We are still actively working on the spam issue.
Richard Stallman
Richard Matthew Stallman (rms) is a software freedom activist, computer programmer, autist, philosopher, hacker, freethinker, prophet, the father, the son, and the holy spirit. He is the author of the GPL and GNU project.
Contents
Who is he, though?
Richard Stallman began working hard to replicate the output of the Unix team, but under the GPL, which meant that anyone could use, read, modify or distribute the source code. Once this was combined by Linus Torvalds with Torvalds' kernel, GNU/Linux was born. Ever since, he has been tirelessly working hard to promote the freedoms of use, reading, modification or distribution of software everywhere with said GPL. He is also one of the original legendary MIT hackers.
If you wish to learn more about Richard Stallman, check out his book, Free as in Freedom. If you want to learn more about his views, check out his other book Free Software, Free Society.
Relationship with /g/
Richard Stallman attempts to answer every email he gets, and at the very least he reads them if he can't answer. This has led to a rocky "relationship" of sorts with /g/ that has been chronicled on pages of his website. Among these, very recently, he created a page addressed "to 4chan" (but very clearly /g/) in which he "clears up some erroneous information" about himself. /g/ has often made things for Richard Stallman as a token of appreciation, such as the composite of images pictured below to the left.
Interjection Copypasta
Main Article: Interjection
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX. Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project. There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux" distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
Gallery
"A sort of drawing of me, a composite of photos, made by people at 4chan." - Richard Stallman
The man himself gracefully eats something from his foot.
Our holy saviour
