman tries to convey the importance of digital freedom to audiences of programmers, students, policymakers, and the general public. His lecture topics underscore key themes of user autonomy. Common titles include “Free Software and Your Freedom,” “Copyright vs. Community in the Age of Computer Networks,” and “A Free Digital Society,” which address issues like restrictive copyright laws, government and corporate surveillance, and the dangers of proprietary web services.

Stallman’s advocacy often extends beyond software per se into broader digital rights and civil liberties. He draws connections between software freedom and societal well-being, arguing that control over technology underpins freedom of speech, privacy, and innovation. For instance, he has been a vocal critic of mass surveillance programs and has urged the use of encryption and free (non-backdoored) software as bulwarks against surveillance. Long before “Big Tech” privacy issues became mainstream, Stallman cautioned about the perils of SaaS/cloud computing – warning that entrusting one’s data and software needs to remote servers (not under the user’s control) was equivalent to surrendering freedom. In line with his principles, he himself refuses to use non-free software services: Stallman does not own a cell phone (which he regards as tracking devices), avoids proprietary operating systems, and even shuns social media or e-commerce sites that require running non-free scripts. Instead, he uses email and simple web browsing through minimal, freedom-respecting tools. These personal choices, while extreme to some, demonstrate his commitment to living by the values he espouses – using technology on his own terms and not those of a corporation.

Through the Free Software Foundation and allied organizations, Stallman has campaigned on specific issues. He helped launch initiatives like Defective by Design, an anti-DRM campaign protesting digital locks on media. He has spoken against software patent laws, participating in efforts to reform or abolish patents that hinder software development. Stallman was also involved in the early discussions around net neutrality and the dangers of proprietary media formats and standards. His activism earned him recognition in related arenas: in 1998 he received the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award for his contributions to computer freedom. In interviews, Stallman emphasizes that advocacy and raising awareness are as critical as coding: without a social movement defending user rights, technological progress could lead to a loss of freedoms. To disseminate his ideas to a wider audience, Stallman has published essays and books. Free Software, Free Society (2002) is a collection of his writings that articulate the philosophy of free software and critique practices like “user-subjugating” software, software patents, and the expansion of copyright. Reviewers noted that even those who disagree with Stallman find his arguments thought-provoking – he “could never be accused of being boring”, and his ideas *“have dominated the debate on regulation and ethics of computer programs”* in the modern era.

Beyond the tech sphere, Stallman’s interests in freedom extend to various political and social causes. His personal website (stallman.org) features not only software-related commentary but also his views on topics such as privacy rights, free speech, consumerism, environmental issues, and even personal topics like dietary habits. He is an outspoken atheist and secular humanist (often wearing a button that reads “Impeach God” as a tongue-in-cheek statement) and has advocated for the legalization of recreational drugs and other policies from a libertarian-left perspective. While these issues are tangential to his software work, Stallman sees them as connected under the umbrella of individual freedom and skepticism of authority. He has become something of a folk hero in tech subculture – revered by supporters as a principled freedom fighter, and occasionally caricatured by critics as an impractical purist. This dual image is perhaps best captured in the 2001 documentary Revolution OS, which profiles Stallman among other free/open-source luminaries, depicting his pivotal role in the hacker movement’s history.

Controversies and Resignation

Stallman’s blunt ideological consistency and personal eccentricities have been a source of controversy throughout his career. Colleagues and observers note that his strength of conviction can manifest as intransigence or tactlessness. For example, Stallman has long insisted that people use the term “GNU/Linux” instead of “Linux” – a stance critics see as quixotic or ego-driven, but which Stallman defends as giving proper due to the GNU Project’s philosophy. He is also known for behavior that can be off-putting in professional settings: anecdotes abound of Stallman brazenly eating something from the floor during meetings, or his habit of lecturing others on free software at every opportunity. Such quirks were generally tolerated as idiosyncrasies of a brilliant hacker. However, more serious allegations about his views and comments have at times sparked community backlash.

