Richard Stallman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Stallman
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Stallman in 2024
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Richard Matthew Stallman
March 16, 1953 New York City, New York, U.S.
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Richard Matthew Stallman (born March 16, 1953), also known as rms, is an American computer programmer and activist. He is famous for starting the free software movement. This movement believes that computer users should have the freedom to use, study, share, and change software. Software that gives these freedoms is called free software.
Stallman started the GNU Project in 1983. This project aimed to create a complete computer operating system made entirely of free software. He also founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in 1985. He helped create important software like the GNU Compiler Collection and GNU Emacs. He also wrote the GNU General Public License, which is a special set of rules for free software.
Stallman also came up with the idea of copyleft. This uses copyright laws to make sure that software remains free. It protects the right for people to use, change, and share free software. He has spent much of his time speaking out for free software. He also campaigns against things that he thinks limit users' freedom. These include software patents and digital rights management (which he calls "digital restrictions management").
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Early Life and Learning
Richard Stallman was born in New York City on March 16, 1953. He became interested in computers at a very young age. When he was a pre-teen, he read manuals for early computers.
In 1970, after high school, he worked at IBM. He wrote computer programs there. He even created his own text editor.
Studying at Harvard and MIT
In 1970, Stallman started studying at Harvard University. He was very good at math. He felt like he had found a home there.
In 1971, he became a programmer at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (AI Lab). He joined a group of skilled programmers called "hackers." They often called him RMS. In 1974, he earned a degree in physics from Harvard.
Stallman then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a year to study physics. But he decided to focus on programming instead. At MIT, he worked on important software projects like TECO and Emacs. He also helped develop the operating system for the Lisp machine.
Stallman did not like it when computer access was limited. In 1977, MIT's computer lab added a password system. Stallman found a way to remove the passwords. He encouraged users to remove their passwords so everyone could still access the systems freely.
Why the GNU Project Started
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, things changed for computer programmers. Many companies stopped sharing the source code for their software. Source code is like the recipe for a program. They used copyright laws to stop people from copying or sharing software. This made it harder for programmers to learn from and improve software.
Stallman believed that this was wrong. He thought that people should always be able to share and change the software they use. He felt that limiting these actions was unfair.
In 1980, Stallman and other programmers at the AI Lab faced a problem. They could not get the source code for a new laser printer. Stallman had previously changed the software for an older printer. He made it send messages to users when their print jobs were ready. He also made it alert everyone if the printer was stuck. Not being able to add these helpful features to the new printer showed him how important it was to be able to change software freely.
This experience convinced Stallman that a new approach was needed. He wanted to create a world where software was always free for everyone to use, study, share, and improve.
The GNU Project
Stallman announced his plan for the GNU operating system in September 1983. He wanted to build a computer operating system that was completely free. He made it work like Unix, a popular system at the time. This made it easier for people to switch to GNU.
In 1985, Stallman wrote the GNU Manifesto. This explained why he was creating GNU. The name GNU is a clever recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix." Soon after, he started the Free Software Foundation (FSF). This non-profit group helps support free software development. Stallman was its president without pay.
Stallman made the idea of copyleft popular. This is a legal tool that protects the rights to change and share free software. It was first used for GNU Emacs. In 1989, the first GNU General Public License (GPL) was released. This license is used for many free software programs.
Stallman helped create many important tools for the GNU system. These include:
- GNU Emacs: A powerful text editor.
- GCC: A compiler that turns code into programs.
- GNU Debugger: A tool to find and fix errors in programs.
- GNU make: A tool to help build software projects.
One main part missing from GNU was a kernel. A kernel is the core part of an operating system. In 1990, the GNU project started working on their own kernel called GNU Hurd.
In 1991, a student named Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel. He used GNU's development tools to do it. Many GNU programs could easily run on Linux. Most people call the full operating system "Linux." But Stallman and the FSF call it GNU/Linux. This is because GNU provided most of the tools needed for the system. Stallman believes using "GNU/Linux" helps people remember the free software ideas behind it.
Stallman also influenced the name POSIX (a standard for operating systems). He is also known for the Emacs editor. He even created a playful "Church of Emacs" and called himself "St. IGNUcius."
Activism for Free Software
Stallman has written many articles and given many speeches about software freedom. He has been a strong supporter of the free software movement since the 1990s. He often talks about:
- The GNU Project and the Free Software Movement.
- The dangers of software patents.
- Copyright and how it affects communities.
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In 2006, Stallman met with officials in the Indian state of Kerala. He convinced them to switch all school computers from Windows to a free software system. This was a big decision for 12,500 high schools.
He has also met with leaders like the former president of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, and the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. He got them to support the free software movement.
Stallman often protests against things like software patents and digital rights management (DRM). DRM tries to control what users can do with digital content. He believes it takes away user freedom.
Stallman uses computers that run entirely on free software. He once used a Lemote netbook because it could run with free software at the lowest level (the BIOS). He says, "freedom is my priority." He now uses a refurbished ThinkPad X200 with Libreboot (a free BIOS replacement) and Trisquel GNU/Linux.
Views on Copyright
Stallman gives talks called "Copyright vs. Community." In these talks, he discusses the problems with DRM. He suggests that copyright should be much shorter, maybe only 10 years. He believes that sharing copies of works for non-commercial reasons should not be against the law.
He has refused to sign anything with a copyright symbol. He believes that e-books can be worse than paper books because they often have DRM. For example, the Amazon Kindle can prevent copying and even allow Amazon to delete books from your device. He says this takes away the freedom to share or sell books.
He also dislikes DVDs and Blu-ray discs because their content is often encrypted. He sees this as a way to force users to watch certain things or limit their choices.
Important Words
Stallman believes that the words we use are very important. He asks people to say free software instead of "open source software." He says "Free software is a political movement; open source is a development model." He wants people to understand that free software is about freedom, not just how it's developed.
He also asks people to say GNU/Linux when talking about the operating system. He believes this helps people remember the GNU project's role and its philosophy of freedom.
Privacy and Surveillance
Stallman is a strong supporter of privacy. He speaks out against government and company surveillance.
He calls mobile phones "portable surveillance and tracking devices." He does not own a cell phone because they do not run entirely on free software. He also avoids using key cards to enter buildings because they track where and when he enters. He often uses special tools to browse the internet anonymously.
Personal Life
Richard Stallman lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He speaks English, French, Spanish, and some Indonesian. He has said he is an atheist and sometimes wears a button that says "Impeach God." He has also written many parody songs.
In 2023, Stallman shared that he was diagnosed with a form of cancer. He later said that he was in remission and doing well.
Honors and Awards
Stallman has received many honors and awards for his work:
- 1990: MacArthur Fellowship (a "genius grant")
- 1990: Grace Murray Hopper Award for his work on Emacs.
- 1996: Honorary doctorate from Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology.
- 1998: EFF Pioneer Award for his work on digital rights.
- 2002: Membership in the US National Academy of Engineering.
- 2015: ACM Software System Award for his leadership of GCC.
- He has received many other honorary doctorates from universities around the world.
Images for kids
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Richard Stallman's signature
- 9882 Stallman, a minor planet named after Richard
- Free as in Freedom, a biography by Sam Williams
- Free Software Street
- History of free and open-source software
- Lisp Machine Lisp
- Revolution OS
