Richard Stallman

[drscott]

I just noticed that the semi-infamous Richard Stallman, "software wants to be free" Free Software Foundation/GNU Project activist, is here on LJ as richardstallman. I remember him from the '77-'80 period when I had stopped out of MIT and was logging in to OZ, AI, and DeepThought via my homebrew system to learn about things; one night I was diddling away at something when he broke in (something you could do on OZ's operating system.) I was a mere turist (guest) while rms was a wheel (superuser.) A strange conversation ensued. Satisfied that I was a Good Guy, he moved on.

I can't remember the occasion of our physical encounters, but I do remember experiencing his famous smell. His hygiene habits were akin to those of Peanuts' Pig Pen.

[ed.: I am informed, and it looks to be the case, that rms' supposed Live Journal is a fraud. Oops -- I didn't look that closely!]

Comments

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

A few of us around the office took him out to lunch a couple of years ago as a "going away party" for a couple of our co-ops, who were enamored of his work. He smelled fine, did have a noticeable nervous habit of twisting his hair around his fingers constantly.

He convinced me of his brilliance primarily because of his obvious social adjustment issues. Most brilliant people I've met were somewhat orthogonal to social norms in one way like that or another. He was interesting and engaging, also tremendously depressed and open about it.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

He's probably cleaned up his hygiene act since those long-ago days. Maybe that's why he's depressed -- the burden of showering regularly? :-)

It's amusing that people associate social dysfunction with brilliance. A touch of Asperger's Syndrome can be discerned in most of us geeks, and he's just an extreme. But it's not always a valid stereotype, just as a U-ish British accent doesn't mean someone is unusually intelligent or well-informed.

[ptownnyc.livejournal.com]

My father was a scientist with what was then AT&T Bell Laboratories (now Lucent). When visiting the offices there back in the 70's and 80's, you could usually rank the brilliance of the researcher by noticing how wild his hair was, how shabby his clothes, and often how badly he smelled.

The most brilliant man in the office walked the offices barefoot at all times - even in January. He was about 60 years old at the time, with hair down to his waist.

There were some interesting propeller-heads there! :)

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, RMS is a total whackjob. And I say this even from outside the Slashdot wars that occur every time GNU is mentioned. That said, he *is* a brilliant fellow. (although it's a shame about HURD ;-) )

C'mon man, a shower isn't too much to ask.

JWZ is also floating around here somewhere.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

I see that he is, as (tada!) jwz. He's a bit after my time so I can't say I remember him, despite working with Scott Fahlman's CMU Common Lisp group in the mid-80s and interviewing at Lucid around the time he was there.

[tmaher.livejournal.com]

Yes, but jwz's journal real. This "richardstallman" journal is sort of an obvious fake.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

Fooled me, but then I didn't really read it!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm sure if he did start a LJ he'd call it "rms".

I worked for him once. As his hands. His RSI (we'd probably call it carpal tunnel today) was so bad that he really couldn't be typing at all, so I'd come on over for an hour or three. I started to think he found me pretty when he'd always be freshly showered (hair dripping) at my arrival. Didn't help the smell of the room much.

Often his e-mail replies started out "Don't waste my time..."

He asked me once whether I had ever had sex with a plant.

[dr-scott.livejournal.com]

There must be an online archive of rms stories somewhere. That last line is a sure addition.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

He's such a character that there *has* to be an archive of stories!