Hangin' with RMS

I got to hang with Richard M. Stallman for the past few days.

RMS came down to dotelkay at the invitation of the late Prof. V. K. Samaranayake, who, unfortunately, didn't live to see the fruition of his dreams to have the creator of the GNU Operating System come here.

But, on the other hand, many others took advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. I won't talk about the official events much, because they have been blogged about multiple times (link, link, link). I'll talk about the other, less seen side of RMS.

Playing host to RMS was a daunting task. He doesn't ask for much, but RMS is a man with no middle gears. He is an imposing figure, both physically (it's the beard, and the hair) and mentally (he's a very smart man). He is also outspoken, and very abrupt. While those who know him are ready for such things, it can make life difficult for those who are more used to subtlety and toadying.

We had a dinner for RMS on Thursday, the 17th January. My friend Nalin, who is a geek who's not into computers invited RMS and a bunch of the local geek community to his place for dinner. The menu was specially tailored for RMS' tastes and there was lots of interesting and interested people for him to interact with. After a good dinner, we talked of many things, not all of them Free Software related. We talked about the creation of a objective hotness scale so that non spice-eating folks like RMS can figure out how hot and spicy the foods are. We also played flute and drums, RMS tried to play the tabla, and then played folk tunes on his recorder while Dassa and Yours Truly kept beat on tabla and african drum.

The thing about RMS is that he really isn't as scary as we thought he would be. He's a nice guy and has a lot to say, if you're willing to listen. And it's good to talk to a person who is direct. At least with him you know where you stand, and he can take as good as he gives. He may not agree with you, but he'll listen to you before he shoots you down.

So at the end of the day, hanging with RMS was an experience. It was good to meet with someone who embodies not only geekiness, but a passion for Freedom and a lack of materialism.