The Register https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/29/richard_stallman_cancer/ #GNU #Linux
I think El Reg stated it well at the end of their article. Stallman may be a divisive figure, especially in recent years, however no one deserves to go through an illness that scary and difficult to fight, even with modern medicine on their side.
Fuck cancer.
Although Stallman is a controversial and polarizing figure, he is widely acknowledged as a pioneer. Without his efforts to formalize and promote Free Software, there would be no Open Source world today. There have been multiple expressions of concern across the internet, and many people wishing him the best.
After Bram Moolenaar, the legendary creator of vim, it might just hit another legendary figure in the world of OSS. It’s true that he is controversial, but he has my respect and best wishes.
Everyone is so depressed about this thing, that they don’t even want to write comments here
Yeah just fucking sad. This guy changed the way I think about software, releasing code I write, contributing etc. Would be so sad to see him go.
He changed the whole world of software. We wouldn’t have the thriving scene of quality FOSS we have today without him, including the operating systems on which we run it.
Absolutely. I didn’t mean to say he “only” changed my view, in case that’s the impression. He is a great man, the entire (digital) world is built on his legacy so to say, yet barely anyone knows about him.
PS: little anecdote as I once went to an Apple Store and scrolled through the software licenses in the settings on an iPad of iOS and found one crediting Richard Stallman as the author. I just left it like that, thought it’s funny having his name on an iPad in the Apple Store :p
Yeah. I’m not a big “celebrity” person but he’s had a net positive impact to the world and devoted his life to his cause. I have a signed copy of his hacking book from a seminar in college. I hope he comes out on the other side. I have a lot of respect for him despite his eccentric statements.
I’m with you. I have a lot of friends with Aspergers and other ASDs (one of the joys of a life in tech - lots of interesting and intelligent friends). Stallman’s post following his return to the board of FSF and his unnecessary public comments and debate around Epstein, his guests, and child abuse strongly reminded me of some of the troubles my ASD friends have gotten themselves into by not quite groking social cues, “reading the room”, or knowing which topics and situations welcome debate and which ones don’t or will likely get emotional responses from other participants rather than rational.
Even if I don’t agree with you on all of what you said I agree with most of it. Sound reasoning and all that. The autism/aspergers ‘excuse’ is definitely hard to accept given his history.
Regardless, someone like him simply shouldn’t be at the positions he has held if the open source community is to gain progress.
I’m conflicted here. The fact that he’s a weirdo is kind of irrelevant imo. He’s philosophically uncompromising and unmoved by social pressure. The only thing separating him from most tech CEOs is that he lacks an organization investing millions into his health, image, publicity etc Most big time executives are degenerates but no one cares because they are good at what they do. I think he’s good at making software free even if he’s a socially inept [insert criticism here] in his personal life. Additionally I’m saying this as someone who disagrees with him on basically every other issue he takes a stand on.
I didn’t know about him and ASD. Of course creating the environment in society at large (as opposed to small hidden spaces) for women, non-binary, gender diverse and other LGBTQ2SI+ folks is important.
I really don’t know what a decent method forward is that looks like in a way that in the interim doesn’t lead to issues like the surge of derision and cruelty towards trans folks in the UK. To me, this is evidently something that occurs towards neurodivergent or otherwise broadly defined individuals whom do not conform where gender is not the primary distinguishing factor (lingual, ethnic, etc.)
A lot of them may have commented on the first post.
Hopefully he gets well soon
My mom had the same cancer. Only discovered it at the beginning of 2021. She died December 2022…
But then again she didn’t want chemo. Looks like he is treating it so hopefully he’ll live longer.