One area of recurring controversy was Stallman’s commentary on sensitive social issues, especially sex and age of consent. In the early 2000s, Stallman wrote a few personal blog posts that many later found deeply troubling. Notably, in 2006 he argued he was “skeptical of the claim that voluntarily pedophilia harms children,” suggesting that the harms of adult–child sexual contact were being overstated when the minor “consented”. He also advocated at one point for lowering or abolishing certain ages of consent and for legalization of what he termed “adult pornography” involving youthful-looking participants. These writings were little-known outside his circle until years later, but they show Stallman’s tendency to apply an unyielding logical (or libertarian) framework to social questions – in ways that came across as shockingly insensitive. By his own later admission, Stallman’s understanding evolved: in 2019, amid public uproar, he acknowledged he had been wrong and that “sex with a child can harm the child psychologically”, stating that he now believed no adult should do that.

The most damaging controversy erupted in September 2019 and led to Stallman’s temporary ouster from the institutions he founded. The trigger was an email discussion on an MIT internal mailing list regarding the university’s ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. When a student mentioned an allegation that the late AI pioneer Marvin Minsky (Stallman’s former colleague) had engaged in sexual activity with one of Epstein’s underage trafficking victims, Stallman responded by disputing the wording that Minsky had “assaulted” the victim. He argued that the term “sexual assault” might be misleading if, for instance, Minsky had not known she was under coercion. In the email, Stallman speculated that *“the most plausible scenario is that she presented herself to him as entirely willing”* – suggesting Minsky might have thought the 17-year-old victim was consenting. He further wrote, *“It is morally absurd to define ‘rape’ in a way that depends on minor details such as ... whether the victim was 18 or 17”*, implying that a distinction in age of consent (in different jurisdictions) was a small technicality compared to the overall circumstance. These comments, coming in the context of a high-profile sex trafficking scandal, struck many as a callous minimization of the experience of a trafficking victim and as a defense of Minsky (who was accused of having been sexually serviced by a coerced minor).

Stallman’s emails were leaked to the public when an MIT alumna, Selam Jie Gano, published a blog post calling attention to them and demanding action from MIT. The story was soon picked up by tech news outlets and went viral. In the ensuing uproar (amid broader scrutiny of MIT’s involvement with Epstein’s donations), Stallman faced intense criticism for his remarks. Many interpreted his words as defending Epstein and Minsky or as excusing statutory rape. Stallman denied this characterization, maintaining that he absolutely condemned Epstein’s crimes and was only quibbling over definitions. Nonetheless, the damage was done. On September 16, 2019, Richard Stallman resigned from his positions at both MIT and the FSF under mounting pressure. In a public statement on his website, he described his resignation as due to “a series of misunderstandings and mischaracterizations,” expressing regret for any hurt his words caused. With that, Stallman stepped down as president of the Free Software Foundation and gave up his institutional affiliation with MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab – a dramatic fall for someone who had been an integral part of both communities for decades.

The 2019 incident tarnished Stallman’s reputation in the eyes of many former admirers. It also prompted broader discussion about behavior and inclusion in free software communities, with some developers coming forward to share their own uncomfortable experiences with Stallman’s conduct over the years. For a time, it appeared Stallman would recede from leadership. However, in 2021 he made a controversial return. On March 21, 2021, during an online speech at LibrePlanet (an annual FSF conference), Stallman unexpectedly announced that he had rejoined the FSF’s Board of Directors. He told the virtual audience: *“Some of you will be happy at this, and some might be disappointed, but who knows? ... In any case, that’s how it is, and I’m not planning to resign a second time.”* This revelation – essentially that Stallman had quietly been voted back onto the board of the organization he founded – ignited immediate uproar across the tech world. Many developers, open-source contributors, and even FSF staff were caught by surprise; the Free Software Foundation had not publicly consulted its membership or allies about Stallman’s reappointment.

The reaction to Stallman’s return was swift and polarized. On one side, hundreds of open-source and free software community members signed an open letter (hosted on GitHub) demanding Stallman’s removal from the board (again), along with the resignation of the entire FSF board for having reinstated him. This letter, eventually endorsed by organizations like the GNOME Foundation, Mozilla, Red Hat, the Open Source Initiative (OSI), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and others, catalogued various accusations about Stallman – from his 2019 statements to past behavior – and argued that his continued leadership undermined the inclusivity and credibility of the movement. The Open Source Initiative declared it would cease any collaboration with the FSF until Stallman was removed. Red Hat (a major Linux company) and SUSE withdrew funding and support for the FSF, and prominent developers like Matthew Garrett spoke out about their objections. In short, a significant segment of the community saw Stallman’s reinstatement as a step backward, sending “the message that individuals are more important than the goal, regardless of their behavior”.

