Hello everyone! I am very happy to come to China. I saw that there are so many free software enthusiasts and followers, I feel that free software has great potential in China, and you will be the future of China's free software. Today, I want to introduce you to the development of free software and GNU. When people want to ask: What is the rules of this social use software? Considering this issue is usually a software company, they are completely considering this problem for their own perspective. They develop this rule in order to manage others and do not take money from them. As early as the 1970s, I pay attention to this problem. At that time, our programmers were working together to share these software results. Because of this, I have drawn a completely different conclusion. Our community works this way: we will get the latest program software from Stanford, or some source code to write some better programs to solve some of the original problems. Or you can use those source code to implement your thoughts, write a better program, or even you can cut a program for another program you work. People refer to this reuse of software. This allows you to use a program for many aspects. This is the direction of our community is committed to, or it can be called the contribution to human knowledge treasures. We are not for anyone, but we work for everyone. Our community includes MIT's laboratory personnel, as well as Personnel of Berg, and even some computer companies also join us. But our community is different from computer users, I found some computers most concerned about. For example, Xerox was given to Mit a laser printer, which was a very precious gift, because at the time, it was very advanced, MIT became the only unit with laser printers other than Xerox. This machine has a very good performance, high print clarity, is distorted as vertical lines like a previous printer, and the line print is straight, beautiful, it is controlled by computer. But there are many problems: such as regular jams. In this case, we know what to do, the past printers will have frequent jams, low clarity, we can't change the problem of slow printing, cardboard, but we are software engineers, we can use software to you Make up the shortage of hardware. For example, after the print job is completed, we can use the program to prompt: "Your print job has been completed, so the printper does not have to wait another time. In addition, I also wrote a prompt about cardboard. Once the jam will tell the printper jam through the screen. Or the printer has a problem, the system will display: "Machine failure, need repair". Once this happens, you must go to repair immediately, may not have any other people to help you, but sometimes there will be two or three people to reach the printer at the same time, and they can help each other and repair together. In fact, we regard the printer as part of the entire system and ensure the overall system is stable. So when a new printer appears similar problems, we also want to make similar software modifications. However, the problem has appeared: the new Xerox printer is controlled with Xerox proprietary software. We don't have source code, and even the most basic modifications are not caught. We are all the best software engineers in the world, but we don't have any ways. Therefore, people feel a headache for this printer. Maybe you go to see half an hour after printing, but a piece of paper is not printing. After half an hour, you go to see, but I found it all the time to jam. So you repaired the paper jam, went back and waited for half an hour, and I thought that this is here, but I found out that I have someone else, this is no meaning. However, it is the most fascinating thing that some people deliberately do not let us do this machine better. At that time, I heard a colleague of the university, a copy piece of this machine source code, so I went to him in the office of Pittsburgh, I wanted to ask him to copy a copy piece, he refused, he said: "I have promised to provide copy parts to anyone."
I am very angry, but there is no way, I can only turn around. This is a sadness for MIT's employees, so we have been solving this problem, and the machine has always been so bad. On the contrary, this matter is a small touch. Berg's? The engineer refused to cooperate with me, and refused to cooperate with you. He is betrayed all of us. This is what happened in 1981. Just because he signed a non-foreign leak agreement, he was betrayed the world. This is my first time I have exposed to leak agreement, I am a victim, my laboratory is also a victim. Many software engineers will encounter agreements requested to sign non-excess leaks, and there will be a lot of temptations and benefits to induce them. People will find various excuses for the mistakes you have done. Many people do this. Why can't I? But I won't sign such an agreement, because I clearly remember that I and my laboratory are victims. Especially you don't know who you will hurt, maybe it will be your best friend. If someone gives me a good software, but I ask me not to leak, I will thank him, but tell him that conscience will not let me do this, I would rather not this software. So far, I have never signed any non-disclosure agreement with a known situation. The establishment of the AI laboratory in the 1970s can be said to be tragedy in the computer field, and the AI laboratory begins to prepare proprietary procedures, making our original shared source code becomes a point. Unless you sign a non-exhibiting agreement, you can't work at an advanced computer because they have written ISS (not compatible software systems). My original community environment has not existed. How will I do? Perhaps with historical trends, it also signs non-exit leak agreement, and writes proprietary software, I can also be a living. But in the future, I will split the high wall with people exchanged with a living building. But I can't do this. Another option is to leave the computer industry, but many programmers believe that leaving the computer. But today's US still has millions of people with software. My expertise is programming, I believe that I will be a good waiter, which is also a way to make a living, but I am wasting my skills. I am looking for another possibility, making a programmer and make greater contributions to this society. I think that the most needed that I have developed a set of operating systems to change this kind of dilemma. Since the operating system at the time is proprietary, this is the cause of the problem, so I decided to develop a set of operating systems from zero, open to everyone. This task is very difficult, I don't dare to break it, but create a free operating system is my goal. How is the problem to design such an operating system. I know that some programs are written after it is useless, because it only applies to some type of computer, I don't want this happening. I thought of portable software, which is very leading in 1983. I want to be a system with UNIX, so that everyone feels very easy and convenient. Next, it is a name. In the 1970s, the popular engineers were willing to give their own software. After a variety of options, I chose the name of the GNU. This is what I think I am the best vocabulary in all English languages. Then the next step is to find those who are keen on programming to develop it. I found a lot of computer manufacturers and ask them: You use UNIX to use UNIX to pay a few million dollars to Unix, why not take 50,000 let us develop a new free operating system? If many computer manufacturers can do this, we have enough funds to complete the development work. Once success, it will result in huge, reaching 100: 1, isn't that better? Although some people interested this, no one is willing to provide sponsors. So I decided to start writing.
