"Isn't it ironic that the proprietary software developers call us communists? We are the ones who have provided for a free market, where they allow only monopoly. … if the users chooses this proprietary software package, he then falls into this monopoly for support … the only way to escape from monopoly is to escape from proprietary software, and that is what the free software movement is all about. We want you to escape and our work is to help you escape. We hope you will escape to the free world. The free world is the new continent in cyberspace that we have built so we can live here in freedom. It's impossible to live in freedom in the old world of cyberspace, where every program has its feudal lord that bullies and mistreats the users. So, to live in freedom we have to build a new continent. Because this is a virtual continent, it has room for everyone, and there are no immigration restrictions. And because there were never indigenous peoples in cyberspace, there is also no issue of taking away their land. So everyone is welcome in the free world, come to the free world, live with us in freedom. The free software movement aims for the liberation of cyberspace and everyone in it."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Activists from the United StatesAcademics from the United StatesPeople from New York CityProgrammers from the United StatesFree software activists
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
“Free Software in Ethics and Practice” talk at CMC MSU, Moscow, Russia, (March 3, 2008) Text · ogg file · YouTube
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Richard Stallman
130 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Richard Stallman →
Related Quotes
"I didn't receive the DEC message, but I can't imagine I would have been bothered if I have. I get tons of uninteresti…"
"Well, Geoff forwarded me a copy of the DEC message, and I eat my words. I sure would have minded it! Nobody should be…"
"What they had in common was mainly love of excellence and programming. They wanted to make their programs that they u…"
"GNU, which stands for Gnu's Not Unix, is the name for the complete Unix-compatible software system which I am writing…"
"To avoid horrible confusion, please pronounce the G in the word GNU when it is the name of this project."
"I consider that the golden rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. Soft…"
"GNU is not in the public domain. Everyone will be permitted to modify and redistribute GNU, but no distributor will b…"
"Once GNU is written, everyone will be able to obtain good system software free, just like air."
"Hundreds of thousands of babies are born every day. While the whole phenomenon is menacing, one of them by itself is …"
"I have met bright students in computer science who have never seen the source code of a large program. They may be go…"