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From
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void <void@ecn.org>
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Date
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Tue, 7 May 2002 22:43:25 +0200
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Subject
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[HaCkmEeTiNg] [rms@gnu.org: Re: hackmeeting 2002 in italy]
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----- Forwarded message from Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> -----
> Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 14:07:59 -0600 (MDT)
> From: Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
> Subject: Re: hackmeeting 2002 in italy
> To: void@ecn.org
>
> Here's the info packet about my speeches.
>
> My usual speech about the Free Software Movement and GNU takes between
> 2 and 2.5 hours. That typically includes over one and a half hours of
> my speaking, plus plenty of time for questions, because people usually
> want to ask a lot of questions.
>
> I can manage to squeeze a speech into an hour, but some topics will be
> omitted and there will be no time for questions. Once we are going to
> the trouble and expense of having me come and speak, we may as well do
> a thorough job of it.
>
> A typical title would be this:
>
> The Free Software Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System
>
> There are other topics I speak about, such as
>
> Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks
>
> and
>
> The Danger of Software Patents
>
> These topics take just an hour.
>
> I can also possibly speak about some other topic if you suggest one.
>
>
> Abstract:
>
> For a speech about the Free Software Movement and GNU/Linux, you
> can use this abstract:
>
> Richard Stallman will speak about the purpose, goals, philosophy,
> methods, status, and future prospects of the GNU operating system,
> which in combination with the kernel Linux is now used by an
> estimated 17 to 20 million users world wide.
>
> For Copyright vs Community, you can use this abstract:
>
> Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed
> to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing
> press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer
> networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.
>
> The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying
> for draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers,
> while suppressing public access to technology. But if we
> seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of
> copyright--to promote progress, for the benefit of the
> public--then what must be done is either to reduce copyright
> powers or effectively eliminate them, depending on the kind of
> work. Governments must now protect the public's right to copy.
>
> For Against Software Patents, you can use this abstract:
>
> Richard Stallman will explain how software patents obstruct
> software development. Software patents are patents that cover
> software ideas. They restrict the development of software, so
> that every design decision brings a risk of getting sued. Patents
> in other fields restrict factories, but software patents restrict
> every computer user. Economic research shows that they even
> retard progress.
>
>
> Facilities:
>
> A microphone is desirable if the room is large, but I have a very loud
> voice, so I don't need one for a small or medium room. A supply of
> tea with milk and sugar would be nice; otherwise, non-diet pepsi will
> do (I dislike the taste of coke, and of all diet soda). If it is good
> tea, I like it without milk and sugar. No other facilities are
> needed.
>
>
> Languages:
>
> I can speak in English or French. I can give a speech in Spanish
> if I have several days to practice the language before speaking.
>
> If the audience won't be comfortable with a language I can speak, it
> is important to have a translator.
>
> For the full speech on Free Software and the GNU/Linux System, the
> only feasible kind of translation is simultaneous translation. The
> speech (with questions) normally lasts over two hours; to use
> consecutive translation would double that to four hours. That is too
> long.
>
>
> Publicity:
>
> The GNU Project constantly struggles against two widespread mistakes
> that undermine the effectiveness of our work: calling our work "open
> source", and calling the GNU operating system "Linux".
>
> The Free Software Movement and the Open Source Movement are like two
> political parties in our community. I founded the Free Software
> Movement in 1984 along with the GNU Project; we call our work "free
> software" because it is software that respects the users freedom. The
> Open Source Movement was founded, in 1998, specifically to reject our
> idealistic philosophy--they studiously avoid talking about freedom.
> See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for
> more explanation of the difference between the two movements.
>
> So please make sure that all the publicity about the event (web site,
> email announcements, conference programs, direct mail, signs, etc),
> uses the term "free software", not "open source", when you refer to my
> work. This includes to the title and descriptions of my speech, of
> the session it is in, of the track it is part of, and of the event
> itself.