In January 1984, I resigned my job, I have to do this, because your achievements in MIT and other universities are owned by school, and my goal is to write free operating systems and let everyone share. Since then, I have not had a formal work. Fortunately, by writing a free operating system, I have not hungry now. If each program has its owner, the owner has such a rule: the user who uses the program is or not to use this program. So some people will say: "Ok, I pay this software." Some people said: "I don't buy it, this is too expensive, I don't have to use this program." Someone will not use it, so Come, this program is not very good, and some is wasted. The effect is the same because the design, test, development and procedures take to a certain extent. If our users have been restricted, then we have some of the work that will be wet. But there is also a part of the society is happy to help others. A normal society can only play a role in a good attitude, but some of the society is happy to help others. This is also the reason why many religious beliefs encourage helpful help people because it is very important for human society. When I am still a child, in the school, the teacher will education, we want to "share", they say that you can't eat the candy, you have to give another child, is the case in China? I am not surprising to this. Because it is obvious, it is very important to share with people around you, and children must be educated. Now in the United States, the government is doing the opposite, requiring school teachers to educate children to "save", before we have been shared with others, now the children are told "Sharing with others". Pointing to others is wrong, pointing to others means you are a fool. What will this world will this world if we don't want to help people around? Do we want to live in such a person, do we want to help others? In the past, someone asked me if no one was willing to work for free software, because they think this is free software, people have to work freely, so there is no one is willing to do and do this. Today, after fifteen years, I think there is already an answer, some people are editing software to pay, but many people are even if they are not paying. We write useful software and let more people can use it, this is the value of free software. A large advantage of free software is that these programs are always updated without interruptions. When I wrote Emacs, everyone is thinking about how to improve it. For example, someone will say that I have an idea here, and someone will say this new idea I can implement it, and there will be a program that will appear one after another. The appearance is so fast, I can't catch up ... I want to have this problem in Microsoft. People improve the software to make it more useful, the software is useful, people began to use it, so The result makes free software more availability and reliability. In the past, people didn't think of the free software, but today's facts seem to have high reliability, play an important role in daily work, education, etc. In hospital medical patients, the US police have adopted a system of free software configuration when recording, as they know that this system will never be paralyzed. This is also an extremely important reason for people choose to use free software. From a practical point of view, the program of open source code is also supported for business.
When we talk to business people, free software supports business may be a good selling point, but when we talk to our system users, or when we talk to our association, we don't have to tell them these Because the freedom of society is the most important, we have to give them the freedom to choose. History tells us that if people want to freedom, the only way is to struggle for free, there are always some opportunities that let you give up freedom, people can always hear "If you give up this freedom, you can get some benefits", always Some people give up freedom for these benefits, so if we want to maintain freedom, there must be people who cherish the freedom. In any place in the world, if you want freedom, you must struggle. The person working in the Free Software Association said: "I insist on the free software, because I want 'free'." That extent, I agree with what they said, but I think they did not mention it. Here I have to clarify that the free software work is not exactly the same, and the two sports have a very similar goal, but the reasons are not the same for their theme of the public. The latter cannot reach a harmonious working environment, without other people's help, software will not be able to achieve powerful functions and reliability; in addition, this situation will affect scientists' mutual cooperation, and this cooperation spirit It is just that they work together to improve the level of knowledge of humans. This kind of spirit has been great, even when the country's countries are in the war period, this cooperation spirit is also generally existed. I have read a story. When I said the World War, the US soldiers landed in a small island in the Pacific Ocean, found a house, and nailed a brand written to the US soldiers, saying: "US soldier, Here is a marine biological laboratory, we want to hand over the specimen here to a US scientist, let him continue our research, and don't want this war to make this thing is destroyed. "Whenever I think of these, I Will be very moving. In contrast to this spirit of cooperation, now every company researchers are enemies in other companies, this is a scientific oppositive limit, making it in a civil war in every place, and this situation is seriously obstructed Technical communication and development. I think this situation can no longer continue. The above is the reason why free software is different, and it is also an important reason for free software. At present, there is such a view of free software. If some users can freely get a program, this program is free software for you. I don't agree with this view, because some software usually is free to be free, but not for other users. This looks some strange, I will give an example to explain: The most typical example is X-Windows, which is a UNIX-based Windows operating system developed by MIT, if you purchase X-windows from the developer, It is free software for you. But for other computer vendors who got the X-Windows copy parts, they use the UNIX system, they will adapt and integrate the X system and integrated into their UNIX, and then sell to the buyer, it is limited to this UNIX system. Then there is a similar and not case, if you want to ask if X-Windows is a free software, the answer depends on which aspect you are considered. If you buy it from the R & D, you enjoy free, the answer is sure; but if you consider most of the ordinary software users, the answer is negative, they don't have this freedom, so X- Windows is not a free software.
