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Free software, free society: Richard Stallman at TEDxGeneva 2014

TEDx Talks · 487.2K views · 2014-06-13 · 13:40

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Overview

Richard Stallman's TEDxGeneva 2014 talk describing how nonfree programs give companies control over users and what users can do to regain control. It introduces the free software movement and the four freedoms.

On Hacker News

HN uses it constantly as the reference for the argument that either the user controls the software or the software controls the user, and it is recommended as a basic introduction.

Recommended by 2 HN people across 3 months · HN mentions 2014–2025

Topics

Hacker culture & free softwareLinux & open-source ecosystems
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richard stallmanfree softwareuser freedomgnusoftware control

What people said

thesuperbigfrog · 2023-06 · Recommendation

Windows is closed source, full of ads and telemetry, and increasingly user hostile. MacOS is a mostly closed source, expensive, user-condescending walled garden. Linux, BSDs, and free / open source operating systems give the user freedom and control over their computing experience: [VIDEO]

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thesuperbigfrog · 2023-06 · Recommendation

The four freedoms that free software guarantee are essential for people to be in control of their own computing. Are you in control of your computer, or does your computer control you? [VIDEO] People get angry and frustrated when a big tech company makes a decision that is user-hostile, but benefits the tech company's profits. This is to be expected because in almost all cases, the big tech company has no obligation other than to maximize profits. The four freedoms help to put a check on the power of big tech companies by providing alternatives that keep power in the hands of the user. That does not mean that free software and big tech companies cannot coexist or even thrive together. Red Hat was built on free software. System76 sells hardware that runs mostly free software.

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thesuperbigfrog · 2020-10 · Recommendation

Sounds very frustrating. I don't use Windows on any of the computers I own. I prefer to have more control over my computer so I use Linux. I still have to use Windows at work, but I don't admin those machines so I don't have a lot of control / choice in the matter. Food for thought about who controls your computer: [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by TEDx Talks, played through YouTube.

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