>
> Of course, some of these names and descriptions may not refer to this
> work at all; for example, if a track or the whole event covers a much
> broader topic in which free software is just a small part, its name
> may not refer to free software. That is normal and appropriate. The
> point is not to ask you to refer to my work more often than you
> normally would, but that you should describe it accurately whenever
> you do refer to it.
>
> If other speakers in the same session, track, or event want their work
> to be categorized as "open source", that is a legitimate request for
> them to make. In that case, please give "free software" equal mention
> with "open source".
>
> If you think it is useful to tell people how free software relates to
> open source, you can say that "since 1998, another group has used the
> term `open source' to describe a related activity." That will tell
> people that my work has a relationship with "open source", which they
> may have heard of, without implying it is right to describe my work as
> "open source."
>
> The other widespread confusion is the idea of a "Linux operating
> system". The system in question, the system that Debian and Red Hat
> distribute, the system that 20 million people use, is basically the
> GNU operating system, with Linux added as the kernel. When people
> call the whole system "Linux", they deny us the credit for our work,
> and this is not right. (See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html
> for more explanation.)
>
> So please call this combined operating system "GNU/Linux" in all
> the publicity, in the titles and description of the session, track,
> event, etc., if and when you have reason to refer to it.
>
> For similar reasons, please don't use a penguin as a symbol for my
> work, or on the posters or notices for my speech. The penguin stands
> for "Linux"; the symbol of GNU is a gnu. So if you want to use a
> graphical image to symbolize GNU or my work, please use a gnu.
>
> If you have handled these issues well, nobody who looks at your
> material will get the impression that I work on "open source", or that
> I support "open source", or that my work is "part of Linux", or that I
> participated in the "development of Linux", or that GNU is the name of
> "a collection of tools".
>
>
> Changes of plans:
>
> Don't assume that I can still come if you change the date. My
> schedule is tight. If you change the date by even one day, I may be
> unable to come. However, I will certainly be flexible if there is no
> obstacle. Please consult with me before making any change, and I will
> see what I can do.
>
>
> Scheduling other meetings:
>
> I have agreed to give a speech for you, and if the press wants to talk
> with me, I will do that for the sake of the cause. However, if you
> would like me to give additional speeches or go to additional
> meetings, please ask me first. Please ask me about *each* activity
> you would like me to perform.
>
> Many people assume that because I am travelling, I am having a
> vacation--that I have no other work to do, so I can spend the whole
> day speaking or meeting with people. Some hosts even feel that they
> ought to try to fill up my time as a matter of good hospitality.
> Nothing could be further from the truth.
>
> The fact is, I have no vacations. I have to spend 6 to 8 hours *every
> day* doing my usual work, which is responding to email about the GNU
> Project and the Free Software Movement. Work comes in every day for
> me, and if I skip it one day, I have to work double another day.
> During the week I usually fall behind; on weekends I try to catch up.
>
> Travelling takes up time, so I will be extra busy during my visit. So
> please ask me *in advance* about *each* additional speech, meeting, or
> other activity that would take time. I don't mind being asked, and I
> may say yes, but I also may say no.
>
> Remember that an additional speech, even if it is just a one-hour
> speech, probably takes up two hours or more when you count the travel
> time.
>
>
> Interviews:
>
> I am glad to give interviews to the press about the GNU Project, but
> before I do, I want to be sure they will not repeat the two common
> mistakes (calling the whole system "Linux" and associating GNU or me
> with "open source"). Please explain this, and ask the journalist if
> he will agree to call the system "GNU/Linux" in the article, and to
> make it clear that our work is "free software" not "open source".
> Recommend reading http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html and
> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-for-freedom.html for
> explanations of these issues. If the journalist agrees, then I agree
> to an interview. Please have this discussion by email, and save the
> messages in both directions.
>
> Sometimes a journalist gives a vaguely affirmative-sounding or
> sympathetic response which does not really answer "yes". Examples are
> "I will do this as much as I can" and "I understand the distinction."
