Bonum Certa Men Certa

Francisca Pacheco López on Richard Stallman

A letter from Madrid, posted a few days ago, reproduced below (the English version):




I met Richard Stallman in person more than twenty years ago, when he came to Madrid to give one of his interesting and lively talks. We attended the event because my husband was already collaborating with the GNU Project and we were very excited to meet Richard, the promoter and founder of free software. We approached him to say hello at the end of the talk. Since then, we have had several opportunites to attend his talks every time he comes to Madrid.



We hosted him in our home during one of those visits and I can say that, despite his peculiarities, he is one of the most honest and intelligent people I know, and he has a good heart.

What people have done to him is unfair and cruel, accuse him... of what? Of making rational, inquisitive comments? Even if someone didn't like them, it is within his rights to make them. Or is there no more freedom of expression?

The free software community owes a lot to Stallman. He has dedicated and continues to dedicate his life to disseminating the idea that users' freedom is the most important thing. It is not fair that people who, for whatever reason, do not like him, try to discredit and denigrate him. Cruelest of all, people who wish to separate him from the movement that he has created, from the whole purpose of his life.

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