On the other side, Stallman’s supporters rallied with a counter-petition defending him. Another open letter, signed by individuals who felt Stallman was treated unfairly, argued that his statements had been misinterpreted or taken out of context and praised his lifetime of contributions to software freedom. They contended that “canceling” Stallman would not benefit the movement and that his unique perspective was still valuable. Caught in the middle, the FSF Board initially doubled down – on April 12, 2021, the FSF issued a statement affirming Stallman’s return to the board, while also apologizing for not communicating the decision openly. Stallman himself released a short apology around that time, acknowledging his “poor social skills” and apologizing for hurt he had caused, though this did little to mollify critics.

As of 2022, Richard Stallman remains on the FSF board, albeit no longer as president, and continues to lead the GNU Project. The controversy highlighted a generational and cultural rift: Stallman is revered by many as a principled pioneer of free software, yet his behavior and statements (viewed by some as out-of-touch, offensive, or even bigoted) have made others in the community reluctant to work with him. The Free Software Foundation faced significant fallout, including the loss of corporate sponsorships and strained relations with other advocacy groups. While the long-term impact on the FSF is still unfolding, the incident has sparked ongoing discussions about governance, accountability, and how to reconcile the achievements of free software’s founders with evolving standards of professionalism and inclusion.

Legacy and Influence

Richard Stallman’s legacy in the computing world is enormous and multifaceted. He is often described as the father of the Free Software Movement, having fundamentally altered how people think about software ownership and distribution. The movement he started led directly to the vast ecosystem of freely licensed software that underpins much of today’s technology infrastructure. Millions of users (most of whom might not even recognize Stallman’s name) benefit from his ideas whenever they use “open source” or free software – from the GNU/Linux operating system that runs servers and smartphones, to common tools like the Firefox web browser, VLC media player, or LibreOffice suite, all made possible by the legal and philosophical framework Stallman championed. Linux, in particular, became one of the world’s most important operating systems, and it was Stallman’s GNU Project that provided the tools and utilities that turned Linux from just a kernel into a complete platform. For this reason, Stallman insists on the term GNU/Linux, and while not everyone adopts that nomenclature, it is a reminder of how integral his work was to the FLOSS (Free/Libre and Open Source Software) revolution.

Stallman’s contributions have also been recognized through numerous awards and honors. In 1990, he received a MacArthur Fellowship (“genius grant”), which provided him a stipend that he used to further develop GNU software. The MacArthur award committee cited his creation of Emacs and other technical achievements, but the award’s true significance was that it gave Stallman financial independence to focus on free software at a critical time. He also won the Association for Computing Machinery’s Grace Murray Hopper Award in 1991 for his early work on Emacs, and was joint recipient of the 1998 EFF Pioneer Award for his leadership in cyber liberties. Dozens of universities worldwide have granted him honorary doctorates in recognition of his advocacy (from institutions in Argentina and Peru to European universities). In 2013, Stallman was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame, honoring his role in shaping the development and ethos of the internet and software culture. Such accolades underscore that beyond writing code, Stallman’s ideas have had global reach.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of Stallman’s influence is how it set the agenda for conversations about technology and freedom. Concepts that Stallman introduced – “free software”, “copyleft”, the four freedoms, even the idea of calling software users users rather than customers – have become part of the lexicon of tech policy. Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig credited Stallman’s GPL as an inspiration for extending the idea of share-alike licensing to creative works. Wikipedia’s use of a free license and its philosophy of freely sharing knowledge trace back to Stallman’s early call for a “free universal encyclopedia”. Moreover, the very notion that software licenses could enforce ethical principles was pioneered by Stallman and is now commonplace (e.g. many open-source licenses include conditions to ensure openness or prevent misuse). The GNU General Public License remains one of the most popular licenses for open-source projects, ensuring that countless software packages remain free for future generations.

Stallman’s personal stubbornness and integrity have often been noted as both a positive and negative force. Colleagues who have worked with him describe an almost superhuman tenacity in pursuing what he believes is right. Technology journalist Andrew Leonard once remarked, “*Win or lose, Stallman will never give up. He’ll be the stubbornest mule on the farm until the day he dies… his single-minded commitment and brutal honesty are refreshing in a world of spin-meisters.*”. This uncompromising stance is credited with enabling achievements like the GPL. As one reviewer put it, *“The near pathological meticulousness that can drive his peers to distraction was an essential ingredient in the GNU General Public License… The avid dogmatism that frightens away potential sympathizers powers the dogged effort that… produced the EMACS editor, the GNU compiler, and \[other] essential tools.”*. In other words, the very qualities that made Stallman a difficult personality were also key to his success in building a movement from scratch. Supporters argue that without Stallman’s unyielding focus on freedom, the landscape of software might have evolved very differently – for example, Linux might never have been released under a copyleft license, and “open source” might not have retained the freedoms it did.