> Such an answer is actually just "maybe", so when you receive one,
> please ask for clarification. If he says that the editor has the
> final decision, please respond with "Would you please consult the
> editor now, and tell us a firm decision?"
>
> Also please ask journalists to *see my speech* before the interview.
> My speeches are not technical; they focus on precisely the sort of
> philosophical questions that a journalist would probably want to
> cover. If the journalist does not attend my speech, he will probably
> start by asking me to answer the same questions that I answer in the
> speech. That is inefficient.
>
> It is also a good idea for the journalist to read
> http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html and some of the articles
> in http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/ before the interview. Those
> articles provide important background. This is especially important
> for anyone who cannot come to my speech first.
>
> I am willing to meet with any number of journalists, but if there are
> many, I can't meet all of them individually (it would take too much
> time). So what I will do is give private interviews to 2 or 3 of
> them, whichever ones you think are most important, and see the rest of
> them as a group (i.e. in a press conference).
>
> You and the local people you know are better equipped than I am to
> judge which journalists and which publications I should focus on.
> Please try to judge both the importance of the publication and the
> merits (intelligence, attention to accuracy, openness of mind, and
> absence of bias) of the journalist, if you can.
>
> If you schedule a press conference or group interview, please *plan
> the time of my speech to allow the inteview after it*. It may be a
> good idea to find out from journalists what times are good for them,
> then schedule the conference, then schedule the speech before it.
> This way, they will all be able to get the full picture.
>
>
> Putting my speech on the net:
>
> If you would like to put my speech on the Internet, or distribute it
> in digital form, that is ok provided you make sure that a user can
> play the recording on a GNU/Linux system using only free software.
> For instance, this means RealPlayer format is unacceptable.
> OGG format is good for audio, and OpenDIVX is good for video.
>
> This requirement is very important, because if it is not followed, my
> own speech will entice people to do the exact opposite of what I urge
> them to do. That would undercut the whole point of the speech; the
> medium would contradict the message.
>
> Because this is so important, please make sure everyone who might be
> involved in broadcasting the event, or who might be directly or
> indirectly involved in planning such a broadcast, knows this
> requirement in advance of the event.
>
>
> Warning about giveways:
>
> You may find companies offering you CD-ROMs, books, fliers or
> publicity materials to give away or sell at my speech. Please check
> them before you accept them, to make sure that they don't promote the
> very thing that we are working to replace.
>
> For instance, the CDs may contain non-free software. Most commercial
> CDs of GNU/Linux contain non-free software in addition to the free
> software. If it isn't the official Debian GNU/Linux system, it almost
> surely contains non-free software, so please don't hand it out or
> offer it at my speech. Even if it contains the official Debian
> GNU/Linux system, the publisher may have added some non-free software
> to that, so it is necessary to check.
>
> Books about use of the GNU/Linux system and about GNU programs are
> fine if they themselves are also free. But many of them are non-free
> (see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html). To see if a book
> is free, check the license on the back of the title page. If it uses
> the GNU Free Documentation License, or the Open Publication License
> version 1 without options A and B, then it is free. If it isn't one
> of those, please show me the license and I will tell you if it is a
> free license.
>
> If companies send you publicity materials, please check with me before
> giving them out at my speech.
>
>
> Flights:
>
> I am travelling most of the time, and most of my trips include several
> stops. Chances are your city is neither the first nor the last stop
> in the trip. So please don't make assumptions about the itinerary;
> instead, please ask me for whatever information you need.
>
> Many organizations ask to buy the tickets and send them to me. That
> is ok with me, but it typically assumes the trip goes to just one
> city. That approach usually won't work for a multi-destination trip,
> unless you want to pay for the whole trip. So normally I buy the
> tickets myself and get reimbursed by the various places I am visiting.
