The GNU/Linux Legend, Richard Matthew Stallman on the take of Free Software

Richard Stallman, developer of GNU/Linux who recently visited Gauhati University stressed on use of Free Software citing its advantage and attacking propriety software (Non-Free Software) for its evil deeds in society.

Following are some of his conclusion drawn from the lecture.

• Facebook, according to Mr. Richard is a surveillance, which is abusing its user and gaining lots of personal information to pass on it to the intelligence bureau.

• Microsoft Windows is a malware, so is Apple’s Mac and its software. That’s because they install software having malicious codes without the users consent. He further adds that once you install an OS from Microsoft or Apple to your computer, that particular computer becomes sole property of the said company because they obtain all the rights to play with any of your file in your computer. This is true and dangerous.

• Some websites when visited can install malicious program in your PC and track down your personal information including the place where you are living. This is basically achieved by websites running propriety JavaScript. Mr. Richard stresses on use of free JavaScript.

• Free Software unlike the paid ones respects your freedom. It will do what you want the program to do and let you modify it too. Further more, you can redistribute free software among your friends, it’s all legal. What happens in paid software is that they rarely allow the freedom to use the program as the user wants. According to Mr. Richard, propriety software makes a user dependent over it, over that, it can’t be redistributed and its source code is kept secret, all this going against the spirit of good will.

• Free Software will merge with Open Source anytime in near future.

• Mr. Richard objects that he is not the father of open source, he says, “If I am the father of open source then it would be like stealing my sperm and artificially inseminating it”

• Schools from Nursery to Post Graduate level should use free software, because it saves lots of investment of the schools and provides full freedom to modify the source code of the program student’s use. Some company ties up with schools to provide Computer knowledge, but what actually these companies do is against the well being of the society. These companies prompt the school student to use their software, but if some of the student out of curiosity wants to know how those program works then they are bound NOT to know it because the source code of those propriety programs are kept secret by the same company, thus defeating the purpose of good will and learning.

Mr. Richard Matthew Stallman concluded his lecture by appealing to use free software and spread the message of merits of free software. Answering to a question he said that free software can permanently come in the mainstream and rule over paid software once people learn about its internal advantage and start using them.