On the other hand, Stallman’s inflexibility also alienated some collaborators and led to the aforementioned schisms (like the split between “free software” and “open source”). By the 2000s, many in the tech industry saw Stallman as an idealist disconnected from practical realities, especially as corporations began embracing open-source for pragmatic reasons. Yet even many who disagree with Stallman’s tactics acknowledge the indispensable role he played in establishing the norms of software sharing. Bruce Perens, an open source advocate, once likened Stallman to “the prophet” of free software – the one who laid down the law – while others could be “the implementers” who take a softer approach. In essence, Stallman pushed the Overton window of what was possible: he proved that significant software could be developed outside of proprietary models and that users would rally around ethics, not just convenience.

Stallman’s legacy is also evident in the thriving communities and projects that descended from his work. The Free Software Foundation remains active (independent of any one person’s leadership) in campaigns against DRM, for user privacy, and for fully free distributions of software. Organizations like Free Software Foundation Europe and the Software Freedom Conservancy carry on similar missions, inspired by Stallman’s vision. The annual LibrePlanet conference and countless user groups continue to promote the ideals he first articulated. Many developers who came of age in the 1990s and 2000s cite reading Stallman’s essays or hearing him speak as a formative experience that guided their careers toward open-source development, encryption tools, or tech policy work.

In summary, Richard Stallman stands as a towering figure in computer history – both revered and controversial. He laid the philosophical and legal groundwork for free and open-source software, fundamentally changing how software is produced and distributed around the world. His relentless advocacy for user freedom has influenced generations of technologists and shaped debates on innovation, intellectual property, and digital rights. At the same time, his personal controversies and unwavering dogmatism illustrate the challenges of a social movement centered around one charismatic yet polarizing individual. Love him or loathe him, Stallman’s name is indelibly associated with the principle that *software should respect the freedom and community of its users*. His work and ideas continue to spark discussion and drive efforts toward a more open digital future, securing him a unique and lasting place in the annals of computing.

References

Stallman, Richard. “Biography of Richard Stallman.” Stallman.org (personal site) – Serious bio.
Encyclopedia Britannica – “Richard Stallman” by William L. Hosch.
Williams, Sam. *Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman’s Crusade for Free Software*. O’Reilly Media, 2002. (Referenced via Encyclopedia.com summary).
Encyclopedia.com – “Stallman, Richard Matthew 1953–” (Gale Biographies).
Stallman, Richard. GNU Manifesto. 1985. (Outline of GNU Project goals and free software rationale).
The Free Software Foundation – “GNU General Public License, version 1” (1989) and version 2 (1991).
Leonard, Andrew. “The Saint of Free Software.” Salon, Sept 1998. (Profile on Stallman’s personality and GNU/Linux naming debate).
The Guardian (UK) – Victoria Bekiempis. “MIT scientist resigns over emails discussing academic linked to Epstein.” The Guardian, 17 Sep 2019.
The Verge – Mitchell Clark. “Richard Stallman returns to the Free Software Foundation after resigning in 2019.” The Verge, 22 Mar 2021.
Business Insider – Rosalie Chan. “Developers are furious that controversial programmer Richard Stallman is returning to the FSF board...” Business Insider, 24 Mar 2021.
Wikipedia – “Richard Stallman” (various sections: Early Life, GNU Project, Controversies).
The Guardian – Bobbie Johnson. “Richard Stallman: High priest of hi-tech who shuns technology.” The Guardian, 17 Oct 2008 (Interview/profile).
LibrePlanet 2021 – Opening Remarks. (Video stream, March 2021) – Stallman’s announcement of board return (as quoted in various media).
Free Software Foundation. “FSF Board Statement on Stallman’s Return.” (April 12, 2021 press release).
Various writings and public statements by Richard Stallman on stallman.org (e.g., “On Selling Exceptions to the GNU GPL”, “RMS’s Political Notes”).