> For a multi-destination trip, we will need to agree on what parts of
> the travel expenses you should cover.
>
> Some organizations feel that hospitality calls for providing me with a
> business class ticket. That is indeed more comfortable, but an
> economy class seat is good enough even on an overnight flight if it is
> a window seat. Meanwhile, speaking is my main source of income, and
> the extra price of a business class ticket would be a lot more useful
> for me if I can spend it on something else. So if you were thinking
> of spending extra for business class, how about if you get pay the
> extra to me as a speaker's fee instead?
>
> We should plan for me to arrive at least 24 hours before the speech;
> that way, even if the flight is cancelled, there is a good chance I
> can still arrive in time for the speech.
>
>
> Accommodations:
>
> I am willing to stay in a hotel if that is the way you want to do it.
>
> But if there is anyone who wants to offer a spare couch, or even some
> spare floor, I would much rather stay there than in a hotel (provided
> I have a door I can close to in order to have some privacy). Staying
> with someone is more fun for me than a hotel, and it would also save
> you money. Floor space is sufficient because I bring an air mattress
> with me.
>
> Note, however, that in a hot and/or humid place I need air
> conditioning or I will be unable to sleep. Above 72 fahrenheit (22
> centigrade) it becomes quite difficult except when the air is dry.
>
> I sometimes like cats, but they are not good for me; I am somewhat
> allergic to them. So I need the bed and the room I will usually be
> staying in to be clean of cat hair. However, it is no problem if
> there is a cat elsewhere in the house--I might even like them. Dogs
> that occasionally jump up on people frighten me unless they are tiny.
> But if they only do that when we come in, I can cope as long as you
> hold the dog away from me at that time.
>
> If you put me in a hotel, please cover the costs of the telephone
> calls I will need to transfer my email. Some hotels charge a lot of
> money for this.
>
> Many countries have a law that hotels must report all guests to the
> police. In most cases, this intrusive policy applies not just
> foreigners like me, but even to citizens. The citizens should be
> outraged by this, but often they are not.
>
> If your country has this policy, please join me in striking a blow
> against Big Brother, by finding a place other than a hotel for me to
> stay in. I will be happier in my visit if I can stay in a place that
> doesn't demand to see my passport. If the police want to talk with me
> about free software, they are welcome to come to my speech.
>
> If you have found a person for me to stay with, please forward this
> section and the two following sections to that person.
>
>
> Beds:
>
> Many people like hard beds, but they cause me muscle aches that keep
> me awake. In general there is no way you can determine for me whether
> a bed is too hard; hardness is relative and we do not know how your
> standards compare with mine. But one data point is that futons are
> always too hard for me. I have tried many futons, and every one of
> them was painful. So if it isn't distinctly softer than every futon
> you have ever seen, it is too hard.
>
> If you don't know for a fact that I can sleep on the bed you have in
> mind, please arrange to have on hand either a vacuum cleaner or a hair
> dryer with a "cool" setting, so I can to inflate my air mattress if I
> need it.
>
> Hotel beds are often very hard; I cannot necessarily sleep on the bed
> in the hotel. But at least we can count on a hotel to have a vacuum
> cleaner.
>
> In case you are wondering, I cannot feel a pea under a mattress, but I
> might feel a peanut under a thin mattress.
>
>
> Email:
>
> It is very important for me to be able to transfer email between my
> laptop and the net, so I can do my ordinary work. While travelling, I
> often need to do the work and the transfer late at night, or in the
> morning before a departure. So please set up a way I can connect to
> the net from the place I am staying. If there is a computer on the
> net which has a floppy drive, I can transfer the data via that
> computer.
>
> A modem connection is fine if it works, so please verify in advance
> that the telephone line you expect me to use has a modular jack and
> that it works to call the ISP from that line. Hotels in Europe and
> Asia often have peculiar phone systems; the staff may tell you it is
> possible to call an ISP from the hotel *but they may be wrong*. The
> only way to tell for certain is to go to the hotel, try phoning with a
> computer from a guest room, and see if it actually works. Until you
> have tested it, don't believe it!
