[vox] [fwd] [NBLUG/talk] Q/A with RMS

[Ambroff Linden]

On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 10:32 PM, Brian Lavender <brian at brie.com> wrote:
>
> The interviewer seems to discount LISP...

I didn't think so. @atomic_rabbit is just saying that LISP isn't an
integral part of GNU. That is to say, GNU - (Guile + Emacs) = a useful
collection of software, which doesn't quite jive with Stallman's
original vision.

> LISP is probably why Stallman wishes (if he only had one wish from the
> magic proprietary software genie) that Autocad was liberated into free
> software. It uses LISP type instruction.

I doubt LISP has much to do with it. Stallman calls out CAD programs
because there really aren't any good ones which are also free.

I quite enjoyed reading this. The question from @two_front_teeth about
non-free software on an implanted medical device actually made me
laugh out loud. What a great question! My initial reaction was that
refusing medical treatment on the grounds that a procedure involved
the use of non-free software seemed quite extreme.

But on second thought, as a software developer who's been in the
trenches, I would certainly feel compelled to inspect the software
responsible for controlling the beating of my heart. Who knows, I
might catch a bug. I also wouldn't want to be subjected to vendor
lock-in if the pharmaceutical company that made my pace maker went
under :).

On the other hand, desk-checking the code that controls my pacemaker
could become an obsession and lead to insanity. Who knows. What I do
know for sure is that I wouldn't be brave enough to modify it :).

For anyone who is interested in Stallman, I recommend reading "Free as
in Freedom", a great autobiography by Sam Williams.

http://oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/

-Kyle