History of Tech Series
January 5: Revolutionizing Computer Science With Open-Source Operating Systems
Richard Stallman was a computer genius and activist best known for his work on the GNU Project and the non-profit organization Free Software Foundation (FSF).
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Stallman worked as a hacker in MIT’s AI lab. He often altered the software source code to introduce exciting and valuable features. His papers and lectures on hacking technologies and algorithms were well-received in the tech industry.
Stallman received numerous awards and accolades for his work, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award, the Takeda Award for Social/Economic Betterment, and the ACM Software System Award.
How did it all begin?
As technological advancements grew, software companies became more restrictive and secretive. Many started using copyright licenses to restrict access to commonly used tools.
While proprietary software may seem ordinary today, back in the 1980s, this restriction was huge. Techies like Stallman found these rules unfair, unethical, and inconvenient. They even claimed them to be a crime against humanity.
So, to oppose such changes, Stallman joined a revolutionary idea to create free alternatives to proprietary software like text editors, debuggers, automation software, compilers, etc. This led to the GNU Project and, eventually, Linux systems.
What happened on January 5?
Now, people often believe that Stallman’s idea was to develop software that’s completely free of charge. But this is a misconception.
Stallman did not have a problem charging a fee for using software programs. After all, companies spend a lot of time and money on research and development, so it’s only fair for them to expect some returns.
However, he had a problem with the restrictions imposed by companies. Stallman wanted users to be able to read, learn, and understand tools, fix bugs, make improvements, and redistribute them. He supposed such limitations would dampen creativity and put a cap on a software’s abilities.
Addressing this issue was the core objective of the GNU project.
So, on January 5, 1984, about four months after the official launch of the GNU project, Stallman quit his job at MIT and started developing a free-to-use operating system.
He called it the GNU system.
How did this day change the world?
While there is no stable version of the GNU system, it adopted the Linux kernel, freely developed by Linus Torvalds, to build the Linux Operating System.
Today, Linux is widely used on various devices, including servers, desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and embedded systems. It is known for its stability, security, and versatility, and a large and active community of volunteers and developers supports it.
Stallman’s work on the GNU operating system and the FSF has significantly impacted the tech industry. The open-source nature of the systems has enabled a large and active community of volunteers and developers to contribute to and improve the operating system.
Besides, Stallman’s efforts to elevate computer science and promote software freedom have inspired generations of programmers and activists.
So much so that it will continue to be felt for years.