>
> I already have ISPs to call in the US and in some other places;
> elsewhere, please find me a local ISP to call. (It would be nice if
> the account will continue working afterward, so that I can use it
> again if I come back or from other places in the region.) Hotel phone
> fees may be significant, and I expect you to cover them. However, I
> normally connect to the net only for around ten minutes at a time,
> twice a day, so it won't be too much.
>
>
> Paying me a reimbursement or a fee:
>
> Please pay my reimbursement or fee to me personally; do not send it to
> the FSF. The FSF and I have completely separate finances, and the FSF
> never pays for my travel. The FSF welcomes donations, but please make
> sure that money intended to me is not sent to them, because moving it
> afterward would mean accounting headaches as well as extra work.
>
> My assistant is not involved with my finances, so he cannot help you
> with that issue. Please send questions about payments to me directly.
>
> If you pay me by check, and you're not in the US, make sure to get a
> check that lists a corresponding US bank--otherwise it will cost me a
> fee to deposit the check. Please mail the check to:
>
> Richard Stallman
> 545 Tech Sq rm 425
> Cambridge, MA 02139
> USA
>
> Do not mail it to the FSF!
>
> A wire transfer is also a good method of payment. I will send you the
> coordinates; ask if you need them. But note that a fee is always
> charged for making the transfer--please don't take that out of what
> you've agreed to pay me.
>
> Cash is also fine.
>
> If you are outside the US, please convert your currency to dollars in
> your bank, then use one of the above methods to pay me the dollars.
> My bank gives very bad exchange rates; yours is surely better.
>
> If you want an invoice, I will be glad to give you one. Let's work
> out what it should say by email before I arrive. Please also check
> before the visit whether you need any other forms, such as tax forms.
> I would like to be able to take care of any necessary forms while I am
> there, rather than wait till afterward.
>
>
> Food:
>
> I enjoy delicious food, and I like most kinds of cooking if they are
> done well (the exception being that I cannot eat anything very spicy).
> So I like to go to restaurants that are good at whatever kind of food
> they do. I don't arrive with specific preferences for what kind of
> food--rather, I want to have whatever is good: maybe the local
> cuisine, or the food of an immigrant ethnic group which is present in
> large numbers, or something unusual and original.
>
> It would be nice for you to ask around among your acquaintances to
> find people who like good food and are familiar with the area's
> restaurants. They will be able to give good recommendations.
>
>
> Sightseeing:
>
> If I am visiting an interesting city or region, I will probably want
> to do a few hours of sightseeing in between the work. But don't try
> to plan sightseeing for me without asking me first--I can only spare a
> limited time for it, so I am selective about where to go. Please
> don't assume I want to see something just because it is customary to
> take visitors there. That place may be of no interest with me.
> Instead, please tell me about possible places to visit--then I can say
> what I would like.
>
> I enjoy natural beauty such as mountains and rocky coasts, ancient
> buildings, impressive and unusual modern buildings, and trains. I
> like caves, and if there is a chance to go caving I would enjoy that.
> (I am just a novice as a caver.) I often find museums interesting.
>
> If there is a chance to watch folk dancing, I would probably enjoy
> that. I tend to like music that has a feeling of dance in it, but I
> sometimes like other kinds too. However, I generally dislike the
> various genres that are popular in the US, such as rock, country, rap,
> reggae, techno, and composed American "folk". Please tell me what
> unusual music and dance forms are present; I can tell you if I am
> interested.
>
> If there is something else interesting and unique, please tell me
> about it. Maybe I will be interested.
>
>
> More arrangements:
>
> Once we have a precise date for the speech, my assistant will contact
> you with questions about the arrangements for the trip. Please
> respond as soon as possible with the information he asks for.
----- End forwarded message -----
--
void
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