Rider Richard Stallman

If you want to invite Richard Stallman to speak at the conference, you will have to take into account his requirements. Of course, like any global star, the founder of the free software movement has a rider, that is, a long document with detailed conditions for organizing an event. Knowing the character of Stallman, we can assume that he has an unusual rider. So it is: read the latest version of this document (dated October 18, 2011).

The founder of the GNU Project, the Free Software Foundation and the Program Freedom League, the author of the copyleft concept is very attentive to details. It is very important that the conference had the right drinks. Tea is desirable - Stallman always has a few bags of his favorite tea in his pocket. He agrees to other brands, because “with tea and milk, any tea is tasty”. If Richard feels sleepy, he would like to see two jars or small bottles of non-dietary Pepsi. In no case is Coca-Cola, because, recalls Stallman, an international boycott of the Coca-Cola Company for the murder of leaders of the trade union movement in Colombia and Guatemala is currently in force.

Of course, Richard Stallman must be sure that the whole event is in the spirit of free software, so he has to check the list of speakers in front of and after him. He is categorically opposed if entry is restricted or, especially, sold tickets without his prior consent. Richard loves to speak in front of a large non-technical audience and says that if he finds a restriction on entry, he reserves the right to refuse to speak. For merchants, he recommends organizing the sale of “certificates of attendance” from some reputable organization. If the organization is really reputable, then certificates will be in demand by those who need them for a career, and the rest can pass for free.

Sponsors should not distribute any promotional materials to the participants of the event; there should not be stretch marks with the names of companies or their products on the stage. It is only allowed to place a small logo with gratitude in the program. If the sponsor does not agree, Stallman says, you will have to organize an event without a sponsor.
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It happens that the performance is organized next to other events, and then on the posters or on the neighboring display can be displayed logos of different companies. In this case, if a company that he doesn’t particularly like for ethical reasons flashes there, Stallman says, he will have to ask to cover the posters with some cloth or turn off the display during his speech.

The title of the event should preferably not contain the words “intellectual property”, Linux or Open Source, because we are talking about the Free Software movement, while the Open Source movement appeared four years later “specifically to challenge our idealistic philosophy,” says Stallman. They deliberately avoid talking about freedom. It’s like two rival parties in a two-party political system (more here ). The same goes for the Linux kernel, which is used in the GNU / Linux operating system (that's the way it should be called). Naturally, Stallman does not want to see any penguins around him or hear about distributions other than GNU / Linux (for example, Ubuntu). The phrase "intellectual property" in general should be excluded from use as an absurd meme virus, which destroys the correct ideology.

On stage, Stallman needs only a microphone, he does not use slides or other presentations. A typical speech lasts an hour and a half plus an hour of answers to questions. On the table should be a stack of paper and a pen for people who want to subscribe to the FSF mailing list.

Stallman is ready to be interviewed if the journalist promises to use the correct terminology (GNU / Linux, free software, etc.). Anyone who makes an audio recording of his speeches, he asks not to use a lossy codec for recording (that is, anyone other than Ogg). For digital video, it is better to choose Matroska VP8 or Ogg Theora (for audio, Ogg Vorbis or Ogg Speex). If you want to distribute videos with Stallman on the Internet, these requirements turn from desirable ones into mandatory ones. In no case can you use commercial formats Quicktime, Windows Media Player or patented MPEG2, MPEG4 and MP3.

The inviting party must buy a plane ticket to Stallman and agree to buy a new ticket if he loses that ticket. If they buy a train or bus ticket for him, then you should not give his name to anyone. "Big Brother has no right to know where I travel or where you travel." If the box office requires you to say a name, you should give a name that does not belong to anyone you know, Stallman says. Well, if the bus or train will check your passport before boarding, you will have to abandon this type of transport. In the US, he never uses international trains because of their policies to check documents before boarding. When buying tickets for Stallman, do not disclose your name, too, only pay in cash.

Similar rules apply to hotels. It is unacceptable that they require a passport and send to the police information about all the guests upon arrival (common practice in many hotels). The temperature in the hotel room should be no higher than 22 ° C (in the case of dry air it can be 23 ° C), otherwise Richard Stallman is difficult to sleep. If the temperature slightly exceeds this threshold, then a fan is required. If the temperature is three degrees higher - you need air conditioning. The hotel room should have access to the Network and the ability to freely establish an SSH connection without a proxy and firewall. Richard Stallmann does not use browsers, it is better to first check the characteristics of the hotel network with the hotel’s system administrator, since ordinary staff do not understand the difference between the Internet and the web. For Stallman, the ability to go online without identification is also crucial.

Any rooms where Stallman comes should be cleaned of cat hair. On the other hand, he will be “very, very happy” if there is a friendly parrot in the room. But Richard asks not to buy a parrot specifically for him, because it is a very big responsibility and an important life decision, which must be made consciously and responsibly.

Regarding food, Richard Stallman is not particularly picky. He likes almost any food if well cooked. He does not drink coffee and strong alcohol, only wine. Wine is harder - Richard likes certain types of wine, but he doesn't remember their names, so it's useless to ask him. The question of drinking Richard decides on the spot, by trial.