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Home , Homebrew (video games), Open Letter to Hobbyists, Richard Stallman

Library Technology Reports www.techsource.ala.org May—June 2007  - - 8 7 6 to develop an operating 9

Rather than join the world of proprietary , The freedom to run the program, for any purpose 0). (freedom As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most most aware, be must hobbyists of majority the As paid be must Hardware software. your steal you of cares Who share. to something is software but for, paid? get it on worked who people the if Commercialization of software might be seen as a The commercialization of software was happening, Stallman a software Artificial was in MIT’s developer Stallman identified that, as software became more Much of the letter, attackshowever, the community

Stallman chose instead to resign from MIT to form the Foundation (FSF) system and related software and promote the following essentialfour software freedoms. ● of sharing that was prevalent at theof sharing that time: prevalent was reflected pro evolutionaryalso a natural it but landmark, found philosophical shift: software that had been easy to learn from, copy, wasrestrictedfix, being and share to fit the of scarcity. economics Richard and motions, lurched in but leap, graceful a in not M. Stallman the among it. recognize was to first Intelligence Lab when he was faced with a dilemma: the systems and servers their software built on had been was eclipsed, and new systems depended on commercial soft to required be would thelab othersin and Stallman ware. sign nondisclosure agreements that would prevent them from sharing not only any improvements they made, but also anything they learned about the systems. to how choose to freedom importantuser’s a lives, our in important. it became more use, modify, and improve - - - 1 4 - - - - 5 Berkeley’s 2 3

Chapter 3 Chapter

ince ince all early software was source—open assumed to to improvement be and open reuse—and the technology of the time largely required that soft es, books and softwareand books es, itself. Without soft good ware and an owner who understands program ming, a hobby computer is wasted. Will quality software be written the for hobby market? To me, the To criticalmost thing in the hobby mar softwarecours good theof is lack now right ket At At about the same time, (yes, that Bill But for all their work, was still owned by AT&, AT&T, by stillowned was Unix theirwork, all for But Eventually, however, as software matured, the softwareas oppor matured, however, Eventually, Unix was born in AT&T’s Bell Labs in 1969, but it issue of the Computer Club important scribinghow theto computing of was it future newsletter de that hobbyists support the development of a commercial software industry: not Berkeley, and the complexities (and legal ambiguities) legal (and complexitiesthe and Berkeley, not of that relationship highlighted the difficulty of working with and depending on software that that not was “free.” in theNot free economic sense, but in the legal sense. Gates) wrote a letter published in the January 31, 1976, to the , including virtual memory and almost every aspect of modern networking. called package a as distributedwidely were enhancements softwareBSD (Berkeley distribution), timeand over they and the licensed as system Unix importanta as to became product AT&T. from purchased there was littlethere was to formalize the need or drive concept. it emerged. tunity for charge to was raised at UC Berkeley, where students essentialas and recognize now we thefeatures facultyof many added S ware be distributed in a form that allowed those uses, Takes Shape Takes Source Open 10 Library Technology Reports www.techsource.ala.org May—June 2007 Notes pher SamWilliamsremarked: biogra him, view will history how on Speaking puting. GNUGeneralPublicLicense. the and Stallman Richard to pointed Augustin happen? all it cost ofdevelopment. the exceeded market of cost the where crisis a reaching was be came software a real option just open-source as the software proprietary market that founder believes VA Augustin Larry clearer. became benefits economic community. to the contributing be would work their that trust to software their to license the applied who those allowed and doms free essential four Stallman’s codified legally GPL The (GPL). License Public General GNU the of the development significant, most and system, operating Linux complete a helped that applications of collection a of ● ● ●

1. in the book in the Richard GNU “The Stallman, Project” (originally published around. else could gather everybody that gravitation tial ini the provided that one the He’s issue. made an it that one the he’s but software, free ing build to will writ people Thereareother big. this something the and stubbornness, the and patience, the had have could him but Nobody It’s hard to overestimate Stallman’s influence on com made What component? essential the was what And world. of the who create great software can now reach the rest people The model. distribution a It’s customers. those all reach to people enables source Open in salesandmarketing. Thatdoesn’twork. under $10 million in &D and over $100 million My favorite is Salesforce.com. In 1995 they spent the matured, and evolved software open-source As development the are successes FSF’s the Among forcode isaprecondition this. community benefits (freedom 3). Access tothe source whole the that so public, the to improvements release your and program, the improve to freedom The your neighbor(freedom 2). help can you so copies redistribute to freedom The the to Access source for codeisaprecondition this. 1). (freedom needs your to it adapt and works, program the how study to freedom The 12 11 ), on the GNU Operating ), System GNU on Operating the 10 ------

12. 11. 10. 4. 3. 2. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. Andrew Leonard, “BSD Unix: Power to the People, From People, the to Power Unix: “BSD Leonard, Andrew (accessedMar. 19,2007). Berkeley_Software_Distribution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ , Distribution,” (accessed Mar. 19, 2007); “Berkeley ry_unix.html Software California, Berkeley, www.coe.berkeley.edu/labnotes/histo of University Engineering, of College the of site Web the in Software,” Source Open- of Birth the and Unix “Berkeley Pescovitz, David 1984]: 1577–93). Bell Laboratories Technical Journal in reprinted version on based rendition this 1980; Methodology, Programming and Design in published ceedings conference Methodology at Sydney, Australia, Programming Sept. 1979; conference and pro Design Language at ed Mar.(accessed dmr/hist.html firstpaper present2007; 19, http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/ research, sciences archival the Webon System,” for computing Labs Bell site Dennis M. Ritchie, “The Evolution of the Unix Time-sharing Mar. 19,2007). (accessed Webwww..org/gnu/thegnuproject.html site, 19, 2007). pub/a/onlamp/2002/02/28/williams.htm site, Web ONLamp.com 2002, 28, Feb. Williams,” Sam wth Interview An Stallman? Richard View Sam Williams, quoted in “HowBruce Stewart, Will History cessed Mar. 19,2007). Web site, http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=675 (ac Still Believes in Open Source Values,” June 9, 2006, ZD Net “Augustin Blankenhorn, Dana in quoted Augustin, Larry Definition.” Free Software “The Stallman, GNUProject.” “The Stallman, www.fsf.org/licensing/ essays/free-sw.html (accessedMar. 19,2007). site, Web Foundation Software Free Definition,” Software Free “The Stallman, Richard GNUProject.” “The Stallman, Ibid. (accessedMar. 19,2007). _01/gatesletter.html .digibarn.com/collections/newsletters/homebrew/V2 WebMuseum www Computer site, DigiBarn the on 1976), Newsletter Club Computer Homebrew Hobbyists,” to Letter Open “An III, Gates Henry William .php/2213031 (accessedMar. 19,2007). www.devxnews.com/article site, Web DevX the on News,” “ Olavsrud, Challenges SCO Over Unix, Thor Linux,” May 28, 2003, 2007); in “DevX 19, Mar. (accessed .html http://dir.salon.com/ site, Web story/tech/fsp/2000/05/16/chapter_2_part_one/index Salon.com the on 1, Code,” the h Fe Sfwr Project, Software Free The Lab Notes Lab Computer 1, no. 2 (Oct. 2001), on 2001), (Oct. 2 no. 1, 63, no. 6, 2 part [Oct. , o 1 Jn 31, (Jan. 1 no. 2, www.onlamp.com/ chapter 2, part part 2, chapter Springer-Verlag,

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